To deposit a cheque in India you fill in a pay-in slip: the bank's small two-part form. The main part goes to the bank with the cheque. The counterfoil stays with you, stamped by the bank if you deposit at the counter. On it you write whose account the money goes to, and the cheque's number, date, bank and amount. Done properly it takes two minutes, and it's what lets the bank credit the right account if anything goes wrong.
The layout differs a little between banks, but the fields are nearly the same everywhere. Here is what each one means and what to watch for.
The fields, one by one
The account being credited
- Date: today's date, the date you deposit, not the date on the cheque.
- Branch: the branch where you are depositing. Some slips also ask for your home branch.
- Account number: the account that should receive the money. Write it slowly, digit by digit, and check it against your passbook or app. An account number error is the one mistake that can send money to a stranger.
- Account holder's name: as on the account. For an account payee cheque, this must match the payee on the cheque, because the bank can only credit it to the payee's account.
- Account type: savings, current, cash credit, NRO and so on, if the slip asks. NRIs: a cheque from someone in India usually belongs in NRO, not NRE (see NRE vs NRO cheques).
- Mobile number, if asked. It lets the bank contact you about a return.
The cheque details
Most slips have a small table for one or more cheques:
- Cheque number: the six-digit number at the left of the MICR band.
- Cheque date: the date written on the cheque. If it's in the future, don't deposit yet; a post-dated cheque will be returned. If it's more than three months old, the cheque is stale.
- Drawee bank and branch: the bank the cheque is drawn on, which is printed at the top of the cheque. This isn't your bank.
- Amount: in figures, exactly as on the cheque.
- Total and total in words, if you're depositing more than one cheque.
Your signature
The depositor signs the slip. The depositor doesn't have to be the account holder; anyone can deposit a cheque into your account. The bank uses the slip, not the depositor's signature, to decide where the money goes.
A worked example
| Field | What you'd write |
|---|---|
| Date | 09/10/2026 |
| Account number | Your 12–16 digit account number |
| Name | Sharma Traders |
| Cheque no. | 004517 |
| Cheque date | 06/10/2026 |
| Drawn on | Bank name, branch (from the top of the cheque) |
| Amount | 48,500.00 |
| Total in words | Rupees Forty-Eight Thousand Five Hundred Only |
Fill both the slip and the counterfoil with the same details. The counterfoil is only useful if it says what you deposited.
Drop box or counter?
Banks in India must offer both. The RBI's FAQs on cheque clearing say banks must provide a cheque drop box and an acknowledgement facility at the collection counter, and that no branch can refuse an acknowledgement if you ask for one at the counter.
| Drop box | Counter | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | No queue | May mean waiting |
| Proof | Only your own counterfoil, unstamped | Bank-stamped counterfoil or receipt |
| Same-day clearing | Only if the box is emptied before the branch's cut-off | You can ask whether you've made the cut-off |
| Best for | Routine, low-value cheques | High-value, time-sensitive or legally important cheques |
Some branches also have cheque deposit machines that scan the cheque and print a receipt, often with an image of the cheque on it. Where available, that's a good middle ground.
Timing matters more since continuous clearing began. A cheque that reaches the scanner before the cut-off can be credited the same day, and one that misses it waits for the next working day. See cheque clearing time in India.
The counterfoil is your proof
Keep the counterfoil, or the machine receipt, until the money is in your account. Keep it longer if the cheque matters. It's your evidence that:
- You deposited the cheque, and when. This matters if it's lost in the branch, or if you need to show you presented it within its validity.
- Which account you asked the bank to credit, if it went to the wrong one.
- What the cheque's details were, if the drawer later disputes them.
If a cheque bounces and you're considering a section 138 legal notice, the stamped counterfoil and the return memo together are the start of your paper trail.
Writing on the back of the cheque
Many banks ask you to write the account number and name (and often a mobile number) on the back of a cheque before depositing it. If the cheque gets separated from the slip, they can still credit it. Write lightly, away from the top edge, and don't write over the MICR band at the bottom.
A note for issuers. If you print cheques with ChequeMaster, you can print fixed text on the back of your own cheques, such as an invoice reference or your contact number, so a payee or a bank can identify the payment. See printing on the back of a cheque. That's for the cheques you issue. The payee still fills in their own deposit details when they bank it.
Common mistakes
- Wrong account number. Check it twice. For account payee cheques the name check may catch it; for others it may not.
- Your bank written as the drawee bank. "Drawn on" means the cheque's bank, not yours.
- Amount mismatch between the slip and the cheque. The bank will query it, and the cheque may sit unprocessed.
- Depositing a post-dated or stale cheque. It comes back, and you may pay a return charge.
- Stapling or pinning through the cheque. Use a clip, or just slip the cheque inside the slip. Holes and creases damage the scanned image.
- Cash and cheques on one slip, where the bank has separate slips. Use the cheque slip for cheques.
- Not filling the counterfoil. A blank counterfoil proves nothing.
Can you deposit a cheque on a mobile app?
It depends on the country, so don't assume.
- India. As of October 2026, photographing a cheque in your banking app to deposit it isn't a mainstream retail feature. Most cheques are still deposited at a branch, a drop box or a deposit machine, and some banks offer doorstep pickup. If your bank's app offers something it calls cheque deposit, read what it actually does. It may be a pickup request, not image deposit.
- The Gulf and elsewhere. Some banks, including some in the UAE, offer remote cheque deposit in their apps, especially for business customers. Rules on eligible cheques, limits and what to do with the paper afterwards vary by bank. See the UAE cheque clearing guide.
