Cheque Requisition Form
Asks the finance team to issue a cheque — who to pay, how much, why, and against which budget code, with room for the approvals.
Details
cheque requisition formRed highlights mark what is still blank. Everything stays on this device.
| Date of request | September 25, 2026 |
| Requested by | [name] |
| Department | [department] |
| Needed by | [date] |
1. Payee
| Pay to | [payee name] |
| Address | — |
| Amount | $ [amount] |
| Send the check | Post it to the payee |
2. Purpose
[what the payment is for]
| Budget or ledger code | — |
3. Supporting documents attached
[list the invoice, receipts or agreement attached]
4. Approval
| Name | Signature | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requested by | [name] | ||
| Approved by | |||
| Checked by finance |
5. For finance use only
| Check no. | |
| Date issued | |
| Paid from account | |
| Issued by |
What is a Cheque Requisition Form?
A cheque requisition form is the internal request an employee fills in when the organisation needs to pay someone by cheque. It tells the finance team who to pay, how much and why, points to the invoice or approval behind the payment, and carries the signatures that authorise it — so no cheque is written on the strength of a phone call or an email. In the United States the same document is usually called a check request form.
Finance teams use it for payments that do not come through the normal purchase-order route: a refund to a customer, a deposit, a one-off fee, a speaker's honorarium, a reimbursement, or a supplier who only takes cheques. It is common in schools, charities, clubs, hospitals and smaller companies — anywhere cheques are still written and someone other than the requester signs them.
The form's real job is control. It separates the person asking for money from the person approving it and the person paying it, and it leaves a trail an auditor can follow from the cheque back to the reason. That is why the supporting document matters as much as the amount: an invoice, a receipt, a signed agreement or a minute of the decision is what turns a request into a payment someone can justify later.
It is not the cheque itself, and it is not a purchase order. A purchase order commits the organisation to buying something before it happens; a cheque requisition asks for a payment to be made now, usually for something already agreed or received. Once the cheque is issued, finance writes the cheque number and date on the form and files it with the evidence.
What to put in a Cheque Requisition Form
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Business name | For example: Barton Supply Co. |
| Your address | For example: Unit 7, Barton Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Requested by | For example: Maria Lopez |
| Department | For example: Events |
| Needed by | Free text |
| Pay to (exactly as the cheque should read) | For example: Riverside Community Hall Trust |
| Payee address, if the cheque is posted optional | For example: 12 Mill Lane, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Amount | For example: 850.00 |
| Send it | Free text |
| What the payment is for | For example: Hall hire for the annual volunteer awards evening on 14 November, including the… |
| Budget or ledger code optional | For example: EV-2026-114 |
| Supporting documents attached | One per line |
| Approver optional | For example: David Chen, Head of Events |
How to write a Cheque Requisition Form
Say who is asking and when it is needed
Fill in your name, department and the date, and the date the payment is actually needed. A realistic needed-by date lets finance fit the request into its regular cheque run instead of treating everything as urgent; if it genuinely is urgent, say why.
Give the payee exactly as the cheque must read
Write the payee's name as it should appear on the cheque — the registered name of the business, not a trading nickname — and their address if the cheque is to be posted. A cheque made out to the wrong name cannot be banked and has to be cancelled and rewritten.
State the amount and what it is for
Give the amount, and describe the purpose in a sentence someone outside your team would understand: what was bought or owed, for which event or period, and why a cheque rather than a transfer. Add the budget or ledger code the cost should be charged to.
Attach the evidence
List and attach whatever supports the payment — an invoice, receipts for a reimbursement, a signed contract, a deposit request. Finance will not usually pay without it, and a missing attachment is the most common reason a request comes back.
Get it approved before it goes to finance
Sign it yourself, then have it approved by the budget holder or whoever your finance policy names for that amount. Finance checks it, issues the cheque and records the cheque number and date on the form, which closes the loop for audit.
Common mistakes
- Writing the payee's name differently from how their bank account is held, so the cheque is returned and has to be reissued.
- Sending the form without the invoice or receipts, so finance sends it back and the payment misses its date.
- Approving your own request, which defeats the separation the form exists to create.
- Leaving the budget code blank, so the cost lands in the wrong budget and has to be corrected later.
- Using a cheque requisition for something that needed a purchase order first, so the organisation was committed before anyone approved the spend.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cheque requisition form?
It is an internal form asking the finance team to issue a cheque. It records who is asking, who is to be paid, the amount, the purpose, the budget code and the supporting documents, and it carries the approval signatures.
Is a check request form the same thing?
Yes. Check request form is the usual American name and cheque requisition form the usual British, Canadian, Australian and Indian one. The contents are the same, and the form here changes its heading with the region you choose.
Who should approve a cheque requisition?
Someone other than the person asking — normally the budget holder, with larger amounts going to a senior manager or director. Your organisation's finance policy sets the limits; follow it rather than any general rule.
What documents should be attached?
Whatever shows the payment is owed: an invoice from a supplier, receipts for a reimbursement, a signed agreement for a fee or deposit, or a minute of the decision for a grant or donation. Keep copies with the form after the cheque is issued.
How is it different from a purchase requisition?
A purchase requisition asks for permission to buy something and usually leads to a purchase order. A cheque requisition asks for a payment to be made, usually for something already agreed or received.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.