Can I deposit a check written to my minor child?

[mandyms]

Long back story, but I received a refund check from the YMCA for a debaucle of a soccer program I had signed my DD up for. But it's written to my 3 year old. Can I deposit it to my account, or do I need to contact the Y (total PITA, it took them 2 months to send this check) for a new one?

[Miss Tequila]

I don't know the laws but my dad always sends checks to my children and I sign it with my signature, for minor child Jane Doe. My bank has never questioned me and I've been doing this for years.

[hoops902]

Just about every kid I know gets some kind of check from Grandma for their birthday, parents have always just signed for their minor children (in nearly all instances the property of the minor technically belongs to the parent anyways).

You don't need a new check.

[mandyms]

Ok, I guess I need to call my bank to clarify. Might make it harder b/c we have different last names. I was thinking if I present her birth certificate it might help.

[Miss Tequila]

Jul 29, 2011 16:56:38 GMT -5 mandyms said:

Ok, I guess I need to call my bank to clarify. Might make it harder b/c we have different last names. I was thinking if I present her birth certificate it might help.

Honestly, I would just deposit and see if they give you a hassle. I've never been question and I've been doing this for almost 13 years. For that matter, just forge a signature for your child and sign below it...yeah, I do that for my husband, too

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...while I agree with the others about signing your name after their's and depositing it, keep in mind that it could be treated as a "3rd party" check and your bank may require you to have matching funds to negotiate it...

[mandyms]

Jul 29, 2011 17:35:25 GMT -5 BeenThere...DoneThat... said:

...while I agree with the others about signing your name after their's and depositing it, keep in mind that it could be treated as a "3rd party" check and your bank may require you to have matching funds to negotiate it...

That's not a problem. So all I have to do is sign her name, then my name underneath?

[swamp]

I have a different last name than my kids, adn I deposit checks made out to them by signing my name to them all the time. I put them in my checking account through hte ATM and then electronically transfer the money into their accounts.

[Deleted]

Jul 29, 2011 17:46:19 GMT -5 swamp said:

I have a different last name than my kids, adn I deposit checks made out to them by signing my name to them all the time. I put them in my checking account through hte ATM and then electronically transfer the money into their accounts.

yeah this!

however, do not sign their name and deposit it in your account as they will then reverse the deposit and require you to come in and sign the check unless their name is on the account you deposited into.

[Deleted]

I honestly don't think banks even look at the checks any more unless it's a large amount. One of my clients was able to cash a check I had sent her made out to Kaiser Permanente.

[973beachbum]

Jul 29, 2011 18:25:53 GMT -5 @maddawgwiccan said:

I honestly don't think banks even look at the checks any more unless it's a large amount. One of my clients was able to cash a check I had sent her made out to Kaiser Permanente.

I'm sorry I know this makes me a bad person but this cracked me up!

[Deleted]

I actually was TOLD by Regions that no one actually looks at the signature and endorsement. I was concerned after I remarried that I would accidentally sign the wrong name (it's been 35 years) without thinking. I wanted to sign the card with both names. The representative laughed and said they were only doing the amounts or whatever. So much for forgery although when I mentioned that, he said if I claim forgery, they do check. Lol.

I always signed my kids check but it was a small bank. I always signed my ex's name to his paycheck (before direct deposit). Of course, I did convince this bank not to close his account when we got divorced. It was standard procedure, but he wanted the same account since he had had it since he was sixteen. I took my name off the account and "promised" not to write any more checks on it. Lol.

Don't you guys miss small banks, etc. in this era when no one really knows your name?

[bobosensei]

You can write "for deposit only" and then your account number on it. THat might get the check through without anyone having to sign a name.

[JustLurkin]

Jul 29, 2011 17:44:02 GMT -5 mandyms said:

Jul 29, 2011 17:35:25 GMT -5 BeenThere...DoneThat... said:

...while I agree with the others about signing your name after their's and depositing it, keep in mind that it could be treated as a "3rd party" check and your bank may require you to have matching funds to negotiate it...

That's not a problem. So all I have to do is sign her name, then my name underneath?

Have your 3 year old sign it, and you sign it too.

I do this with my son all the time. He has no concept if that "do not sign below line". His signature could take up the whole check!

[swamp]

Jul 29, 2011 18:12:15 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

Jul 29, 2011 17:46:19 GMT -5 swamp said:

I have a different last name than my kids, adn I deposit checks made out to them by signing my name to them all the time. I put them in my checking account through hte ATM and then electronically transfer the money into their accounts.

yeah this!

however, do not sign their name and deposit it in your account as they will then reverse the deposit and require you to come in and sign the check unless their name is on the account you deposited into.

I've never had that happen. My kids are 3 and 5. Their names are not on my checking account. Every week, and everytime they get a check (birthdays, holidays) I sign my name to their checks, put them in my checking account, and then electronically transfer the funds.

[tiredturkey]

As a bookkeeper (retired) and someone who counts and deposits her church's collection, I can assure you that most banks will deposit absolutely anything they receive if it has an endorsement on the back. While working I deposited an amazing variety of checks simply by endorsing "pay to the order of ----------" followed by the company name and account number. Now I regularly deposit checks made payable "To The Glory of God" by stamping them with the church's deposit stamp. And numerous unsigned checks have been successfully deposited. I'm not saying this is necessarily right, but most banks don't really give a flip. This is sadly why we have so much fraud. The bad guys slip through along with Grandma's checks.

[Gardening Grandma]

Doesn't it depend on the bank? I've had a bank refuse to deposit a check made out to "Gardeninggrandpa and Gardeninggrandma" because DH had not endorsed it. I had endorsed it and attempted to deposit it into a joint checking account.

[cubefarmer]

I just signed my name and wrote "for minor child" underneath it. Your child doesn't need to sign it. I don't think a child's signature has any binding power anyway.

[schildi]

I would just go ahead and deposit the check. I would wait a while before accessing the money, making sure it clears fine.
Only if there was a problem would I go back to YMCA.
But that's just me.

[DVM gone riding]

I like cubefarmers ans. I don't think most banks care one ioda unless someone says "fraud" every now and then you get the one "teller" that wants to be powerful and make a fuss.

GG my mom reads those tellers the riot act bec we are a community property state so it doesn't matter which partner in a marriage the check is made out to the other can deposit it! She once had a teller go off on like a $3.00 refund check on how my dad needed to sign it, never mind it was a joint checking acct with his name on it too and they were just depositing it... I doubt that teller did that again.

[Gardening Grandma]

GG my mom reads those tellers the riot act bec we are a community property state so it doesn't matter which partner in a marriage the check is made out to the other can deposit it!

That's part of what torqued me so much. We're in a CP state. I have a check made out to GGpa AND GGma. I sign it and attempt to deposit it into a joint account and they refuse to accept it. Grrrrr.

[michelyn8]

Jul 29, 2011 18:25:53 GMT -5 @maddawgwiccan said:

I honestly don't think banks even look at the checks any more unless it's a large amount. One of my clients was able to cash a check I had sent her made out to Kaiser Permanente.

I have to agree with banks not really looking at the back of a check. I've found that with checks, unless the person who owns the account its drawn on makes a complaint, most banks will process it.

I'd just sign your child's name and then yours and deposit the check. The YMCA isn't going to say anything and the bank has no knowledge of how old your child is so they aren't going to ask for ID or anything.

Side note: my daughter wrote me a check last week and since I wasn't going to be near a branch of my bank, I just gave her a deposit slip and told her to deposit it. I know I didn't sign the back of the check and she didn't mention any problems making the deposit, just gave me the receipt the next time I saw her. I've seen more than one check in my personal and employer's statements that were processed without an endorsement.

[Clever Username]

Jul 29, 2011 16:34:00 GMT -5 mandyms said:

Long back story, but I received a refund check from the YMCA for a debaucle of a soccer program I had signed my DD up for.

This is hillarious to me.
By a show of hands, who here thinks some frustrated administrator with a debacle on her hands is venting her frustration by making the parents figure out what to do with a check made out to a child?

Akin to putting postage stamps upside down on bills and hate mail.

[thyme4change]

By a show of hands, who here thinks some frustrated administrator with a debacle on her hands is venting her frustration by making the parents figure out what to do with a check made out to a child?

I've gotten several refunds made out to my children. They just took the primary name on the paperwork - which happened to be theirs. Usually it is the first name on the form when signing them up for sports programs. I've deposited them all with no problem.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Jul 30, 2011 1:38:37 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

You can write "for deposit only" and then your account number on it. THat might get the check through without anyone having to sign a name.

I don't even put the account number on it.

But all the checks my kids get go into accounts in their name, although I think the first time we didn't have an account set up and we dumped them into our account just to get them cashed before we got more phone calls asking "when are you going to deposit my check.."

[ontrack]

Aug 1, 2011 12:00:38 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Jul 30, 2011 1:38:37 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

You can write "for deposit only" and then your account number on it. THat might get the check through without anyone having to sign a name.

I don't even put the account number on it.

But all the checks my kids get go into accounts in their name, although I think the first time we didn't have an account set up and we dumped them into our account just to get them cashed before we got more phone calls asking "when are you going to deposit my check.."

In all fairness, it is annoying when someone takes a while to deposit a check. Once I waited months for a check to be deposited, and it threw my accounting off when trying to balance my checkbook (Not that I'm saying you waited that long).

[mandyms]

I went through the drive-thru teller yesterday afternoon; they didn't do any double takes with the check. Posted to my account right away.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Aug 1, 2011 16:12:26 GMT -5 ontrack said:

Aug 1, 2011 12:00:38 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

I don't even put the account number on it.

But all the checks my kids get go into accounts in their name, although I think the first time we didn't have an account set up and we dumped them into our account just to get them cashed before we got more phone calls asking "when are you going to deposit my check.."

In all fairness, it is annoying when someone takes a while to deposit a check. Once I waited months for a check to be deposited, and it threw my accounting off when trying to balance my checkbook (Not that I'm saying you waited that long).

Sadly, we did. We had several relatives call and ask us (or my Mom) about it. We try to get checks dealt with within a couple of weeks now.

[qofcc]

Sign the child's name, pay to the order of your name, then sign your name and deposit it in the ATM. Don't go to a teller because they might question you (you could prove you're their legal guardian and they'd let you deposit the check, but why go through hassle). The person processing the ATM transactions won't worry about it.