ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Substitute check in United States

Okay kiddo, have you ever written a check to pay for something? Well, sometimes people lose those paper checks or the bank has trouble processing them. That's where substitute checks come in!

A substitute check is like a photocopy of a check. It has all the same information that was on the original paper check, like who wrote it, who it's for, and how much money it's for. It also has a special marking that says it's a substitute check.

When a bank has trouble processing a paper check, they can create a substitute check instead. This allows the money to still be transferred from one account to another, even if the original check was lost or damaged.

Substitute checks are regulated by the government to make sure they are just as safe and reliable as the original paper checks. They can be used just like a regular check to pay for things, deposit money, or even withdraw cash from an ATM.

So that's what a substitute check is, kiddo. It's a safe and reliable copy of a check that banks can use when the original is lost or damaged.