If you have ever looked at your checks for your bank account and wondered how you can find your account number on checks you have come to the right place. The numbers at the bottom of your checks include this information. The account number is within the nine digit code on the bottom made up of the Bank Routing Number, your Account Number and finally the Check Number. You can find the account number easily by simply eliminating all the extra digits that you can account for. When you are writing down your check number ignore anything that is not an actual digit and follow these simple steps to get the account number.
1.) Finding your Bank Routing Number On Checks
The first nine digits, from the left, on the bottom of all checks are designated as the Bank Routing Number. This digit is always nine digits long and you can immediately eliminate these nine digits from the account number. Here is a great tip to find this number quickly, look for the special characters that look like a sideways face. The Bank Routing Number is always between these two special characters.
Next, you have to locate the string of numbers at the bottom of the check that match almost exactly the number on the top right corner of your check. This number can then be removed from the list of your numbers, as this is the actual number of your check from your account. This number is nearly always four digits long and if your check number is less than four digits will be preceded by zeroes.
3.) Final Identification of account number on checks
The remaining numbers that you have on your check will be the account number on checks. If you notice any zeroes before or after your account number , make sure you include them in your account number, as they are a vital part of it.
So now that you know how to find the account number you can easily find the number and know what you are talking about if anyone asks. Now for more information on how this number on checks is created you will want to read up on the Luhn algorithm. This algorithm is a basic formula to validate a variety of identification numbers like credit card numbers, IMEI numbers, NPA numbers, Social Insurance Numbers and even the account number. This algorithm is one such that it will detect even a single digit being incorrect in the numbers in most cases. The way this works is you take a count from the given check digit, which is the right most digit you are looking at, and move along the digits to the left. Every second digit is then doubled. The sum of all the digits is then put together with the undoubled digit from the original number. If the total modulo 10 is equal to zero (the total ends in a 0) this is a totally valid number. Now you know more than you dreamed about an account number.
