The last time I wrote a check, the cashier asked if I was a time traveler from 1995. I said, “No, my internet is just down.” She laughed so hard she forgot to ask for ID. That’s when I knew the humble check still had power. The best part? That little memo line where you can write anything you want. It’s like a tiny billboard for your sense of humor.
Want to make the person cashing your check smile or maybe even snort-laugh? That memo line is your chance. Bank workers see hundreds of boring checks every day. Be the one check they tell their friends about later.
Funny Things to Write in Check Memo
Here are some hilarious ideas for your next check’s memo line. Use them to pay bills, give money to friends, or just to make your accountant’s day a bit brighter.
1. “For that thing we don’t talk about”
This makes any payment seem way more exciting than it really is. Perfect for paying very normal bills like your water or power. The person reading will wonder if you’re up to something sneaky.
Works best when paying for something totally boring. Your cable bill just became the most interesting payment of the day. The teller might give you a look, but inside they’ll be laughing.
2. “Ransom money (3rd payment)”
Nothing says fun like pretending your electric bill is actually a series of ransom payments. The “3rd payment” part makes it extra funny because it shows you’re keeping track like a good kidnapper would.
This works great for any regular monthly payment. Your landlord might do a double-take, but they’ll cash that check anyway. Just maybe don’t use this one for government payments – they might not share your sense of humor.
3. “Bribe money (shh!)”
Turn your boring bill payment into a fake scandal! This memo makes your normal transaction seem shady in the best way. The “shh!” adds that perfect touch of fake secrecy.
Best used when paying for everyday things like your gym membership or phone bill. The person processing your payment will get a quick laugh during their boring day. Win-win!
4. “Sorry about your cat”
This memo works magic because there is no cat. The person getting your check will be so confused trying to figure out what happened to their non-existent cat problem.
Use this when paying people who definitely don’t have a cat, like big companies or your childless friend Bob. Extra points if you add a sad face. The beauty is they’ll never know what cat you’re talking about.
5. “Thank you for your silence”
Make your regular payment seem like hush money! This memo hint hints at secrets that don’t exist. It turns your boring rent check into a mystery novel.
This works best for payments to people you see often, like your hairdresser or landlord. They’ll get the joke next time they see you, and you’ll both have a good laugh about what they’re supposedly keeping quiet about.
6. “Unicorn adoption fees”
Turn your dull payment into a fantasy adventure! This memo makes it seem like you’re funding a magical creature sanctuary instead of just paying your boring old bills.
Perfect for payments to big companies that would never do anything fun like adopt unicorns. Your phone company worker will wonder if there’s a secret unicorn program they don’t know about yet!
7. “Last month’s alien defense fund”
This memo suggests you’re secretly fighting off space invaders on the side. It adds a bit of sci-fi fun to your everyday money matters.
Works best when paying any monthly bill. Whoever processes your check will wonder if you know something about aliens that they don’t. It might even make them look up at the sky a bit more often!
8. “Human suit repairs”
Nothing says “I’m totally normal” like hinting that you’re not human! This memo suggests you’re an alien or lizard person trying to blend in with humans, and your costume needs fixing.
This one is extra funny for paying doctors or tailors. They’ll do a double-take and probably laugh out loud. Just be ready for strange looks next time you visit!
9. “Secret underground bunker payment #47”
This memo turns your normal payment into part of a much bigger, longer plan. The high number makes it seem like you’ve been building your bunker for years.
Use this for hardware stores or home improvement payments to really sell the joke. The cashier will wonder just how big your bunker is after 47 payments! Adding a specific number makes the fake story seem more real.
10. “Time machine parts”
Make your payment seem like it’s funding a science fiction project! This memo suggests you’re building something that breaks the laws of physics in your garage.
Works great for payments to hardware stores or electronics shops. The staff might just wonder if certain parts they sold you really could help build a time machine! Plus, they’ll be looking for you in history books from now on.
11. “Zombie apocalypse supplies”
Turn your regular shopping trip payment into prep for the end of the world! This memo makes your grocery run seem like you’re getting ready for brain-eaters.
Perfect for big shopping trips or wholesale club payments. The cashier might take a second look at what you bought, wondering if you know something they don’t about the coming zombie problem!
12. “Superhero costume cleaning”
This memo suggests you’re secretly a superhero who needs to keep their outfit fresh between saving the world. Everyone loves to think they might know a real-life hero!
Use this when paying dry cleaners for maximum effect. They’ll check their records to see if anyone dropped off a cape or mask recently! It also works for any regular payment where clean clothes might matter.
13. “Witness Protection Program Monthly Fee”
This memo hints that you’re hiding from your past in plain sight. It makes even a boring bill payment seem like part of a bigger, secret life story.
Great for payments where you’ve given your real name, which makes the joke even funnier. The person reading it might look at you differently, wondering what your “real” name used to be!
14. “Volcano insurance”
Make it seem like you’re worried about a natural disaster that’s very unlikely in your area. This memo works best if you live somewhere completely flat with zero volcano risk.
Perfect for any insurance payment or home-related bill. The person reading it will think about how silly volcano insurance would be where you live – unless they know something about upcoming volcanoes that you don’t!
15. “Totally legal stuff”
Nothing makes something seem suspicious like saying it’s “totally legal.” This memo makes your normal payment seem shady even though it’s for something completely boring and allowed.
Works for literally any payment! The person reading it will laugh at how you’ve made a normal transaction sound suspicious for no reason. They might even check twice to make sure it really is legal!
16. “Pirate ship repair fund”
This memo turns your everyday life into a high-seas adventure! It suggests you have a secret life as a swashbuckling captain when you’re not paying bills.
Best used for boat-related payments or hardware stores for maximum believability. Whoever processes the check will wonder where you dock your ship and if you say “Arrr!” in your free time.
17. “Dragon feeding budget”
Turn your grocery bill into fantasy creature care! This memo makes it seem like you have a fire-breathing pet at home that needs a lot of food.
Perfect for large grocery store or pet store payments. The cashier might glance at your cart and wonder which items are for the dragon. They might even ask what dragons like to eat, just to play along with your joke!
18. “Mind control experiment #12”
This memo suggests your payment is funding sketchy science. The specific number makes it seem like you’ve done many mind control tests already.
Works best when paying someone who will see you again, like a landlord or regular store. Next time they do whatever you want, you can hint that experiment #12 was clearly a success!
19. “Secret moon base funding”
This memo turns your payment into part of a space program that NASA doesn’t want you to know about. It makes your normal bill seem out-of-this-world important.
Great for any large payment that could conceivably fund a small part of a moon base. The person reading it might glance up at the moon and wonder if there’s more going on up there than they thought!
20. “Reality show appearance fee refund”
This memo creates a whole backstory about your failed TV career. It suggests you were famous for a minute but had to give the money back for some reason.
Perfect for writing checks to friends who will get the joke. They’ll play along, maybe asking for your autograph while they cash your check. It also works well for payments to businesses that would never be on reality TV.
21. “Penguin relocation program”
This memo makes it seem like you’re helping move cold-weather birds to new homes. It’s especially funny if you live somewhere very hot where penguins would hate it.
Use this for any payment to animal-related businesses or cold places. The person reading will try to figure out why anyone would move penguins and where yours might have gone. The random oddness of penguin relocation makes this memo stand out.
22. “Definitely NOT gambling debts”
The all-caps “NOT” makes this memo hilariously suspicious. It turns your normal payment into what looks like covering up some casino losses, even when it’s just for your phone bill.
This works for any payment where gambling would be a funny alternative explanation. The person reading it will laugh at how you’ve made something normal seem like a cover-up for poker losses.
23. “Time I borrowed your jetpack”
This memo creates a completely made-up history between you and the payment recipient. It hints at a cool sci-fi adventure you both had that never actually happened.
Works best with businesses or people you’ve never borrowed anything from, especially not a jetpack! The random specific nature of a jetpack (instead of something normal) makes the joke work even better.
24. “Bigfoot search expedition costs”
Turn your payment into funding for hunting down fuzzy forest creatures! This memo suggests you spend your weekends looking for things that probably don’t exist.
Great for outdoor stores, camping gear, or hiking boot payments. Whoever reads it might wonder if you’ve seen something in the woods that the rest of us have missed all these years!
25. “Invisible ink (you can’t see this)”
This memo creates a paradox – if it really were invisible ink, you wouldn’t be able to read it! The joke works because the memo itself proves it’s not true.
Perfect for any payment where you want to make the processor do a double-take. They’ll get the joke right away but might still check if there’s any actual invisible ink on the check (there isn’t).
26. “Future lottery winnings (advance payment)”
This memo suggests you’re so sure about winning the lottery that you’re paying people with money you haven’t won yet. The confidence is what makes it funny.
Works best for payments to friends who know your lottery tickets never win. For businesses, they might wonder if you know something about future lottery numbers that nobody else does!
27. “Ninja training tuition”
This memo hints that you have a secret life as a martial arts master in training. It’s even funnier because real ninjas would never write about their training on a check memo.
Perfect for any kind of lesson or class payment, even if it’s just for cooking or piano. The person reading it will imagine you dressed in black, throwing stars at targets after your regular day job.
28. “Submarine parking fees”
This memo works great if you live nowhere near the ocean. It suggests you have a secret underwater vehicle that needs a parking spot, which is silly for most people.
Use this for any parking or storage-related payment. The person processing it will wonder where exactly one parks a submarine in your area, especially if you live in a place with no large bodies of water.
29. “Robot uprising prevention fund”
This memo makes it seem like you’re single-handedly stopping the machines from taking over. It turns your regular bill payment into a heroic act saving humanity.
Works best for technology-related payments like computer repairs or internet bills. The tech support person reading it might look at their computer a little suspiciously after seeing your memo!
30. “Last week’s bad advice”
This memo suggests the recipient gave you terrible guidance that you still paid for anyway. It creates a funny story that never happened between you and them.
Perfect for payments to professionals like doctors, lawyers, or teachers. They’ll wonder what bad advice they supposedly gave you, even though they know they didn’t give you any advice at all!
Wrapping Up
The memo line on checks might be small, but its comedy potential is huge. These tiny spaces give us a chance to add a splash of fun to the boring world of paying bills. In a time when most money moves with boring computer clicks, the paper check lets us add our personal touch.
So next time you pull out your checkbook, pick one of these funny memos. You’ll make someone’s day a little brighter, and that’s worth more than whatever amount you’re paying. After all, laughter is free – even if your bills aren’t!