When people need a money order, the U.S. Postal Service is one of the most popular places people choose to purchase one from. It’s quick, easy and convenient because you can mail off your money order right after your purchase.
If you’ve never purchased a money order before you may be wondering how to fill it out. In theory it is similar to a check, but with a few minor differences of information you’ll need to fill in. Filling out a USPS money order is not hard to do.
The primary difference you’ll notice from a check is with a money order you need to know the exact amount for the expenditure you’re going to pay before purchase. The reason you need to know the amount is because the USPS electronically fills in the dollar amount and this quantity cannot be changed once the money order is purchased. You ‘void’ a money order and tear it up the way you can do with a check.
Here is what else you need to know when filling out a U.S. Post Office money order:
*Fill out Recipient Information
>Pay to:
On this line you’ll want to print out the recipients or businesses’ full name you are making payment to. Write the name clearly so there is no misinterpretation or question when you make your payment.
>Payee’s address:
This line is the space to write your recipients address. If the address is long, you may want to try writing a bit smaller in order for all the pertinent information to be able to fit.
>C.O.D. number, Used For or Memo:
This space is an optional line located beneath the Payee address line. You can liken this space to be much like the ‘notes’ section on a personal check. When you fill out your money order you can note down an account number, reason for payment or other pertinent information your recipient requires.
*Fill out your Information
>Name:
In this section you’ll want to clearly print your name so the payee knows who to credit payment to. This space is an important line and one you don’t want to forget to fill out.
>Clerk box:
This is an optional box and most people don’t really use this box, but you can should you choose.
>Address:
Depending on what you are using the money order for, these lines can be optional. However, if you are mailing in a payment or it is going to a business or other creditor, it might be to your advantage to fill out as much personal information in order to ensure proper credit is issued.
*Fill out the Receipt
The receipt is a part of the money order which is separated. The lines on the receipt include a space you can write down who you paid the money order to, their address and reason for payment. There is also a line where you can make notes to keep records for yourself.
It is always a good idea to keep the money order receipt in case there is a dispute over payment not being received or the amount paid. The receipt contains the serial number of the money order, amount paid and the date the money order was issued. This way if a question arises, the money order can be traced to see if it was endorsed or not.
*How much does a USPS money order cost?
Purchasing a domestic USPS money order is relatively inexpensive, unless you use them to pay all your bills, in this case the fee per money order can quickly add up.
How much the money order costs depends on the amount you are purchasing. For $0.01 to $500 the cost is $1.10, from $500.01 to $1,000 the cost is $1.50. If you need a higher amount, you’ll need to purchase multiple money orders.
USPS international money orders are priced differently than domestic money orders. The cost depends on where the payment is being sent to whether or not it will be accepted.
You may be wondering why in this day and age money orders are even needed. They are still valid because sometimes people prefer to pay a bill or a debt by using a money order, especially if a person doesn’t have their own checking account.
Other reasons why people may need to purchase a money order is because a personal check is not accepted for the payment which needs to be made. In this case, buying a USPS money order is a great inexpensive solution.
Filling out a USPS money order is pretty easy and doesn’t take long to do. The most important things to remember is to know the exact amount when purchasing, fill it out in full and don’t endorse the back of the money order, that space is for your recipient to sign.