Bank information on a cheque
At the bottom of the cheque, you will notice a series of groups of numbers, known as your bank account and routing numbers. Note that the first number at the bottom left is the number of the cheque (it’s three digits). The numbers that follow are your banking information.
There are three important banking numbers that are found on a cheque.
Your transit number. This is the five-digit number that follows the cheque number when you read the cheque from left to right. The transit number indicates the branch of a financial institution at which you opened your account.
Your institution number. This is a three-digit number and follows the transit number. Your institution number is a unique code assigned to each bank or financial institution to identify them. Note that your transit number plus your institution number is sometimes referred to as a “routing number.”
Your account number. This number will be at least seven digits, but could be up to 12 depending on your banking institution. The account number refers to which specific bank account the money from the cheque will be withdrawn from.