Check Payment Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 13 sourced statistics
Checks are disappearing by count but not by value. The Federal Reserve's latest Payments Study estimates that 9.2 billion checks were paid in the US in 2024, down from 17.0 billion in 2015, while their value held at $24.45 trillion and the average check climbed to $2,653. Most of what remains is business-to-business: the Cleveland Fed estimates 2.7 billion B2B check payments in 2024, worth $15.0 trillion, and AFP surveys show 87% of businesses still used checks in 2025. Checks are also the payment method most targeted by fraud. Below are the figures, each linked to the page that states it, and what they mean if you are still paid by check.
Key takeaways
- 9.2 billion checks were paid in the US in 2024, down from 17.0 billion in 2015, a decline of 5.9% a year from 2021 to 2024 (Federal Reserve).
- Check value barely moved ($24.45 trillion in 2024), so the average check rose from $1,533 in 2015 to $2,653.
- Checks' share of the number of B2B payments fell from 32% in 2015 to 13% in 2024, but 87% of businesses still used checks in 2025 (Cleveland Fed, citing AFP).
- 58% of organizations said checks were targeted by fraud in 2025, the most of any method (AFP).
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
| Figure | What it measures | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.2B | An estimated 9.2 billion checks were paid in the United States in 2024, down from 11.0 billion in 2021 and 17.0 billion in 2015. | Federal Reserve, 2025 Federal Reserve Payments Study: National Payment Volumes, Top-Line Data (CY 2015-24) | 2026 |
| -5.9%/yr | The number of check payments fell at a compound annual rate of 5.9% from 2021 to 2024, after falling 6.5% a year from 2018 to 2021. | Federal Reserve, 2025 Federal Reserve Payments Study: National Payment Volumes, Top-Line Data (CY 2015-24) | 2026 |
| $24.45T | Checks paid in 2024 were worth $24.45 trillion, compared with $26.05 trillion in 2015: count fell by almost half while value fell about 6%. | Federal Reserve, 2025 Federal Reserve Payments Study: National Payment Volumes, Top-Line Data (CY 2015-24) | 2026 |
| $2,653 | The average check was $2,653 in 2024, up from $1,533 in 2015, because the number of checks fell much faster than their value. | Federal Reserve, 2025 Federal Reserve Payments Study: National Payment Volumes, Top-Line Data (CY 2015-24) | 2026 |
| 3.9% | Checks were about 3.9% of the 236.6 billion US noncash payments in 2024 by number but about 17.5% of their $140.01 trillion value (our calculation from the Fed's top-line table). | Federal Reserve, 2025 Federal Reserve Payments Study: National Payment Volumes, Top-Line Data (CY 2015-24) | 2026 |
| 2.7B | B2B check payments fell from 4.6 billion in 2015 to 2.7 billion in 2024; checks are the only method whose number of B2B payments declined over the decade. | Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Payments Research Brief: B2B Payments, A Gradual Shift from Checks to Electronic Payment Methods | 2026 |
| 13% | Checks' share of the number of B2B payments fell from 32% in 2015 to 13% in 2024. | Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Payments Research Brief: B2B Payments, A Gradual Shift from Checks to Electronic Payment Methods | 2026 |
| $15.0T | The estimated value of B2B check payments barely changed, from $15.4 trillion in 2015 to $15.0 trillion in 2024. | Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Payments Research Brief: B2B Payments, A Gradual Shift from Checks to Electronic Payment Methods | 2026 |
| 87% | 87% of businesses reported using checks in 2025, down from 91% in 2024, according to AFP studies cited by the Cleveland Fed: most firms write fewer checks rather than none. | Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Payments Research Brief: B2B Payments, A Gradual Shift from Checks to Electronic Payment Methods | 2026 |
| 24% vs 27% | In AFP's 2025 survey, smaller businesses made 24% of their B2B payments by check versus 27% for larger businesses; in 2013 the shares were 63% and 40%. | Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Payments Research Brief: B2B Payments, A Gradual Shift from Checks to Electronic Payment Methods | 2026 |
| 58% | 58% of organizations reported that checks were subject to fraud in 2025, ahead of ACH debits (30%) and wire transfers (25%); checks were the most targeted method for the third year in a row (survey of 465 treasury practitioners, January 2026). | Association for Financial Professionals, 2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey (press release) | 2026 |
| 72% | 72% of organizations that use checks plan to keep using them for the foreseeable future, despite checks being the method most affected by fraud. | Association for Financial Professionals, 2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey (press release) | 2026 |
| 680,000 | Financial institutions filed over 680,000 suspicious activity reports related to potential check fraud in 2022, nearly double the more than 350,000 filed in 2021, during a nationwide surge in mail theft-related check fraud. | FinCEN, Alert on Nationwide Surge in Mail Theft-Related Check Fraud Schemes (FIN-2023-Alert003) | 2023 |
The statistics
An estimated 9.2 billion checks were paid in the United States in 2024, down from 11.0 billion in 2021 and 17.0 billion in 2015.
The number of check payments fell at a compound annual rate of 5.9% from 2021 to 2024, after falling 6.5% a year from 2018 to 2021.
Checks paid in 2024 were worth $24.45 trillion, compared with $26.05 trillion in 2015: count fell by almost half while value fell about 6%.
The average check was $2,653 in 2024, up from $1,533 in 2015, because the number of checks fell much faster than their value.
Checks were about 3.9% of the 236.6 billion US noncash payments in 2024 by number but about 17.5% of their $140.01 trillion value (our calculation from the Fed's top-line table).
B2B check payments fell from 4.6 billion in 2015 to 2.7 billion in 2024; checks are the only method whose number of B2B payments declined over the decade.
Checks' share of the number of B2B payments fell from 32% in 2015 to 13% in 2024.
The estimated value of B2B check payments barely changed, from $15.4 trillion in 2015 to $15.0 trillion in 2024.
87% of businesses reported using checks in 2025, down from 91% in 2024, according to AFP studies cited by the Cleveland Fed: most firms write fewer checks rather than none.
In AFP's 2025 survey, smaller businesses made 24% of their B2B payments by check versus 27% for larger businesses; in 2013 the shares were 63% and 40%.
58% of organizations reported that checks were subject to fraud in 2025, ahead of ACH debits (30%) and wire transfers (25%); checks were the most targeted method for the third year in a row (survey of 465 treasury practitioners, January 2026).
Source:Association for Financial Professionals, 2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey (press release)2026
72% of organizations that use checks plan to keep using them for the foreseeable future, despite checks being the method most affected by fraud.
Source:Association for Financial Professionals, 2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey (press release)2026
Financial institutions filed over 680,000 suspicious activity reports related to potential check fraud in 2022, nearly double the more than 350,000 filed in 2021, during a nationwide surge in mail theft-related check fraud.
Source:FinCEN, Alert on Nationwide Surge in Mail Theft-Related Check Fraud Schemes (FIN-2023-Alert003)2023
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- Federal Reserve Payments Study counts are estimates for the whole US and cover calendar year 2024. Its top-line "checks" row excludes checks converted to ACH, which the Fed counts with ACH.
- The 3.9% and 17.5% shares of noncash payments are our own division of the Fed's check totals by its total noncash payments (cards, ACH and checks, excluding wire transfers). They are not figures the Fed publishes.
- The B2B split comes from the Cleveland Fed's analysis, which combines the Payments Study with the Federal Reserve's check sample survey and Nacha statistics. It is an estimate, not a direct count.
- AFP figures come from surveys of treasury and finance professionals, mostly at larger organizations (465 respondents for the 2026 fraud survey). They describe corporate practice, not freelancers or very small firms.
- FinCEN suspicious activity report counts measure filings by financial institutions, not confirmed fraud cases or losses. More reporting can also reflect more vigilance.
- For overall payments fraud rates, see our payment fraud statistics page. This page gives the AFP's fraud rates for ACH debits and wires only to show how checks compare.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed 2026-10-28. Each figure was read that day on the publisher's own page: the Federal Reserve's 2025 Payments Study top-line release (calendar year 2024 data, updated 1 July 2026), the Cleveland Fed's September 2026 payments research brief on B2B payments, AFP's 14 April 2026 press release for its Payments Fraud and Control Survey, and FinCEN's February 2023 check fraud alert. Two shares of noncash payments are our own calculations from the Fed's table and are labelled as such. Earlier versions of this page cited 2021 check counts, a roughly one-third B2B check share and a two-thirds check fraud share linked to association homepages; these were replaced with the newer figures above, and a pre-2000 check count we could not re-verify was removed.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
How many checks are written in the US each year?
The Federal Reserve estimates 9.2 billion checks were paid in 2024, worth $24.45 trillion. That is down from 11.0 billion in 2021 and 17.0 billion in 2015.
Are businesses still paying by check?
Yes, but less often. 87% of businesses reported using checks in 2025 (AFP, cited by the Cleveland Fed), yet checks fell to 13% of the number of B2B payments in 2024, from 32% in 2015. B2B checks still carried about $15.0 trillion in 2024.
Why is the average check getting bigger?
Because the number of checks nearly halved between 2015 and 2024 while their total value fell only about 6%, the average check rose from $1,533 to $2,653. Business checks carry much of that value: the Cleveland Fed puts B2B checks at about $15.0 trillion of the $24.45 trillion total in 2024.
Are checks the riskiest way to get paid?
By AFP's measure they are the most targeted: 58% of organizations reported check fraud in 2025, compared with 30% for ACH debits and 25% for wires. FinCEN recorded more than 680,000 check fraud suspicious activity reports in 2022.
What should I do if clients still pay my invoices by check?
Name the accepted payment methods and the payee name on the invoice, give an electronic alternative such as bank transfer or a card payment link, and deposit checks promptly. Mailed checks add postal time to your payment terms, so a net 30 invoice paid by check can arrive later than one paid electronically.
Put these figures to use
- Payments hub: Guides on payment methods, terms and getting invoices paid.
- Payment reminder email templates: Copy a reminder in one of three tones for an invoice that has not been paid.
- BILL vs Melio: How two bill-pay tools price mailed checks, ACH and card payments to vendors.
- Business bank accounts for freelancers: What to compare in fees, deposits and FDIC coverage when clients pay you.
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