A check writer will make their cheque payable to you, making you the only person who may collect the funds. This, however, is not always the case. A person can sometimes draft a check for you, and you can sign it over to a third party, leaving it in their hands. However, most checks cannot be signed by anyone other than the original maker or holder. Checks can be used as payment for services such as babysitting, driving someone to a job interview, or purchasing items from a store handout list. If you give a check to someone as payment, make sure you have the correct information included on the check so the recipient knows what to do with it. For example, if you give a check to a babysitter then also give them information about where you keep your keys so they don't go around to all your neighbors' houses looking for yours. It is important to remember that checks are instruments of payment, not evidence of debt. If you owe someone money but haven't been able to pay yet, you should send them a check in the mail as soon as you can so there aren't any delays in them trying to collect. People who write checks often like to sign them "for deposit" or "pay to the order of". This is called a "control" signature. Control signatures are useful when you want to make sure that something gets done with the money before it goes back into your account.