How to Write a Money Order (Step by Step)

You can buy money orders at any USPS post office, most Walmart customer-service counters, 7-Eleven and other convenience stores, Western Union and MoneyGram agents, and many grocery stores. Bring cash or a debit card. Credit cards usually aren't accepted, and if they are, the issuer treats it as a cash advance.

The fee is small. USPS charges about $2 for money orders up to $500. Walmart and convenience stores are usually in the same range. Once you pay, the clerk prints the dollar amount on the money order so it can't be altered, then hands it to you blank in the name field. That's the part you fill out next.

Every money order has a line that says 'Pay to the Order of' (or 'Pay To'). Write the full legal name of the person or company you're paying. Print it clearly in pen, not pencil. Pencil can be erased, which is exactly the kind of editing you don't want on a payment.

If you're paying a bill, copy the company name exactly as it appears on the invoice. If it says 'Pacific Gas & Electric Company', don't shorten it to 'PG&E' - the company processes payments by the name on file, and a mismatch can delay your account credit. If you're paying a person, use their full name as it appears on their ID, not a nickname.

The money order also asks for the purchaser's name and address. That's you - you're the purchaser because you bought it. Write your full name, street address, city, state, and zip on the lines provided. On the Western Union form it says 'Purchaser's Address'. On the USPS form it's 'From / Address'. Same thing.

This isn't just paperwork. If the money order gets lost in the mail, the recipient's bank uses the purchaser address to return it. If it's stolen, this is the address the post office or Western Union uses when you file a tracer to get it replaced.

Some money orders have a second address block for the person you're paying. USPS Postal Money Orders have one labeled 'Address' under the 'From' lines (the recipient's address). Western Union calls it 'Payment For/Acct. #' on the right side. MoneyGram CVS forms call it 'Money Order: Address / Gift Certificate: Recipient'.

If your form has this block, fill it in with the recipient's mailing address. For a utility bill, that's the payment address on the bill (often different from the company's main address). For rent, it's the landlord's mailing address. If the form doesn't ask for it, skip this step - not every money order needs it.

Most money orders have a signature line on the front, usually labeled 'Purchaser', 'Purchaser's Signature', or on the MoneyGram form, 'Signer for Drawer / Firma del Librador'. Sign your name on that line.

Do NOT sign the back. The back has a separate signature line - usually labeled 'Endorsement Signature' or just a blank line under the words 'Endorse Here'. That line is for the person you're paying. They sign the back when they deposit or cash it. If you sign the back yourself, you've just turned your money order into cash that anyone can deposit.

One exception: the USPS Postal Money Order doesn't have a purchaser signature line on the front. If yours doesn't have one, you don't need to sign anything. Western Union and MoneyGram do require a front signature.

USPS Postal Money Orders have a 'Memo' line in the lower left. Use it. Write what the payment is for: 'Rent May 2026', 'Account #4823-7711', 'Electric bill', 'Tuition Spring semester'. For account payments, include the account number - it's how the company matches your money order to the right account.

Western Union and MoneyGram forms don't always have a memo line. If yours doesn't, find a blank spot near the bottom of the front (the MoneyGram form has space near 'Pay to the Order of') and write the purpose there in small print. Don't write it across any of the printed lines or the bank may flag it as altered.

Every money order comes with a customer receipt stub attached at a perforation. The stub has the serial number, the dollar amount, and the issuer. Tear it off carefully and keep it somewhere safe (not in the same envelope as the money order).

The receipt is what you use to file a refund or tracer if the money order is lost or stolen. USPS, Western Union, and MoneyGram all require the serial number from the receipt to process a refund. Without it, your only option is a slow paper-trail search that can take weeks.

Then put the money order in a security envelope (the kind with a tinted pattern inside), seal it, and mail it or hand-deliver it. If you mail it, USPS Certified Mail with tracking is worth the extra $4 for anything over $100.