CPA Standard 006 formatting requirements

There are some very important facts to know regarding the CPA Standard 006 formatting requirements.

• The numeric date field must follow one of these formats. The date field indicators must be printed below the date field line to indicate which format is being used. The font size for the date field is a minimum of 6 pt and a maximum of 8 pt.
  • English format of MMDDYYYY or DDMMYYYY
  • French MMJJAAAA or JJMMAAAA
  • International date format YYYYMMDD (English) or AAAAMMJJ (French)
• A mandatory serial number must be encoded in the MICR line on the bottom of the cheque.
• Positions for key fields on the cheque, such as the amount field, have been standardized.
• Elements that could hinder the capture of images from the cheques are not allowed. These include:
  • Inverse printing
  • Italics
  • Slanted fonts
  • A bottom border printed below the MICR line
  • Black carbon on the reverse of cheques
  • Some complex or colourful backgrounds