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The details are key in a legal document. When a document contains a dollar amount such as a figure
owed for a settlement, the exact amount must be clear to any reader. To that end, dollars and cents
in legal documents are written in both words and numbers. This helps to ensure that the correct
amount is understood, especially when there is a large, uneven amount.
1. Cents
o When writing out an amount under one dollar in a legal document, start with
the figure spelled out and followed by the word “cents” — for example, "forty-nine cents."
Note the use of hyphens between the numbers in the tens and ones places of the figure.
Follow the words with the numeric figure in parentheses — for example, "forty-nine cents
(49 cents)." If the amount is under 10 cents, simply write out the full number — “nine
cents,” for example.
Whole-Dollar Amounts
o According to “Legal Writing: How to Write Legal Briefs, Memos, and Other
Legal Documents,” for a whole-dollar amount you can choose to write either the amount
numerically preceded by a dollar sign or write out the full amount in words. For example, if
the amount is $300 you can use “$300” or “three hundred dollars” in the document. Do not
add a decimal place to the figure if there are no cents in the amount.
Complex Amounts
o For large dollar amounts with several numbers, it is imperative that you write
out the full amount correctly. Separate every three places of the figure with a comma in both
your written and numeric amounts. For example, the figure of $6,435,345.24 would be
written out as "six million, four hundred thirty-five thousand, three hundred forty-five
dollars and twenty-four cents ($6,435,345.24)." Add a hyphen between any numbers with a
value between 21 and 99. For example, a hyphen is added in thirty-five and not three
hundred.