MICR or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition is the standard identification that is located at the bottom of a check for a bank to identify the source of the funds. This is printed in a special MICR font, and usually with a magnetic ink or toner as well.

There are three main points of identification:

• The CHECK_NUMBER which is also printed higher on the face of the check in a more "human readable" form
• The BANK_TRANSIT_CODE which identifies which bank holds the funds to be paid
• The BANK_ACCOUNT which identifies the account within the bank from which the funds are taken

There are also four special characters which seperate the data for the bank's automated systems:

• ON-US
• TRANSIT
• HYPHEN

Although there is a standard for how the MICR format is to be printed, there are several variations on the standard.