What Is a Joint Check? When to Use One (and When Not To)

A joint check is a payment written to two or more parties who must both endorse it before the funds can be cashed. In construction, it's the tool used to pay a subcontractor and their material supplier in a single transaction — when it works, it prevents supplier liens. When it's set up wrong, it creates disputes that are harder to resolve than the problem it was meant to solve.