Is defacing money a crime?
Rachel Newton
Updated on February 27, 2026
In respect to this, are you allowed to write on money?
Yes, It's Legal! Many people assume that it's illegal to stamp or write on paper currency, but they're wrong! You CANNOT burn, shred, or destroy currency, rendering it unfit for circulation. You CANNOT advertise a business on paper currency.
Also Know, is drawing on money illegal? It's not inherently illegal to write on money. It's only a crime to deface money "with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued" which is admittedly kind of vague. Basically if you write on it in a way that would make it unusable it's a crime.
Similarly, it is asked, is defacing money illegal in the United States?
With that, you could conclude that yes it is, in fact, illegal to "mutilate, cut, deface, disfigure, or perforate, or unite or cement together" any bank bill, draft, note or evidence of debt by a national or federal entity.
Is defacing money illegal UK?
The Currency and Bank Notes Act 1928 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom relating to banknotes. Among other things, it makes it a criminal offence to deface a banknote (but not to destroy one).