How to Void a Check: Set up Payments, Deposits, and Investments

For example, consider encrypting the image or uploading it to a secure file vault. Don’t cover up the routing or bank account number at the bottom of the check when voiding it. Those numbers are necessary for identifying your bank account to send or receive payments.

Are There Alternatives To Voided Checks?

Whatever you do, never sign a voided check or write any additional information in the blank spaces provided. The purpose of a voided check is to provide your bank name, routing number, and personal account number. Typically, you’ll need to void a check when you need to provide new account https://www.online-accounting.net/why-project-accounting-guides-project-success/ verification for setting up a direct deposit or direct withdrawal. You can provide written informaition about your account, but many companies require the voided check for verification. A voided check has the word “VOID” written across it, indicating that it cannot be used for payment.

Be Careful With Voided Checks

For that reason, voided checks should never be provided lightly. They should be given only to individuals who are both trusted and necessary in your life. If any person or organization current ratio definition requests a voided check, be prepared to question them about the exact purpose. Unless it’s one of the usual reasons, you should never provide a voided check to anyone.

Second Chance Checking Accounts Across the U.S.

1. You’ll want to act quickly, before the check can be cashed.
2. If you’re the one making the payments, you may need a voided check from the other party to connect the accounts.
3. Ask for a letter, printed on bank letterhead, which lists your account number, routing number, and account type (checking or savings).
4. If it hasn’t, they should be able to put a stop payment on that check.

Requesting a voided check is the usual way employers set up direct deposit into their employees’ checking accounts. Employees prefer direct deposit because it’s instantaneous and eliminates the need to wait for a paper check to clear their accounts. Companies may require a voided check to set up direct deposit for employees or to establish automatic bill payments. It helps provide a company with the necessary bank account information while preventing the actual check from being used for financial transactions. It normally has the word “VOID” written across the front so it may not be mistakenly used for a transaction.

In general, you can stop payment on a check — known as a stop payment order — only if your bank hasn’t paid it. Log in to your bank account and look through your transaction history to see if the check has posted. If the check was stolen and the payment has cleared, it’s important to act fast to report the fraud to your bank. This will ensure it reaches the intended place without passing through third-party hands. If in person is not possible, a fax delivery is preferred to email.

A pre-printed deposit slip might be required—not the blank ones you grab at the bank and fill out by hand. You may have several of these pre-printed slips in the back of your checkbook. If you’re going to provide the voided check electronically, don’t just send it out in the open, in a standard email message. Take steps to hide your account information from thieves and hackers.

Did you write a large check to somebody and forget about it, or did that check gets stolen? In your check register, write “VOID,” along with the check number, date, and a note about why you voided the check (such as who you gave it to). The notation of “void” is used https://www.online-accounting.net/ because checks are prenumbered for control purposes and every check needs to be accounted for. Banks are not required to stop cashier’s checks, although they might in the case of fraud. Because these forms of payment rely on bank funds, a bank must honor them.

That’s why it’s good to know how they work, even if you don’t frequently pay by check, so you remain protected when you use them. You must first contact your bank and see if that particular check has already been cashed. If it hasn’t, they should be able to put a stop payment on that check. You will need to know who it was for, how much it was for, and the check number.