How to Void a Check: 8 Steps with Pictures

Alternatively, some banks provide form letters for setting up direct deposit—print it while you’re logged in to the online banking system, and it should have everything you need. Consumers often provide their own routing and account numbers online without any problem, so voided checks are required less frequently. For example, online banks allow you to link external accounts by typing in those details yourself. Billers, such as utility companies, also accept payments by e-check when customers input their checking account information.

• Even if the check has been made out to an individual, store, or other institution, it can no longer be used.
• There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.
• She has over a decade of experience and a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese from Georgetown University.
• But because the check is void, they won’t be able to use the check to take money from your account.
• A creative solution is to have a check printer to generate an image of a voided check for you.

Employers need a voided check in order to set up payment via direct deposit to employees. This is because a voided check includes all of the necessary information to arrange direct deposits. This information includes the account holder’s name, the name of the bank, the branch address, the account number, and the routing number. If you have a Chase account, then you can also just fill out a form instead of using a voided check to set up direct deposit.

How Do I Void a Check for Direct Deposit?

Generally, if “VOID” is written across a check, no matter how or where, it will be recognized as a voided check. Never again do you have to worry about finding your checkbook several times a month and firing off payment through the mail (hoping it gets there on time). As we highlighted earlier, there are literally dozens of different reasons you might choose to void a check or ask for a voided check from someone – and we touch on the most popular reasons below. However, it’s just as important that you know how to do so safely, securely, and while maintaining as much of your personal and private information as possible.

You can open a Wise account and receive money from around the world with local bank details. To do that, you’ll have to write the word ‘VOID’ in capital letters going across the front of the check. Make sure you use a black or blue pen with permanent ink, and if you have a duplicate check, do the same for that copy. It means that the check can no longer be used after it has been cashed or deposited. Voided checks can serve an important role in direct deposits and other ongoing transactions.

Because the world takes a step away from in-office work, the execution of documents increasingly takes place online. Dealing with it utilizing electronic means differs from doing so in the physical world. It may or may not have other information filled in throughout the check. The text should be clearly seen, but it doesn’t cover up any other writing beneath it.

How Customer Access to Canceled Checks Works

To void a check, you just have to write the word ‘void’ across the front of the check. Just make sure that you write the word with bold letters and tall and wide enough to cover the whole face of the check with a dark pen or fine marker. You should also make sure that no one can remove the word void from the check. You would not want any thief to remove the word void because after that they will have a blank check in their hand. Also, you should not cover the banking information which is written at the bottom of the check. All you need to do is draw out a check, grab a pen, and write the word VOID across it.

• Reach out to your bank, or see if there’s any information online about how you can do this.
• This is the reason banks will request a void check rather than a blank one, i.e., to make sure it can’t be used.
• Rather the person who is receiving the check can fill out the banking information which is provided in voided check to transfer the fund into the check writer account.
• Many companies allow you to fill out a direct deposit authorization form.
• In a world where electronic and online banking is so commonplace, it’s essential that you know how to void a check and how to use it to establish said link.

Some businesses even take payments over the phone, allowing customers to provide the information orally. Many employers ask their employees to submit a voided check in order to set up payroll direct deposit. To do so, an employee simply writes “Void” in large font across a check and gives it to the human resources department.

Voiding a Check You Still Have in Your Possession

You can get a voided check for direct deposit purposes by removing a check from your checkbook and writing VOID across the front face of the check, as described above. Your paper checks all have your bank information on them—the name of your bank or credit union and your account and routing number. By giving a voided check, you give the person establishing the link to the bank account information they need to set up your direct deposit. But because the check is void, they won’t be able to use the check to take money from your account. Employers often use voided checks to set up direct deposits for their payroll, and service providers may need them to set up direct debits. This is because a blank check has all the information they need, such as routing or account numbers.

Sometimes you will need to void a check, and in order to avoid problems, you’ll need to know exactly how to do it. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

How to Create Void Checks

When you need a copy of a canceled check, contact your bank or credit union. If you have access to mobile banking, you may be able to log in to your account, search for the check among your transactions, and print or view a copy. You may also receive photocopies of your canceled checks along with your monthly banking statement, or you might need to request a copy from the bank directly. A voided check is a check with the word “void” written across the front, which indicates that it shouldn’t be accepted for payment.

Make a note of the check-in your check register so that you know where that particular check went. If you don’t, you’ll have a gap in check 21 great business ideas for 2021 numbers, leading you to wonder what happened. Did you write a large check to somebody and forget about it, or did that check gets stolen?

Voided check definition

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. Instead, once a check has the word VOID written across its face, it is no longer eligible for deposit or cashing. In fact, any check that has the word void on it anywhere is highly unlikely to be cashed or deposited by any financial institution anywhere in the world.

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. If you aren’t sure of any of this information or get it wrong, the check could still be cashed, and the only way to avoid financial loss would be to freeze the account. Instead of using forms, which require you to void a traditional check, try logging into your account (or ask if there’s an online system). In most cases, you need to provide your bank account information in an online form.

Voided check alternatives

Sometimes mistakes happen when writing a personal check, like putting in the wrong name or incorrect amount, rendering it useless. Writing the word “VOID” on top of the written information prevents someone from using it. While many people have switched to using debit cards instead of paper checks, there are times when you may still need a check. There are also instances when a company requests a voided check, or when you wish to have a check voided for your own purposes. You may also be able to set up deposit or withdrawal instructions using a deposit slip instead of a voided check.

If you want to be extra careful, you might write “Void” across the payee line, as well as on the signature line and in the payment box. In a common example, many employers will ask for a voided check to initiate direct deposit. This will provide them with your bank account number, routing number and financial institution, all of which they will need to establish the connection to your account on their side. A voided check enables them to see this information, without using the check as a method of payment itself.

Aah yes, there are still some things in life that are simple and straightforward. Make a note in your check register so that you’ll know where the check went. In the other states, the program is sponsored by Community Federal Savings Bank, to which we’re a service provider. Find out what ACH stands for, what it can be used for, and the pros and cons of ACH transfer. Understand the key differences between APR and APY, and how they affect your savings accounts, CDs, and even crypto investments.