Maybe you don’t need the check anymore, or you messed up writing it out and need to change something on it. Our seasoned bankers tap their specialized industry knowledge to craft customized solutions that meet the financial needs of your business. In the event of a lost or stolen card, contact us anytime day or night to avoid fraud.

• You want to make it difficult for thieves to erase or cover your void mark.
• FinanceBuzz is an informational website that provides tips, advice, and recommendations to help you make financial decisions.
• The products and services offered on this third-party website are not provided or guaranteed by the bank.
• You should also make sure that no one can remove the word void from the check.

Doing so will block the bank from honoring the check when the payee presents it. The bank will charge a fee whenever you request a stop payment. In order to send the correct information to the bank to stop payment, you will need to extract the requisite information from either a copy of the check or the check register.

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It's possible to establish direct deposit without voiding a physical check. It's important to note, however, that your employer or other parties may not always accept all of these alternatives. Similarly, you may be asked to submit a voided check for automated clearing house (ACH) transfers, such as bill and loan payments. This is especially the case when setting up automatic recurring payments. By clicking 'Continue', you will leave our website and enter a site specific to making your loan payment via a debit card or electronic check. If a check has been written to you, you might be wondering how to get it into your bank account or cash it.

But if you are running a small home business, for example, you might need to keep all of your checks, even the voided ones. This is the case when you have to account for every check number in the series of printed checks. So a voided check is accounted for by marking it ‘void’ and replacing it with another check. But there is more to it if you want to safeguard your account. If you're reordering checks, setting up a direct deposit or an automatic payment or preparing a wire transfer, you'll probably be asked to provide an ABA routing number. You can ask your bank to draw you up a “counter check”, a special type of check that can be officially voided by the bank but still includes your important account information.

The committee discloses the Voided check on the same line the check was originally reported, in this case, on Schedule B, supporting Line 17. It includes the vendor's address, date that the void is made, amount voided as a negative entry, and a clear purpose of disbursement, "Voided Payment – check not cashed." There are a lot of things we didn't realize we'd need to know as adults. Because there are a few steps you should take before you hand over (or get rid of) a check. Pull a blank check from your checkbook, making sure to note its official check number in your ledger as you do. Make a note of “VOID check” to make sure you know why that check is skipped when you’re balancing your checkbook.

Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create content that’s accurate, impartial and up to date. We fact-check every single statistic, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to make sure the information we provide is correct. You can learn more about GOBankingRates’ processes and standards in our editorial policy. If you can’t remember what you did with the check or you lost it, request that your bank put a stop payment on it.

Knowing the right method to void a check, as well as the security steps to protect yourself, can help make payment  — both as a recipient and as a payee — more efficient. The only way to stop the check from being cashed or deposited is to request a stop payment from your bank, which may involve a fee. No two accounts at the same bank will have the same account number. The city and state of the bank is not the address of the branch you go to. Depending upon your bank, you can find this information online, on your bank statements, on your checks (if you have them), or you can go to a teller and ask for this information.

You want a what? What’s a voided check?

But unless you’re voiding a filled-out check, make sure you don’t cover up the routing or account number on the check—those are important. Paper checks are a traditional form of banking and many of the best checking accounts still used them. But we live in a modern world with new approaches ways to handle money. If you make a mistake while writing out a check, such as entering the wrong amount or payee, you can void the check and then write another one with the correct information.

• 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.
• A void check is a check that has been canceled or invalidated by the sender writing the word VOID on the check.
• If you already sent a check that needs to be canceled, it’s obviously a little too late to write VOID across it.
• You’ll want to account for what happened to the voided check so you’re not left wondering if you have an outstanding check when you're reconciling your bank statement.
• In order to send the correct information to the bank to stop payment, you will need to extract the requisite information from either a copy of the check or the check register.

Learn if your money is safe in banks, credit unions, and with CDs. You can open a Wise account and receive money from around the world with local bank details. All you need to do if you want to establish a direct deposit is take an existing check and write the word ‘VOID’ across the front of it in large capital letters. No matter what financial service you use, be it a bank or a credit union, the process to void a check from any financial organization is going to be the same as the process outlined above. To send a voided check to someone just ask them for the mailing address you should use to mail the void check to them. To get a voided check you'll need to talk to your bank and get them to send you a checkbook.

What to Do if You Don’t Have Checks

Get your paycheck directly deposited into your bank account to save yourself some time and hassle. If you’ve never set up direct deposit before, it can be intimidating. Whether you’re voiding checks because you’re afraid of overdrafts, you’re juggling debt, or you’re setting up direct deposit at a new job (congrats on that one!)—you’re going to need a budget. You can also request a stop payment order through your online banking web portal. But read the fine print about when the stop payment will go into effect.

If none of these solutions work for your particular situation, you may need to order checks from your bank. Some banks don’t offer checks, so you may need to sign up for a new checking account if you need checks to void. Even if you use printed checks only on occasion, there comes a time when you need to void a check.

This is why it is always a good idea to document your check transactions in your check register so that you will always have information like, the check ID number, the amount, and who you paid. So you wrote a check and gave it or sent it, but now you need to cancel it. If either of these things occurs what you are going to want to do is get a Stop Payment Order.

How to Write a Check

The topic of voided checks for direct deposit then dominated the conversation. The money also becomes immediately available as soon as it has been deposited directly into your account which is another huge bonus. At the very core, however, a voided check is always asked for in an effort to utilize the electronic banking information that the checks include printed directly on them.

— teach your children what they are not learning in school.

Even though voided checks are still a thing, not everyone has blank checkbooks lying around in 2023. But make sure you do it correctly before you hand your account info over to anyone. If you want to set up a direct deposit with your employer, you can’t just submit a blank check to provide your bank information, as anyone could fill out the check and take money from your account. A voided check is a check which is no longer valid and has the word ‘void’ written on the front. Take a look at the FAQs page for Bank of America to read all about voiding checks with their bank. If Bank of America is your bank, and you want to set up direct deposit, then you actually don’t need to void a check with them to do so.

The only way to give yourself peace of mind is to void the check and then throw it out or shred it. To void a check, you’d have to cancel it before the recipient had deposited it. If you need a Stop Payment Order for a check, your bank will probably need the information on the check you want to cancel.

Please visit the Social Security website layer for guidance on how to set up or change direct deposit. Please tell us where you bank so we can give you accurate rate and fee information for your location. Once you’ve voided a check, it’s essentially disabled and cannot be used any longer. But first, let’s touch on the reasons why you might need to void a check. 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. It’s okay if it covers up the different text boxes on the check.

After you void the check, record the voided check number in your checkbook. This will help you remember that the check was voided and you’re not waiting for it to clear your account. If that check number is posted to your account, contact your bank right away. Finally, if you use duplicate checks, make sure your VOID marks are seen on the duplicate, too. If you do not have a voided check – a bank letter or bank statement will suffice.

The process is fairly straightforward, but it's important that you do it carefully to avoid someone using your check fraudulently. Even if you do all of your banking electronically, you might have to provide a voided check to set up some of those electronic transactions. It is essential to know how to void a check correctly should the need arise so you don’t put your checking account at risk of fraud. Rather than a letter from a financial institution, I recommend a screen print or snippet of a screen showing the routing and account numbers. Some online banking sites and applications already display the numbers in a useful fashion.