Voided Checks 101 Everything you Need to Know

However, there are advantages to using one rather than sending your information electronically. It’s similar to the sample or starter checks you get when you first open a checking account. This doesn’t pose the same risk as sending a blank check because banks don’t accept photocopied checks. However, someone could still copy your account information and try to authorize a transfer out of your account. If you voided the check to correct an error, just put it in the shredder.

What exactly is a voided check?

If a mistake was made in voiding the check, a new check must be issued. If someone requests a voided check from what does void mean on a check you, it’s easy to take care of. Simply use a blank check and write ‘VOID’ in large letters across the front.

How to write a check

With the rise of online banks, your checking account may not come with a supply of paper checks. If you don’t have access to paper checks that you can void and provide to your employer or a merchant who needs one, there https://www.bookstime.com/ are other ways to set up ACH transactions. If you want to send payments through a payee’s online portal, rather than your bank’s, you can probably provide your bank account information electronically as well.

Safely Destroy a Check You Messed Up Writing

Note that there’s no way to void a check if you discover a mistake after sending the check to the payee. At that point, your only option is to ask the bank or credit union to stop payment on the check. We live in a very digital world when it comes to finances, but that doesn’t mean we may never run into things like checks again. Checks are still a great secure payment option that you might still need to use from time to time, even to make some electronic payments possible. GOBankingRates works with many financial advertisers to showcase their products and services to our audiences.

So, be thorough and write it large and wide across the majority of the check. Any bank teller (even those working the first hour of their first shift) will understand that the check itself is anything but legitimate and you will have nothing to worry about. The article above was refined via automated technology and then fine-tuned and verified for accuracy by a member of our editorial team. Discover a range of valuable financial topics in our Learning Center. Make a note in your check register so that you’ll know where the check went. We will never ever recommend a product or service that we wouldn’t use ourselves.

Get a Letter from the Bank

If you’re self-employed, a freelancer, or you run a business, you may have certain clients whom you work with on an ongoing basis. To simplify and speed up payment, you may set up an electronic billing and payment arrangement with that client. Setting up the arrangement may require you to provide a copy of a voided check so the client can establish the electronic link for payment purposes. If you deposit a voided check in an ATM, it may be accepted for a short time. But once the error is identified, the cleared funds should be removed from the recipient’s bank account and returned to the original owner, and a fee may be charged.

What Is a Money Order and How Does It Work?

Whether you’re using Quickbooks online or with a program, it’s generally best to void a check rather than delete it. Voiding checks makes a record of the transaction for future reference. Keeping a photocopy of void checks can also protect you if somehow an old check you intended to void ever gets presented to a bank in the future. To start, take a blank check and print “VOID” in large letters across the center with a blue or black pen. If you don’t have any checks at hand, you can visit your bank’s nearest branch and ask for a counter check. The bank teller will have to print it out for you, so you could void it and use it as needed according to the instructions outlined here.

A correctly voided check cannot be used for payment, but it still contains sensitive and personal information, so treat voided checks as confidential documents. Voiding a check for direct deposit is safe because nobody can deposit or cash it. Money can’t be withdrawn from your checking account using a correctly voided check. If you need a voided check to set up direct deposit with your employer, you have a couple of choices.

• But a check with your name and banking details preprinted on it is much harder to fake.
• A secure online tool for voided checks is a secure and convenient way of meeting our voided check needs in the digital age.
• Writing the word “VOID” on top of the written information prevents someone from using it.
• If you don’t have a voided check to supply to a third party, you do have other options to get one.

Even if you’re not a fan, there are times when you might still need to use checks, such as if you’re setting up direct deposit with your employer. It’s wise to be cautious with your bank account information, so knowing the proper way to void a check could help you set up direct deposit safely and correctly. A voided check is simply a personal check with the word “void” across the front. Autopay can be very useful to stay on top of recurring bills like utilities, rent, or credit card payments. By using auto-pay you won’t have to worry about forgetting any bill payment and accruing late fees and hits to your credit score. The incorrect check may be deposited by someone else if you throw it away and someone else finds it.

• No, it isn’t necessary to sign or put any information on a voided check.
• This method won’t work if you need to mail the check, but it can help you get an electronic image of a check containing your account information.
• Some businesses even take payments over the phone, allowing customers to provide the information orally.
• Those numbers are what the person receiving the voided check will use to identify your checking account.
• Only about a third of under-60s still write checks regularly and more than half of American under 30s never write checks and do not even own a check book.