Your employer asks for a voided check during the establishment of direct deposit and suddenly you will realize you have no idea what they really want. What about writing on the check or signing or just handing in a blank?

Luckily, this is a far simpler process than it sounds. The voided check is basically a regular check which was purposely rendered unusable to pay as your banking information became visible. This information may then be used by companies to establish direct deposits, automatic payments, or other electronic transfers.

What Is a Voided Check?

A voided check is a check which was deliberately canceled before someone used it for payment. The letter from the word VOID on the cheque will tell anyone who’s handling it that the check should won’t be deposited or redeemed.

The reason somebody still wants that check is the useful banking information stays on it. Most checks contain routing number from your bank, your check account number, and sometimes your name and address.

This information is often sufficient for an electronic payment system which is connected to your bank account that connects the employer or the company.

Imagine, for example, you’re starting a new job and your employer wants to pay your salary directly to your checking account. Instead of asking you to manually type routing and account numbers, Payroll management can ask for voided check to check this information. 

The check is not used to produce cash and it just serves as a simple source of information for bank account.

What Does a Voided Check Look Like?

Unless the word VOID seems prominent across the front, the voided check looks nearly exactly like a regular check.

Normally you will still see the bank name, your name, routing number, account number and check number. As the person requesting the verification may need it for the banking audit, this information remains visible.

Let’s say you have a check using routing number 021000021, account number 123456789 and check number 1042. You would write VOID in large letters at the main part of the check, while ensuring that numbers are readable along the bottom.

Basically, this is something that looks like a typical voided check sample.

You should not write a dollar amount, fill in a payee’s name or add a signature, unless the organization, which specifically requests the document, tells you to do so.

How to Void a Check Correctly

If you attempt to find out how to invalidate a check, begin with a blank check from the bank account, which you wish to use.

This is more important than it looks. When you have two check accounts and your check is inadvertently withdrawn from the wrong bank account, your salary, or automatic charges can be related to the account that you seldom use.

As soon as you get the right check, use the fixed pen and write VOID in the front. That word should be large enough to prevent anyone from confusing a valid check with a valid payment.

Some people, write VOID, had crossed the check in the middle once. Others write it over various sections including the payee line, amount box, and signature area. Any approach can operate so long as a check cannot clearly be used.

The most important thing to avoid is the writing over the routing number and account number on the bottom.

These numbers are normally the whole reason why the company asked for the check. If you covered them up with ink, then it is possible either the payroll or the payment operator will not be able to use the document.

There is usually no reason to sign a check. The signature does not facilitate the installation of direct deposit and may expose other personal information unnecessarily.

Why Do Employers Ask for a Voided Check?

The most common reason people come across voided checks today is payroll.

When an employer establishes a direct deposit, you must know precisely what financial institution and which account your pay is to be entered. While number identifies’s account is your particular account, number identifies’s line to the bank.

A voided check offers both numbers in a format that’s hard to type error.

Imagine Sarah starting a job that gives her every two weeks $2,500. Her company offered direct deposit’s salary and applied for its voided check to be sent along with a payment form.

Sarah takes a blank cheque from the account where she wants to get her salary and writes VOID to the front page, giving it to her payroll. The company uses the numbers printed below to set up an electronic deposit.

The $2,500 is going to go straight into her account when the payday comes. The physical check Sarah filed never transferred money.

When Do You Need a Voided Check?

Payroll’s not the only place you can be asked to do one.

In setting up automatic payments, a mortgage contractor, a utility firm, an insurance provider, an investment firm or another financial institution can request a voided check.

The same can happen to ACH payments. ACH means Automated Clearing House, the electronic network which is used usually for transfer of funds between bank accounts. 

A company may request proof of the your bank account before automatically withdrawing payments. Instead of relying on just numbers that have been entered into an online form, a voided check may ask to confirm routing and account information.

Enterprises may also seek this information when it is paid electronically for the services of freelancers, contractors or suppliers.

On the other hand, void controls were less widespread than before. Many banks and employers are now allowing clients to digitally check their accounts instead.

How to Make a Voided Check If You Do Not Have a Checkbook

There are a lot of people who use bank accounts without ordering paper checks at any time. If that describes you, you probably do not need to order a whole box of checks just because one company asked for a voided one.

You have to ask if your company will receive other forms of Bank verification.

Many banks allow customers to download the direct deposit form via an online bank. This document typically contains your name, your routing number, your account number, and other information that is required for the direct deposit setup.

Your bank can also supply a verification letter for an account.

A number of companies accept the latest bank statements. But you must avoid having to share financial information in more detail than required. If the statement is accepted, ask exactly which information should remain visible.

Digital bank verification is another increasingly popular option. Instead of uploading a check, you can securely connect your bank account from your company’s payment system.

Before submitting an alternative, it is important to confirm voided check requirements of the organizations.

Voided Check vs. Cancelled Check

So the sound of voided check and the canceled check look alike, but they’re thinking about different things.

A voided check will be intentionally unusable before being processed. So you can not use write VOID across as a normal payment.

On the other hand, cancelled check typically means a check already processed through the banking system.

For example, if you write a check for the lease of a 1,200 to your lessor and the owner is paying it to him, then this check can then be used as a processed check or cancelled check in the your bank tapes.

If you have a blank check write VOID across and you give it to your employer for an instant deposit facility, no payment by this check should ever be processed.

The difference is simple: voided check ends prior to payment, while cancelled check usually has already been paid.

Is a Voided Check Safe to Give Someone?

A correct voided check can usually not be used as regular payment. But this does not mean that you have should give one to only someone.

The document continues to contain confidential bank account information.

The routing number may not be classified by itself, but your account number is personal financial information. An individual with adequate bank records could seek to perform unauthorized transactions or use details differently in other forms of fraud.

So you’re should give voided check only to a trusted employer, a financial institution, service provider, a lender, or other legal company.

If someone unexpectedly requests a voided check via social media, SMS or an unknown email address, verify your request independently before you send anything.

It is also a bad idea to upload publicly pictures of checks. Even if VOID goes off the front, banking information may still be readable.

Should You Write VOID Over the Routing Number?

No, the routing number and account number should be readable in normal conditions.

The routing number informs the payment system where the bank processes your account from. The account number explains the particular account that should receive or send the money.

If you have write VOID over these numbers directly, the Company might not be able to complete your instant deposit or ACH setup.

Instead, write VOID via the central area of check where the name of the recipient, payment money and signature is usually entered.

This will clearly disable this verification that is based on the information necessary for bank control.

Can Someone Cash a Voided Check?

The correct voided check should not be accepted as a normal payment.

Write VOID in the front explains what your intention is: the cheque is not permitted for payment.

However, you should not treat a voided check as meaningless scrap paper. It contains information which is linked to your bank account, which is why check security still matters even after the check has been voided.

If you lose the voided check and fear your information might be misused, you should contact your bank. Bank may explain if additional precautions for your account are appropriate.

Which Information Is Shown on Voided Check? 

In the bottom of the check, the best information is usually contained.

Your routing number will identify your bank or a credit union. Your account number identifies bank account for the checking.

The check may also indicate your name, address, bank name and personal check number.

This information may help your employer or company check your bank account, but voided check does not usually represent proof of the amount of money in this account.

It also does not prove your income, credit, or your general financial condition.

The document is principally a verification document for the account.

Common Mistakes When Voiding a Check

One of the easiest mistakes is to use a check on the wrong account.

Someone with multiple bank accounts could pick up the first checkbook they’ll find without checking that account. This could result in payroll or automatic payment linking to the incorrect location.

A further error is the fact that writing VOID covers the route and numbers of accounts.If a company cannot read those numbers, it may refuse to verify and request a different document. 

Similarly, you should avoid passing an unsigned blank check without a writing VOID. Since it is still possible to finish and use it as a payment, a blank check is very different from a voided check.

Generally speaking, adding a signature is unnecessary.

The easiest approach is simply to use the correct blank check; to write VOID clearly over the front side; to leave the bank numbers readable; and to only send it via a trusted method. 

Fact checking: Bank and wage procedures can vary. Please confirm the exact documentation requirements for employer, bank, creditor or financial institution before sharing account information.

The Bottom Line 

The voided check sounds a bit more complicated than it actually is.You just take a blank check, writing VOID in front, making it visible for routing and account number in most cases.

Employers often use voided check for direct deposit, while lenders, utilities and other companies can use it to pay ACH or bank verification.

If you don’t have paper checks it normally doesn’t make you a problem. Instead a direct deposit form, verification letter, or secure digital account verification that is issued by the Bank may work.

The key rule is simple: Treat a voided check with sensitive bank details, as any other document did. Give it only to organizations that trust and confirm what you need before they send it.

Frequently Asked Questions 

For what is voided check used?

A voided check is often used to provide routing and account information for direct deposit, Payroll, ACH payments, automated accounts and bank verification.

How could I cancel a check?

From the appropriate account, take a blank check and write VOID clearly from the front. Keep the routing number and the account number readable and do not sign the check unless specific requests have been received by the organisation. 

Can I bring a direct deposit with the voided check?

Yes. Employers often request a voided check for direct deposit, because it offers the routing number and account number that are needed to transfer your wages electronically.

What would I be using instead of voided check?

Depending on your organization, you can take advantage of a bank direct deposit form, bank verification letter, account verification document or secure digital bank connection.

What’s the voided check look like?

It looks like a regular check with VOID written clearly across on the front side.The bank routing number and the bank account number will typically remain visible.

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