What Is a Voided Check?

• By Admin
• May 1, 2025

Learn more about how we review products and read our advertiser disclosure voided cheque meaning for how we make money. Discover how APY impacts your financial choices and maximizes your savings. If you add one too many ‘0s’ to your check, you can’t just correct it and hope it works out.

How a Voided Check Works

If a mistake was made in voiding the check, a new check must be issued. 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.

What If You Don’t Have a Personal Check to Void?

• Some businesses even take payments over the phone, allowing customers to provide the information orally.
• These scenarios would call for you to void the check and rewrite another one using the correct information.
• By writing “void” across the front, you can safely destroy the cheque without worrying about anyone using it to make money from your bank account.
• Finally, you may provide the branch, transit, and account numbers directly to the recipient.
• You can get a void check for your checking account by writing “void” across the face of any check in your checkbook.

Void cheques aren’t used as often as they were in the past, but you may still encounter them from time to time so it’s essential to know the basics. Here’s everything you need to know about what a void cheque is, what it’s used for, and more. Discover what FDIC insurance is, its limits, and the types of accounts it covers. If you’re tired of dealing with paper checks and keeping records, Wise can help you manage your money electronically. To do that, you’ll have to write the word ‘VOID’ in capital letters going across the front of the check.

Electronic money: everything you need to know

This website is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation. A voided check is simply a paper check with the word “VOID” written across it, often in big letters, indicating without a doubt that it shouldn’t be used for making a payment.

Automatic Electronic Payments

The word ‘VOID’ is written in capital letters, so it is not mistaken for cash use. When you void a check, you prevent the check from being used by anyone to withdraw money. Your last option is to gather all your bank account information in one place so that you can fill out a form for your employer to set up a direct deposit. Voided checks can serve an important role in direct deposits and other ongoing transactions. This article is part of our free series on sending money, including the ultimate guide to bank checks, which you can access here. Another option is to use a deposit slip that already has your bank account information printed on it.

If you don’t have cheques on hand that you can void, you have some options. If you do not have a checkbook, the process of getting checks, voiding them and providing it to the employer for direct deposit can be difficult compared to the available alternatives. For example, if you are in business and your suppliers prefer to be paid electronically, then a voided check may be part of setting up automatic payments. If you don’t have any checks, and you want to set up a direct deposit or automatic electronic payment, there are other ways to do so. A voided check can be useful for providing the necessary information for certain electronic payments, such as direct debits. If you prefer the convenience that online banking provides, then check out Wise.

The most common use is for a company to use it in setting up direct deposit. Once a check has been voided, it’s no longer usable as a form of tender. No matter who the check was written out to or how much it might be written for, the check can no longer be presented to a bank or credit union for payment. Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes to void a check and you won’t spend a dime. All you have to do is grab a black pen or marker, write “VOID” using all capital letters, and you’re all set. For instance, you may want to use a direct deposit authorization form.

If the check is not currently in the company’s possession, then contact the bank and authorize a stop payment on the check (for which the bank will charge a fee). If you write “Void” on a check, always use ink; someone could erase a “Void” mark made with a pencil and then try to cash the check. A voided check will have all of your bank information printed on it, so it can provide others everything they need to set up a direct deposit payment from your account.

Always remember to keep track of any checks you void out to prevent identity theft or fraud. Although some mistakes can be corrected by marking the incorrect information and initialing it, this is not always a safe practice. It’s essential to note that some businesses may not accept such corrections. The check could still be run through the bank’s system for the incorrect amount.

The banking information necessary to start the direct deposit is the account and routing numbers. You can open a Wise account and receive money from around the world with local bank details. If you don’t have a paper check, you can always go to your nearest bank branch and request a voided check. 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. Once you have a voided cheque, simply fill out any required information and give it to the appropriate person, and they will handle the rest. A cheque is a document that instructs a bank to transfer funds from a person’s account to the person to whose name the cheque is issued.

She writes about personal finance topics, such as investing, insurance, credit cards, and real estate. These three numbers are found on the bottom of every cheque and tell the receiver the information they need from the void cheque. You should not give anyone a blank check because they can fill it out and withdraw money from your account. However, the employer needs your banking information to get the process started. When you void a check by writing the word ‘VOID’ across its front in capital letters, there is no chance it will be used accidentally.

• Voided checks are useful in setting up direct deposits, payments and regular bill payments.
• If you’ve made an error or no longer wish to use a check that you’ve started writing, simply write “VOID” across it as described above.
• The check can still be used to get the information needed for electronic payments.
• You want to make it difficult for thieves to erase or cover your void mark.
• Keep reading to learn more about how voided checks work, when it makes sense to void a check, and how to void a check if the need arises.

Before giving an employer a voided check, it can make sense to first make a copy of the check, so that you know how the check was used. In a computerized accounting system, there is usually a menu option for voiding a check, since this is a sufficiently common activity to warrant having its own routine. Voiding the cheque ensures that you aren’t sending out a “blank cheque” that criminals could fill in and use to withdraw money from your account. A void cheque is a cheque with the word “VOID” written across it, which prevents anyone from filling out the cheque and using it to make a payment. If you have a photocopy of a deposit slip or a cleared check for your account, you may also be able to use this for processing your request.

First, your online banking portal may be able to provide you with a void cheque on demand. You may be able to save the pre-made void cheque as a PDF and then send that via email to whoever needs your void cheque. Alternatively, you can print the void cheque and provide it to whoever needs it (e.g., your employer to set up a direct deposit). Take a blank cheque from your checkbook and write VOID across the front of it. Make sure you write it in large letters to cover the whole cheque but don’t cover up the banking information at the bottom of the cheque as the recipient will need those numbers.

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. Most companies don’t even need an original; a copy of a voided check is good enough. It’s typically written in large letters so there’s no chance of it accidentally being used. A voided check is a check written or partially written but then canceled or deleted by the maker of the check. In many instances, voiding a check is necessary for bank account verification, which involves providing a check specimen in order to confirm account information.

Therefore, when you give your banking information to another person for legitimate use, you can use a voided check. This is because you can make a mistake while copying the details on the check. Electronic money, or e-money, is a simple way to send, spend, and receive payments online.

Voided checks reveal crucial banking information that if not shredded or disposed off properly can serve as linchpin to more dangerous scams. Voiding a check may be useful if you intend to schedule electronic payments. This website does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace. This website may use other proprietary factors to impact card offer listings on the website such as consumer selection or the likelihood of the applicant’s credit approval.