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For bookkeepers and accountants

Check printing for bookkeepers and accountants

Check Writer 123 lets a bookkeeper or accountant print checks for several clients from any browser, with each client's bank account, logo, signature setting and check numbers kept separate. Plans start at $9.99 per month with a 14-day free trial and no card, and the Unlimited plan gives you unlimited bank accounts and checks for a growing client list.

14-day free trial, no card needed. Prints on blank check stock, pre-printed stock or plain paper, from any printer. No install, no card for the trial.

Where check runs for clients go wrong

The wrong client's account on the wrong check

When you handle month-end payables for six clients, the costly mistake is not a typo. It is Client A's check run printing on Client B's stock, or under Client B's check numbers. Each client needs its own bank details, its own numbering and its own stock, and your tool should make it hard to cross them.

Checks that live outside the client's books

Many small clients still pay some vendors by paper check, but their accounting file does not print them, or you would rather not work inside it just to cut a check. You need a separate place to produce the check and a clean record you can post to the client's books yourself.

Client approval happens before paper exists

Clients want to see who is being paid and how much before anything is signed. A pile of printed checks is a poor review document, and a spreadsheet alone gives you no check numbers to point to when the client replies with a change.

Reconciling against a statement with checks still outstanding

At month end you need to tie each cleared check on the bank statement to a payee, an amount and a check number, and to list what is still outstanding. That is much easier when every check you printed is in one report, sorted by number, with voids clearly marked.

A client check run, step by step

This is a routine that works for a bookkeeper handling payables for a handful of small clients. Adjust it to your engagement terms.

  1. 1

    Set up one bank account per client

    Add the client's bank name, routing number, account number and address, upload their logo, choose their layout and template, and set the starting check number to match the client's next unused number. Signature handling is also set per account. The routing-number lookup checks the checksum as you type.

  2. 2

    Get the approved payment list from the client

    Ask for a short list (a spreadsheet works) with payee, amount, invoice numbers and the date to write on each check. The list is the approval document, agreed with the client before any check exists, and you can prepare everything before a check number is used.

  3. 3

    Enter the checks and attach invoice detail

    Pick the client's account, then enter up to 25 checks at once. Use saved vendors for repeat payees and paste invoice numbers and amounts from the client's spreadsheet onto the stub so the vendor can see what the check pays.

  4. 4

    Test Print, then print on the client's stock

    Run a free Test Print on plain paper and hold it against a real check. Then load that client's stock and print the selected checks, up to 50 at a time. Leave the signature blank if the client signs by hand, which is the usual choice when you are not the signer.

  5. 5

    Hand over the register and reconcile

    Open the register report for that client's account and month, print it or download the CSV, and give it to the client with the checks. At statement time, use the same report to match each check to the bank statement and mark the cleared ones, which leaves the outstanding checks.

What helps a practice with many clients

A separate bank account record for each client

Each account carries its own bank details, logo, signature setting, layout, print mode, template, alignment and next check number, so one client's settings never leak into another's.

Batch entry and batch printing

Enter up to 25 checks in one go and print up to 50 selected checks together, which suits a month-end payables run for one client at a time.

Invoice lines on the check stub

Paste invoice numbers and amounts from the client's spreadsheet so each vendor sees what a check pays, and the client sees the same detail on their copy.

Register report with an account filter and CSV

View a month, a date range or everything, filter to one client's bank account, print it, or download it as CSV for reconciliation or your own working papers. Voided checks are excluded from the running total.

Free Test Print, free reprints and voiding

Test Prints and reprints never count against the monthly limit, so you can align a new client's stock and recover from a jam without cost. A voided check keeps its number in the record.

Activity history on each check

When a client asks what happened to check 2041, the history on that check shows what was done to it, which is a useful trail for your own files.

Example: a month-end run for three clients

A bookkeeper keeps three small clients in Check Writer 123, each as its own bank account. Maple Street Dental owes Dental Supply Co $1,284.50 (invoices 88213 and 88290) and Lakeview Lab $642.00. Ridgeline Landscaping owes Greenfield Nursery $2,310.75 and Tri-County Equipment Rental $480.00. Hollis Family Bakery owes its flour supplier $915.20.

Each client sends an approved list. The bookkeeper selects Maple Street Dental's account, enters two checks with invoice lines on the stubs, runs a Test Print, loads that practice's stock and prints. The signature is blank, so the owner signs each check. The same routine repeats for the other two clients. That is five checks across three accounts.

Three accounts need a plan with at least 3 bank accounts, so the Mid Tier plan at $13.99 per month (60 checks, 4 bank accounts) fits. The bookkeeper sends each client a register report for the month, then uses it to reconcile when the statements arrive.

An illustration with made-up figures, not a real customer.

How do I get client sign-off before printing their checks?

Sign-off is a process you agree with each client. The cleanest way is to treat the payment list as the approval document and the signature on the check as the final approval.

Because nothing is saved until you press Print, you can prepare and review everything before any check number is used. A simple routine keeps the trail tidy.

  • Send the client a list of payees, amounts, invoice numbers and dates, and keep their written reply (an email is common).
  • Print a Test Print if the client wants to see the layout. It carries TEST PRINT watermarks and is never counted.
  • Print the real checks and leave the signature blank so the client signs each one by hand.
  • After printing, send the register report so the client can match check numbers to the list they approved.
  • Who may sign, and any dual-signature rules, are the client's decision and are set out in their bank agreement and your engagement letter. Ask your own advisor if you are unsure.

Who should hold the client's bank details and signature?

Entering a client's routing and account numbers in your login means you hold sensitive data for them. Get the client's clear permission first, ideally in your engagement letter, and treat the login like any other system holding client financial data: a strong, unique password and no sharing.

Check Writer 123 uses HTTPS and stores passwords as salted hashes. Keep the login with the people who run your check runs, and store the password in a password manager.

Signatures are a separate question. The app can use an uploaded or drawn signature, or a typed name, but you should only apply a client's signature if the client has authorized you to in a way their bank accepts. Most practices leave it blank. What your engagement letter says about authority and liability is a matter for your attorney.

Which plan fits a bookkeeping practice?

All features are on every plan, so the choice comes down to two numbers: how many client bank accounts you need and how many checks you print each month. A client with two bank accounts, such as operating and payroll, uses two of your slots.

  • Occasional Pack, $9.99 per month: 20 checks per month and 2 bank accounts. Fits one or two very small clients.
  • Mid Tier, $13.99 per month: 60 checks per month and 4 bank accounts. Fits a few clients with light check volume.
  • Unlimited, $29.99 per month: unlimited checks and bank accounts. The practical choice once you serve more than a few clients or have busy months.
  • A check counts toward the monthly total when it is printed with the Print button. Test Prints and reprints are free.
  • There is a 14-day free trial with no card, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment. See pricing for details.

What it costs

One flat monthly price with every feature on every plan. The plans differ only in checks per month and bank accounts. You also pay for your own paper and ink.

Occasional Pack

$9.99

per month

20 checks a month

2 bank accounts

Mid Tier

$13.99

per month

60 checks a month

4 bank accounts

Unlimited

$29.99

per month

Unlimited checks

Unlimited bank accounts

A check counts when you press Print. Reprints and Test Prints are free. 30-day money-back guarantee on your first payment; see the refund policy.

Frequently asked questions

Can a bookkeeper print checks for clients?

Yes. A bookkeeper can add each client's bank account to Check Writer 123 and print their checks on their own stock or on plain paper. The tool prints the checks and records each one in your register. Get the client's permission to hold their bank details, and agree in writing who approves and who signs each check.

How do I keep each client's checks and check numbers separate?

Give every client their own bank account record. Each one stores its own bank details, logo, signature setting, layout, alignment and next check number, and numbers advance separately. When you enter a check you choose the account first, and the register report can be filtered to a single account.

Can I keep the client's books in QuickBooks and still print here?

Yes. Print the check here, then post it in the client's books by check number and issue date. The register downloads as CSV, which helps when you enter or compare checks in QuickBooks or any other system. Your client keeps the accounting file they already use, and you keep one tidy printing record for each bank account.

How many clients can I add?

Add one bank account per client. The Occasional Pack includes 2 bank accounts, Mid Tier includes 4, and Unlimited includes unlimited accounts and checks, so a growing practice can move up a plan when it needs to. A client with separate operating and payroll accounts uses two bank accounts.

How do I keep client information secure in my account?

Use a strong, unique password, keep it in a password manager and limit the login to the people who run your check runs. Check Writer 123 uses HTTPS and stores passwords as salted hashes. Get each client's permission to hold their bank details, ideally in your engagement letter, and apply a signature only when the client has authorized it.

How do I get a client to approve checks before I print them?

Send the client a payment list and keep their written approval, then print and have them sign the checks. Nothing is saved until you press Print, so you can prepare in advance. A free Test Print shows the layout with TEST PRINT watermarks and is never counted against your plan.

Can I use the register to reconcile a client's bank statement?

Yes. The register report gives check number, date, payee, account, amount and status for a month, a date range or everything, can be filtered to one bank account, and downloads as CSV. Match each line to the client's bank statement and mark the cleared items as you go; whatever is left is outstanding.

Should I use the client's signature on the checks I print?

Only if the client has authorized it in a way their bank accepts. The safer default is to leave the signature blank so the client hand-signs. Check Writer 123 can use an uploaded, drawn or typed signature, but who may sign is a decision for the client, their bank agreement and your advisor.

Guides for bookkeepers and accountants

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Try it on one client first

Start the 14-day free trial, add a single client's bank account, run a Test Print and print a real check on their stock. No card is needed to try it.