Check printing for law firms

How should a law firm set up check printing for its operating account?

Start with the account the firm pays its bills from. Add it once with the exact firm name, address and bank numbers, and the logo and signature you want on every check. From then on, the work is entering payees and amounts, not formatting.

Setting this up once is the slow part, and it takes about ten minutes. A few habits then keep the routine tidy:

• Put a matter number or invoice number in the memo, because the memo prints where the payee can see it.
• Decide who prepares checks and who signs them. Preparing in the browser and signing by hand on the printed check keeps those two jobs separate.
• Keep blank check stock in a locked drawer, and shred any spoiled check.
• Download the register as a CSV file at month end and hand it to your accountant.
• Save each expert and service under the name that appears on its invoices, so your checks and their bills match line for line.
• Use vendor check printing habits such as invoice lines on every stub, so payees can reconcile quickly.

Can a firm with several bank accounts keep each one separate?

Yes. Every bank account in Check Writer 123 is its own record with its own name, address, logo, signature setting, layout, alignment and next check number. When you write a check you choose the account first, and the register can be filtered to a single account, so each account has its own clean list.

For a client trust account, the rules are set by your state bar, so follow them and ask your accountant how the firm should record that account. The software prints the check and keeps the register entry. See how to print checks for multiple bank accounts for a setup walkthrough.

Check numbers advance separately for each account, so one account's sequence never mixes with another's. When the bank opens a new account for the firm, add it in the app and set its next check number to match the first unused number from the bank.

The Occasional plan covers 2 bank accounts and 20 checks a month, Mid Tier covers 4 accounts and 60 checks, and Unlimited has no limit on either.

What if a payment is due today and the checkbook is empty?

This is where printing your own checks pays off. With the account already saved and the payee already on your list, a check is a one-minute job: pick the payee, type the amount, check the preview, press Print. There is no wait for a reorder.

A few things make the last-minute check painless: a locked drawer with blank stock in it, paper already loaded, and alignment saved for each bank account so the next check lines up without adjusting. For a check going to a court or a vendor by mail, blank check stock is the recommended choice. Plain-paper checks are best for deposits you make yourself or by mobile deposit.

If a check jams or smudges, reprint the saved check for free. If a check was printed in error, void it and enter a new one, and the register shows both. The guide on how to void a printed check covers the paperwork side.