Before you pay for check mailing

Mail checks without paying for check mailing software

Mailing a check is easy to do yourself: print the check, sign it, put it in an envelope with a stamp and drop it in the mail. Some payment platforms charge a fee to print and mail checks for you, and some banks offer a mailed-check option in bill pay. Compare those costs with printing your own for a flat monthly price, or for $0 on the free plan.

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Print, sign, stamp, send. Free plan: 5 checks a month.

Why paying someone to mail your checks adds up

You pay twice for the same stamp

A mailing service still sends your check through the mail, and the price of postage is part of what you pay. On top of that, some services charge a per-check or monthly fee for printing and handling, so the cost per check is often higher than doing it yourself.

You lose control of timing

When a platform mails the check, you depend on its schedule for printing and dropping it at the post office. When you mail it yourself, you know the day it left your hands.

You pay for features you do not use

Check mailing is often one line in a long feature list that also includes approvals, vendor onboarding and accounting sync. If you only want to send a handful of checks a month, you are paying for the whole bundle.

Some checks need a human touch

A signed check with a handwritten note, a memo line or an invoice number attached is easy to do at your own desk. It can be awkward through a platform.

How to mail a check yourself in five steps

From a blank screen to a sealed envelope takes a few minutes. You do not need to visit the bank.

1
Write the check online
Open Check Writer 123, enter the payee, amount, date and memo, and watch the live preview. The amount in words and the MICR line are filled in for you.
2
Print it
Print on blank check stock, which prints the whole check, or on pre-printed stock from your bank, or on plain paper using the plain paper printing tips. Run a free Test Print first to check alignment.
3
Sign it and add the details
Sign the check with a pen, or let the app print your saved signature. Add an invoice number or account number in the memo line so the payee knows what it is for.
4
Put it in an envelope
Use a standard envelope, address it to the payee, add your return address and a stamp. If the check is large or the payee must receive it by a date, consider a tracked service from the post office.
5
Record it and track it
The check is already saved in your register. When it appears on your bank statement, tick it off in the check clearing tracker so you know it has been paid.

What you get without a mailing service

A flat price instead of a fee on each check

The Free plan prints up to 5 checks a month. Paid plans are $5.99 a month for 20 checks, $10.99 for 60 and $25.99 for unlimited. There is no per-check printing fee.

Your own paper and postage

You buy blank check stock or use plain paper, and you buy stamps. Nobody adds a handling margin to either.

A register and a clearing tracker

Every printed check is saved with its number, payee, amount and date, and the clearing tracker shows what the bank has paid and what is still outstanding.

Batch printing

Enter up to 25 checks in one table and print up to 50 together, useful when you pay several vendors on the same day.

Any computer, any printer

It runs in the browser on Windows, Mac and Chromebook and prints to the printer you already own.

An example: a landlord with four monthly payees

A landlord pays a plumber, a lawn service, an insurance company and a property tax bill each month, and all four prefer a check. The figures here are an illustration, not a customer story.

She prints four checks in one sitting, signs them, adds a stamp to each envelope and mails them together on the same day. Four checks a month is inside the Free plan, so the software costs $0, and her only costs are paper and four stamps.

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

What are your options for mailing a check?

There are three common ways. The right one depends on how many checks you send and how much of the work you want to hand off.

Print and mail it yourself with check printing software, a printer and a stamp.
Use your bank's bill pay, where many banks can send a paper check to a payee for you, sometimes free and sometimes for a fee.
Use a payables or mailing platform that prints and mails checks for a fee or a subscription.
Hand the check over in person, which costs nothing but a trip.

When does paying for a mailing service make sense?

Mailing platforms help in a few situations, and it is fair to say so. If you pay hundreds of checks a month, have no printer or office and need approvals before anything is mailed, a service may save more time than it costs.

For a small business, a landlord or a household paying a few to a few dozen checks a month, printing and stamping them yourself is usually the cheapest and simplest route. See the affordable check printing software guide and how to print vendor checks.

Tips for mailing checks safely

A few habits protect you and the payee:

Mail from a post office or a collection box inside a building when you can, rather than an unattended street box.
Write the payee's name clearly and fill in the whole amount line.
Keep the check number and a copy of the invoice in your register.
Void and reprint a check that was lost in the mail instead of writing another from scratch.
Read our guide on protecting your account numbers.

Is printing your own checks worth it?

If you still pay by check, printing can save retyping, cut wasted checks and give you a searchable record. It is not worth it for everyone, and it does not remove bank fees or fraud risk. Start with why use check writing software, then see printing vs handwriting, printing vs ordering checks, how it compares with your bank, saving time, check records and avoiding mistakes.

What it costs

One flat monthly price. Every paid plan has all check templates, batch printing and the check register. Logo, signature and cloud backup come with Mid Tier and Unlimited. You also pay for your own paper and ink.

Occasional Pack

$5.99

per month

20 checks a month

1 bank account

Mid Tier

$10.99

per month

60 checks a month

4 bank accounts

Unlimited

$25.99

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

Do I need software to mail a check?

No. Mailing a check only needs the check, an envelope and a stamp. Software is useful for printing the check neatly with the amount in words and the account numbers filled in. Some services also print and mail for you for a fee, which you can skip if you are happy to mail it yourself.

How can I mail a check without paying for a service?

Print the check, sign it, put it in an envelope with the payee's address, add your return address and a stamp, and mail it. With Check Writer 123 the Free plan prints up to 5 checks a month at no cost, and you pay only for paper and postage.

Can my bank mail a check for me?

Many banks offer bill pay that can send a paper check to a payee on your behalf. Some include it and some charge a fee, and the timing differs. Check your bank's bill pay terms for the cost and the delivery time.

What does it cost to mail a check myself?

The cost is one stamp and an envelope for each check, plus your paper and ink, and the software plan if you use one. Check Writer 123 is $0 for 5 checks a month, or $5.99 a month for 20 checks, so the printing side stays low.

Is it safe to mail a check?

Mailing a check carries some risk because it shows your routing and account numbers and can be stolen or lost. Use a post office or an indoor collection box, keep a record of every check and void one that goes missing. Our guide on protecting account numbers covers more.

Does Check Writer 123 mail checks for me?

No. It prints checks, and you mail them yourself. That keeps the price low, with a Free plan of 5 checks a month and paid plans from $5.99 a month, and no per-check fee.

How do I track whether a mailed check was cashed?

Use the check clearing tracker. When a check appears on your bank statement, tick it off and its status changes from outstanding to cleared. The register also shows which checks are still outstanding.

Guides for people deciding whether to pay for check mailing services

Also for

Print your checks, stamp them and send

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