How to Void a Printed Check

To void a printed check, write VOID in large letters across the front of the check, keep it with your records, and mark that check number as void in your register. If the check has already left your hands, voiding it on paper is not enough; you also need to ask your bank about a stop payment. Any replacement check gets a new number.

Voiding means taking a check out of circulation so that it can never be paid and so that your records show why its number is unused. There are two different situations that look alike: a check you still hold, and a check someone else holds. The steps are different, so identify yours first.

When should you void a check?

• The check printed with the wrong payee, amount or date and has not been given to anyone.
• The printer jammed or smeared and the check is not usable. (If you can safely reprint the same check, see how to reprint a check.)
• You decided not to make the payment before delivering the check.
• You need a voided check to set up direct deposit or automatic payments.
• A check was lost or never arrived and you are issuing a replacement.

How do you void a check you still have in your hands?

1. Write VOID across the face. Use a pen with dark, permanent ink and write the word in large letters across the payee line, the amount box and the signature line, so no part could be reused. Do not just write it in a corner.
2. Do not sign a check you are voiding. If it is unsigned, it cannot be paid. If you already signed it, the VOID marking is even more important.
3. Add the date and a brief reason on the stub or the back. For example, "Voided, wrong amount." This helps you later.
4. Mark the number in your register. Enter the check number with status VOID and the reason. Never leave the number blank; an unexplained gap looks like a missing check.
5. Keep the voided check. File it with the month's records, in numerical order, with your other checks. Some people staple it to the invoice it related to.
6. Shred only if your records already show the void. If you have a register entry and a copy, the physical check can be shredded safely. Otherwise, keep it.

A VOID marking is not a legal ritual; it is a clear signal to anyone who sees the check, including your bank and your accountant, that it must not be paid.

How do you void a check that has already been given out?

Writing VOID in your own register does nothing to a check that someone else is holding. It can still be deposited. In this case:

1. Try to get the check back. If the payee has not deposited it, ask for it to be returned or destroyed. Get that confirmation in writing if you can.
2. If you cannot recover it, contact your bank about a stop payment. Give the check number, the amount, the date and the payee. Most banks charge a fee for this and require you to confirm in writing; ask what yours does and how long a stop payment stays in effect.
3. Record the action. In the register, note the check as void with a line stating that a stop payment was requested and when.
4. Issue the replacement with a new check number. Never reuse the original number for the new check.

Check with your bank before you issue the replacement. If the original is cashed before the stop payment takes effect, you could pay twice. The bank can tell you whether the original has already cleared.

Should the replacement check have the same number?

No. Give the replacement a new check number and refer to the old one in the memo or your register: "Replaces check 1042." The old number stays in the register as voided. That way the sequence shows both events, and your bank statement matches your records.

The one exception is a check that never left the printer in a usable state and was never recorded as issued. Some check printing tools let you reuse that number when a check is deleted before use. That is a tool-specific behavior, so only rely on it if your own records agree.

How do you provide a voided check for direct deposit?

Employers, utilities and lenders sometimes ask for a voided check to set up direct deposit or automatic payments. They need the routing number and account number printed along the bottom, which they read from the MICR line. The check does not need to be a real, numbered check from your register, but it should be a genuine check from the account.

1. Take a blank check from the account, or print a blank one.
2. Write VOID in large letters across the front. Leave the bottom line readable. Do not cover the routing and account numbers.
3. Hand it over or scan it and send it only to the party that asked for it. Treat it as sensitive, because it carries your account number.
4. Record the check number as voided, since it was used.

Many banks also let you download account and routing details from online banking or a bank letter, which can replace a voided check. For what the numbers mean, see what is a routing number.

What should you do with a voided check printed on your own printer?

If you print checks in-house, a voided print is still a document with your account number on it. Mark VOID over the whole face, record it, and file or shred it as described above. Do not toss it in the trash unshredded. If your check printing tool can print a blank voided check, it makes the direct deposit request tidy, but remember that it still consumes a numbered check in the register.

In Check Writer 123, voided-check printing produces a blank check with a large slanted VOIDED mark across it. It counts as a printed check toward your plan, because it is saved in the register like any other. Reprinting a saved check, by contrast, is free and does not count.

Common mistakes when voiding checks

• Writing VOID in a corner so a fraudster could still use the bottom line.
• Not logging the void in the register, leaving a gap in the number sequence.
• Voiding on paper and forgetting the check was already mailed.
• Reusing the voided number for a replacement.
• Throwing voided checks in ordinary trash.
• Emailing a voided check to an unverified recipient.

Putting it together

Voiding is a two-part job: the paper and the record. Mark the check clearly, log the number and reason, and use a new number for the replacement. If a check was given out, add the bank step. For fixing a mistake rather than cancelling, see how to correct a mistake on a printed check, and for keeping tidy records, how to keep a digital record of printed checks.