How to Void a Check (and Why Someone Asked for One)
Nobody asks for a voided check because they want the check. They want the two numbers printed along the bottom of it, confirmed by a piece of paper with your bank's name on it. A voided check is proof of account, not a payment.
That single fact tells you how to do it correctly: destroy the check's usefulness as money, and preserve everything else.
How to do it
- Take an unused check from your checkbook. Do not fill in any of the fields — no date, no payee, no amount, and above all no signature.
- Write VOID in large letters across the middle of the check, in blue or black ink. Large enough that nobody could mistake it, angled across the face.
- Keep the bottom line clear. The row of machine-readable digits along the bottom edge contains the routing and account numbers. That is the payload. If VOID crosses it, the check is useless for the purpose it was requested for.
- Record the check number in your register so the gap in the sequence is accounted for.
- Hand it over, or photograph it if it is being submitted digitally.
Some people prefer to write VOID in each field separately rather than one mark across the face. Either is accepted. One large mark is harder to miss and harder to remove.
Why it is being requested
| Who asks | What they need it for |
| An employer | Setting up direct deposit of your salary |
| A utility, lender or landlord | Setting up automatic payments out of the account |
| A brokerage or bank | Linking an external account for transfers |
| A government agency | Refunds or benefit payments |
In every case the request is the same underneath: prove this account exists and belongs to you, and give us the numbers to reach it.
If you have no checkbook
Most people opening an account today never receive one, and a growing number of app-based banks do not issue checks at all. The request is answerable anyway — ask which of these they will take:
- A direct deposit form. Most banks and banking apps can generate one, pre-filled with your routing and account numbers. This is the cleanest substitute and often preferred over a voided check.
- A bank letter. A branch will print and stamp a letter confirming the account details. Slower, but accepted everywhere.
- A screenshot of the account details screen in your banking app, showing both numbers and your name. Widely accepted, though some payroll departments insist on something with a bank letterhead.
- Typing the numbers into their form. Increasingly the employer's online portal simply asks for the two numbers directly, and no document is needed.
Treat it as sensitive
A voided check cannot be cashed, but it carries your full routing number, account number, name and often your address. That combination is enough to set up an ACH debit against the account.
Give one only to a party you have a real relationship with and who initiated the request through a channel you trust. Where the submission is digital, use the employer's secure portal rather than plain email. And if a voided check goes missing, tell your bank — they can watch the account or reissue the number.
Related
For the numbers themselves, see where the routing number is and where the account number is. If you need to write a check rather than void one, see how to write a check.
The usual reason one is requested: setting up direct deposit. Also useful: how to endorse a check and how long a check takes to clear.
Common questions
Should VOID cover the numbers at the bottom?
No. The numbers along the bottom are the entire reason the check was requested. Write VOID across the middle of the check, large enough to be unmistakable, but leave the MICR line legible.
What pen should I use?
Blue or black ballpoint, or a permanent marker. Not pencil and not erasable ink, both of which can be removed.
I have no checkbook. What do I give instead?
Ask for the alternatives: a direct deposit form from your bank, a bank letter confirming the account, or a screenshot of the account details screen in your app. Most payroll departments accept at least one.
Is it safe to email a voided check?
Less safe than you would like, since email is not encrypted in transit. Prefer an employer’s secure upload portal where one exists.
Can a voided check still be cashed?
Not through normal processing — the VOID mark stops a teller and most scanners. But the account details on it are real, so treat a voided check as sensitive.
Figures and rules in this article are checked against the official sources below. Where they disagree with us, they win.
