Voided Business Check

A voided business check is a check from your company's bank account with the word VOID written across it. Voiding it means no one can fill it in and cash it. It still carries the two numbers every check has, so a vendor, payroll company, or bank can read your business account details and set up payments to or from that account.

The word VOID does not erase anything. Your business name, your bank's routing number (the nine-digit number that identifies your bank), and your business account number all stay readable. That is the point. The other party copies those numbers, and the crossed-out check shows they belong to a real, open account.

How it differs from a personal voided check

The format is the same: a blank check with VOID across it. What changes is whose name and account it shows.

• A personal voided check shows your own name and your personal checking account.
• A business voided check shows your registered business name and your business checking account.

This matters because most companies want the receiving account to match the business they are dealing with. If a supplier is paying "Maple Street Bakery LLC," they usually expect a check that says Maple Street Bakery LLC, not your personal name. Using the wrong account can also blur the line between business and personal money, which makes your bookkeeping messier.

When a business needs one

You will usually be asked for a business voided check when someone needs to send money to, or pull money from, your business account by ACH. ACH stands for Automated Clearing House, the system banks use to move money electronically between accounts.

• Vendor and supplier ACH payments. A supplier who pays you, or that you pay by direct bank transfer, needs your account and routing numbers on file.
• Funding payroll. Payroll providers such as Gusto or ADP pull wages and taxes from your business account, then pay your employees. They verify the account first.
• Merchant and payment processor setup. Stripe, Square, PayPal, and card processors deposit your sales into a bank account and need to confirm it belongs to you.
• Business loan or credit applications. A lender may ask for a voided check to confirm the account where a loan is deposited or a payment is drawn.
• Government and contract vendor forms. Agencies and larger clients often require a voided check as part of their vendor registration or direct deposit paperwork.

Where to find your business account and routing numbers

You need two numbers, both printed on any business check:

• The routing number, nine digits, on the bottom left. It identifies your bank.
• The account number, next to it, which identifies your specific business account.

No paper checks on hand? Log in to your business online banking or the bank's app. Most banks show the account and routing numbers on the account details screen. You can also read them off a business bank statement or call the bank.

Sole proprietors may only need a personal check

If you run a business as a sole proprietor and have no separate business bank account, you probably use a personal checking account for the business. In that case a plain personal voided check from that account is usually what you provide. A single-member LLC or any business with its own dedicated account should use a check from that business account instead. If you are unsure which one a form wants, ask the company that requested it.

How to get a voided business check

Free options exist and work. Take a blank check from your business checkbook, write VOID in large letters across the front, and hand over a copy. Or ask your bank for a voided check or a short bank letter, or print an account details or direct deposit form from your business online banking. Many companies accept any of these, so it is worth asking what they need before you do anything else.

If your business never ordered paper checks, which is common now, that printed account form or a bank letter is often accepted in place of a check. When you would rather not order a full checkbook, you can also create a voided check with your business details using our tool, which is a paid option. For the basics before you decide, read what a voided check is.