What information do you need to order checks?

What information do you need to order checks?

Every check order, from any printer, rests on the same short list. Collect it from a bank statement or your bank's online account page, not from memory. For formats and security features, see the complete check printing guide.

• Account holder name, exactly as the account is titled
• Mailing address you want printed on the check
• Bank name, and sometimes the bank's city and state
• Nine digit routing number
• Account number
• Starting check number
• Check format, such as wallet, three to a page or laser
• Quantity and copy style, single or duplicate

The routing number, account number and check number are the fields that end up in the magnetic line at the bottom. Federal Reserve Regulation CC describes that MICR line as holding the routing number, account number, check number, amount and other data in magnetic ink, which is why a single wrong digit can make a check unusable.

Which check fields are required and which are optional?

Not every line on a check is mandatory. This table separates what a printer must have from what you can choose.

Where do you find your routing and account numbers?

The safest source is the bank itself: the account details page in online banking, a statement, or a branch. If you already have checks for the account, both numbers sit in the bottom line. Wells Fargo, for example, describes its account number as sitting to the right of the routing number and to the left of the check number.

Do not copy a routing number from a random lookup site. Some banks use different routing numbers for different regions or for wires, and only your bank can confirm which one belongs on your checks. For the full explanation, read routing number vs account number and how to find each on a check. If you order from a printer other than your bank, ask for the bank's MICR specification sheet; Banner Bank, for one, tells customers to request it for an outside printer.

Why does a fractional routing number appear on some checks?

Some checks carry a small number that looks like a fraction near the check number in the top right. It is another way of writing the bank's routing information: the TROY MICR handbook describes the top part as a bank identification code and the bottom part as the Federal Reserve district transit symbol, which usually matches the first four digits of the routing number.

The fraction dates from manual check sorting, before magnetic reading. Regulation CC still recognizes a routing number printed on the face of a check in fractional or nine digit form, so some banks keep printing it. If your bank supplies one, include it exactly as given. If it does not, your printer can leave it off.

Why are the bank name and address printed on the check?

The bank name tells the payee and any person handling the check which institution will pay it. It also lets a payee call the bank to verify funds. Some layouts print only the bank name, others add a city and state. Follow what your bank's specification sheet shows or what your current checks already print.

What should the name line say for a business?

Print the name exactly as the account is titled at the bank. For an LLC or corporation, that is usually the legal entity name, including the suffix. If the business trades under a different name, a DBA line can appear under the legal name, but only if the bank account recognizes it. The SBA notes that most states require you to register a DBA and that the rules vary by state, county and city.

Our guide to business checks for an LLC covers name, DBA and signature line choices in detail. When in doubt, ask your bank how the account title reads and copy it exactly.

What should you leave off a check?

Keep sensitive identifiers off. A check passes through many hands, so do not print a Social Security number, a driver's license number, a date of birth or an EIN. None of them is part of the MICR line or needed for the check to clear.

Also leave out a personal cell number if a business line exists, and skip a home address for a business account unless it is the business address of record.

What changes when you reorder checks?

A reorder is not a copy of the last order. Before you repeat it, confirm four things: the address is still current, the signers on the account have not changed, the next check number follows your last box, and the bank has not changed its routing details. Banks that merge or convert systems sometimes issue new routing numbers, so ask your bank if you received any notice about account changes.

If anything changed, update the order and approve a fresh proof rather than reusing an old file. At Voqado, bank numbers go through a protected form and are encrypted separately from the cart, so they never need to sit in an inbox or an order note.

How do you check the information before you submit it?

Treat the order form like a bank deposit slip: read each field twice. Use this list, then keep the business check order checklist for future reorders.

• Read the routing number aloud from the bank source, then from the form
• Compare the account number digit by digit, including leading zeros
• Match the name line character by character to the account title
• Confirm the starting number is one more than your last check
• Confirm the format matches your software or binder
• Enter bank numbers only in the printer's secure form, never in email or notes

When the fields are ready, compare the check formats and the fields each one asks for before you place the order.