How HR and payroll teams request a voided check from new hires
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask each new hire for a voided check, or a direct deposit form from their bank, for the account where they want their pay deposited. Collect it with the direct deposit authorization before the first payroll cutoff. The account should be in the employee’s name, and the routing and account numbers must be fully readable.
Why HR and payroll teams need a voided check
Direct deposit runs on the routing and account numbers keyed into payroll. One wrong digit sends a paycheck back, and the employee waits for a reissue. Taking the numbers from a voided check or a bank form, rather than from a typed message, catches mistakes before the first pay date. Your state may have rules on whether direct deposit can be required, so offer it as a choice where needed.
What exactly to ask for
One voided check, or the bank’s direct deposit form or letter showing the account holder, routing number and account number. If the employee splits pay between two accounts, ask for one per account along with the amount they want sent to each.
What to check when it arrives
- The routing number has nine digits and belongs to the bank named on the check.
- The account holder is the employee, or a joint account that includes them.
- The account type, checking or savings, matches what was entered in payroll.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Direct deposit: a voided check for your first paycheck
Hi [Client name],
We are setting up your direct deposit so your first paycheck lands straight in your account. For that I need a voided check from the account you want to use.
Write VOID across a check without covering the numbers at the bottom, and send a scan or photo. No checkbook? The direct deposit form from your bank’s website works just as well.
Could you send it by [date]? That leaves us time before the first payroll run.
Thank you, [Your name]
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a voided check or an unreadable or blurry scan. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.