Define Canceled Check

Canceled Check

What Is a Check That Has Been Canceled?

After it has been deposited or cashed, a cancelled check has been paid or cleared by the bank on which it was drawn. After a check has been used or paid, it is "cancelled," meaning it can no longer be used.

A person who has drawn a check can cancel it before it is deposited or pursued by notifying the issuing bank, thus voiding the check.

TAKEAWAYS IMPORTANT

• A cancelled check has been cleared by cashing or depositing it, leaving it null and worthless for future transactions and unable to be re-used.

• Because cancelled checks show that the clearing process is complete, they can be used as proof of payment.

• The writer of a check can also cancel it before it is cashed by notifying the issuing bank.

Understanding Checks That Have Been Canceled

After going through the check clearing procedure, a cancelled check was paid. Once the money has been drawn from the bank the check was written on or the drawee, the check is cancelled. The payee is the individual to whom the check is written, and the deposit is received by the payee's bank. The following steps are involved in the cancellation of a check:

The reverse of the check is signed by the payee, or the person to whom the check is written.

The cheque is deposited into the account of the payee.

The payee's bank informs the drawee's bank, and the transaction is processed through the Federal Reserve Bank's system.

If there are sufficient money in the payor's account, the drawee's bank (or the bank from which the check was made) sends the money to the payee's bank.

The payee's bank deposits the monies or makes them "available" for withdrawal at the payee's bank.

Even if the deposit is a paper check, virtually all checks are now cleared electronically through the Federal Reserve Banking system. Although the deposit and check clearing processes are still carried out, the paper check nearly never leaves the deposit facility.

Instead, a dedicated scanner generates a digital image of the check's front and back, which is then sent to the other bank. The check is considered cancelled after it has cleared the payor's or the person who wrote it's account. In simple terms, a cancelled check indicates that the clearing procedure has completed and that the check cannot be used again. Cancelled checks can thus be used as proof of payment.

How Can Customers Get Access to Canceled Checks?

Canceled checks were traditionally returned to account holders with their monthly statements. Most check writers now receive scanned copies of their cancelled checks, which the banks then convert to digital versions for storage.

Financial institutions are required by law to maintain cancelled checks or the ability to create copies of them for a period of seven years. Customers who use online banking may usually get copies of their cancelled checks through the internet. Customers may usually print copies of cancelled checks for free from the bank's website, despite the fact that many banks charge for printed copies.

An example of a voided check

Let's assume Jan sends Bob a check. Bob goes to his bank and deposits the check. The bank may automatically credit Bob's account in the amount of the check, or it may postpone clearing the deposit. Until the cheque clears via Jan's bank, Bob's bank may make a portion of the cash accessible to Bob. Bob's bank electronically transmits the check to Jan's bank. Jan's bank debits Jan's account for the check's value, transfers the cash to Bob's bank, and cancels the check.

IMPORTANT : A cancelled check indicates that the clearing procedure is complete and that the check cannot be used again. Cancelled checks can thus be used as proof of payment.

Checks Cancelled vs. Checks Returned

A cancelled check is honoured by the bank, while a returned check is one that did not clear the payor's bank, and the funds were not made accessible to the payee or depositor as a consequence. A check might be returned for a variety of reasons, the most frequent of which being insufficient money in the payor's account.

The check, on the other hand, might be returned for a variety of reasons, including:

• It had been more than six months since the check was written.

• The account of the payor has been closed.

• The individual who wrote the check does not have signing authority over the account's checks.

• On the check, a stop payment order was put.

If a check is written and there is insufficient funds in the account to support it, the bank may return the check to the payee. The payee's bank typically charges a fee to the payee, and the payor's bank often charges a fee to the payor's account for writing a check that bounces owing to insufficient funds.