Check 21

Overview

The term Check 21 refers to the "The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act" which gives banks and other financial institutions the option of streamlining check processing. Financial institutions may choose to begin exchanging digital images of your checks instead of sending the actual pieces of paper. This federal legislation was enacted by the US Congress in 2003 and went into effect on October 28, 2004.

The check processing system will likely increasingly rely on a standard set of processing/imaging requirements. As these standards are developed, Intuit will monitor the software and check products we supply to individuals and businesses and make changes accordingly. Some of these requirements will require changes to the base check stock image and how your software prints the transaction data onto the check. Changes could include movement or removal of printed words or lines on the check, modifications to the color of the check and changes to the font that is used where the dollar amount is written numerically. These changes are necessary to comply with the processing/imaging standards in check processing. As always, it will be important to keep your software up-to-date by downloading and installing software updates as they become available.

Intuit will continue our money-back guarantee that Intuit's checks will be accepted by every financial institution in the U.S. For more information about Check 21, go to www.intuitmarket.com/wcheck21mac.

Determining whether your wallet checks are Check 21-compatible

The steps to determine your wallet check type only apply to checks purchased from Intuit. For non-Intuit checks, contact your check provider to determine if you are using Check 21 image-compatible or traditional wallet checks.

  1. Look at your wallet checks.
  2. Find the gray text between the stub and the check. The text is printed vertically and includes a year, INTUIT INC., a three-digit number, and a phone number. (For example, 2005 INTUIT INC. #XXX 1-800-433-8810)
  3. Locate the three-digit number within the text. It will begin with a number sign (#). This three digit number determines your wallet check type.
    • Intuit's Check 21 image-compatible wallet checks use the following numbers: #808 #828 #848 #868 #888

      If you are using checks with these numbers, select the Check 21 image-compatible checkbox.

    • Traditional wallet checks use all other numbers.

      If you are using a traditional wallet check, clear the Check 21 image-compatible checkbox.

Address limitations for Check 21 wallet checks

To comply with Check 21 legislation, Check 21 image-compatible wallet checks require the address field on the printed check to be no more than three lines.

If you need to use addresses on printed checks that are more than three lines, consider switching to either Intuit Standard or Voucher check style.