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March 7, 2024
Question

Direct deposit paycheck returned

  • March 7, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 169 views

We had a payroll direct deposit returned to us due to an account being closed. The direct deposit was returned to our bank and now I am wondering how I give the paycheck to the employee since the original states cleared. Do I reissue a manual check for the amount owed to the employee and use the direct deposit liability account since the taxes are already ran through with the original/initial paycheck that was issued? Not sure how to address the fact of reissuing the paycheck correctly.

3 replies

BigRedConsulting
Level 15
March 7, 2024

Yes, your solution will work.

February 9, 2026

What did you do to resolve this issue?

QuickBooks Team
February 9, 2026

Hello, KFowler1. To resolve this issue in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), you'll have to record the returned funds and reissue a manual check. This ensures that the original paycheck remains intact for tax reporting while your bank balance and liability accounts stay accurate.

 

Here's how to do it:

 

Since the direct deposit failed, the bank has returned the money to your account. You'll have to record this Deposit to offset the original paycheck and put the funds back into your ledger.

 

You can refer to these steps:

 

  1. Go to Banking and select Make Deposits.
  2. In the Deposit To field, select the bank account where the funds were returned.
  3. In the From Account column, select the Direct Deposit Liabilities account.
  4. Enter the Net Pay amount of the returned direct deposit.
  5. Click Save & Close.

 

Once the funds are back in your system, you can now create a manual check to pay the employee. Let's proceed by following these steps below:

 

  1. Go to Banking and select Write Checks.
  2. In the Payee field, select the employee's name. Please note that if a prompt asks if you want to create a Paycheck, select Write Regular Check. This avoids duplicating tax calculations.
  3. In the Expenses tab at the bottom, select the Direct Deposit Liabilities account in the Account column.
  4. Enter the Net Pay amount from the original paycheck.
  5. Add a memo such as Reissue for returned direct deposit, and include its original pay date.
  6. Click Save & Close or Print to issue the physical check.

 

You can also run a Transaction Detail report to verify that the Direct Deposit Liability account is cleared. From there, you should see the Deposit and the Manual Check offsetting each other perfectly.

 

Feel free to reply if you need any further assistance with your QuickBooks Desktop workflow. We're always here to help.