How do we reissue a lost check?

Hi there, MaryLou BRCS. 

I'm here to share some information and guide you in reissuing a lost check in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Are you trying to reissue a lost vendor check? If so, you can first void the original vendor check then recreate the lost check. Let me show you how to void the old vendor check.

Here's how

1. Go to Expenses menu.
2. Choose Filter in the Expense tab.
3. In the Type field, select Check.
4. Pick the date range in which the check was received and hit Apply.
5. Click the check to open the Check screen.
6. Select More, then choose Void from the pop-up menu.
7. Hit Yes to confirm you want to void the check.

Once done, you can start reissuing the lost vendor check by recreating it. You can use this link as your reference: Create and record checks in QuickBooks Online.

On the other hand, you can check out this article for more information in reissuing a lost payroll check in QuickBooks Online: Issue a lost paycheck in QuickBooks Online Payroll. It contains detailed instructions for reissuing a paycheck to your employee if they misplaced it or if it is a stale dated check that the bank will not cash.

Also, before making any changes, I recommend consulting with an accountant. They may have specific instructions on how to handle these transactions and ensure your books are accurate.

I'll be around if you still have questions or other concerns about checks in QuickBooks Online. Take care and enjoy your day.

Thank you, Archie: My concern is that the original check was from a prior fiscal year. If a prior check is Void, does it Void it as of "Today" or as of the original Check date? If it is Void as of the Original Check date, that will throw off all subsequent Reports and Reconciliations? Is there a way to record the Void as of the date it was Void? Thank you, once again, for your assistance.

Amazing! Thank you! I can see where that will work. I do wish that Quickbooks Online did provide an option to set the date to VOID a check. Other software that I have used has allowed for that and it is so helpful and leaves a true audit trail. Thanks again, for the great solution.

Hi again, Rainflurry.

I appreciate you for always sharing your knowledge about QuickBooks. This will definitely help other users as well in the future. Please keep on posting here in the Community.

Keep safe and have a great rest of the day.

So, to enter this lost check do it as a JOURNAL ENTRY?

Hi,

We have a lost check from 2022 that we need to re-issue.  I would really like not to void the check because I have last year closed. I read the comment about putting in a deposit for the lost check and then re-issuing it.  I'm wondering if that is the best solution or if a Journal entry would do the trick.  If so, what would that JE look like?

Thanks for taking the time to join this thread and share your concerns, @RLWD.

I'll elaborate more about reissuing lost checks in QuickBooks Online. 

To handle lost checks, I'd agree with the suggestion of Rainflurry above to make a bank deposit with today's date and assign it to the same expense, asset, or liability account as the original check. 

Otherwise, it would be best to seek guidance from your accountant if you want to use Journal Entry. The process can be tricky, requiring assistance to ensure the journals will be posted accurately to your accounts. Once you're ready, here's how you can create one: 

1. Click + New and select Journal entry.
2. On the first line, select an account from the Account field. It depends if you need to debit or credit the account. Enter the amount in the correct column.
3. On the following line, select the other account you're moving money to or from. It depends if you entered a debit or credit on the first line. Enter the same amount in the opposite column.
4. Review the amounts - you should have the same amount in the Credit column on one line and the Debit column on the other. It means the accounts are in balance.
5. Enter information in the memo to know why you made the journal entry.
6. Hit Save and new or Save and close.

For a more detailed step-by-step procedure for this process, check out this guide: Create journal entries in QuickBooks Online. 

Please let me know if you need clarification about managing your lost checks or if there's anything else I can do for you. I'll be standing by for your response. Have a great day, and stay safe. 

I started using this method to correctly account for a check that was lost in the mail and am a little confused about reconciling after all entries have been made. Should I unlink the original check (the one that was lost) from the original bill even though this was already reconciled, then link the old check to the new deposit and the new replacement check to the original invoice? Or leave the original bill and payment untouched and reconcile the deposit and payment?

@diageminc 

"Should I unlink the original check (the one that was lost) from the original bill even though this was already reconciled, then link the old check to the new deposit and the new replacement check to the original invoice? Or leave the original bill and payment untouched and reconcile the deposit and payment?"

Don't unlink the original bill payment from the bill.  You don't want to do that because you still paid the bill on that day.  If you're a cash basis taxpayer, the bill payment date needs to stay the same so your expense is booked as of the original payment date.  The lost check should not be reconciled since it never cleared so I'm not sure I understand what you're asking there.  So, regardless if you're on cash or accrual basis, leave the original bill and the original bill payment alone. 

When you discover you need to re-issue a check, create a deposit for the amount of the lost check.  It's helpful to make a note as to why you're creating the deposit (lost check #12345, etc.).  You can assign a bank Clearing Account (set one up if you don't have one) to the deposit or A/P.  It doesn't really matter since you are going to immediately issue a check and assign the same account to the check that you assigned to the deposit, thereby zeroing it out.  If you assign the deposit and re-issued check to A/P, that will create a "bill" and "bill payment" so make sure you apply the deposit to the check by going to Pay bills and clearing them against each other.  After you issue the new check, you will now have three transactions that will show on your next bank rec: the original check, the new deposit, and the new check.  The next time you reconcile, clear the original check and the deposit (those two will net to zero) and then clear the new check when it actually clears.  Hope that helps.  

I too have a stale check from a prior year that I need to re-issue. Unfortunately the project the check was originally written against is now closed. Will creating a deposit still work in this case? And when I issue the replacement check what project should I attribute it to. Should I attribute the deposit to the same project I did with the replacement check to remedy this?

Same x1000.  Why this is not an option is unclear.  Voiding checks back to their original date seems like a big mistake when accounting periods have elapsed.  Need to have simple functionality that recognizes the original check was outstanding through the void date, and the re-issued check has all the same itemized payables listed on it. Please fix.

I heard your sentiments, Gregg10.

Having the functionality to re-issue a check without voiding is a great functionality. Please know that we are committed to providing the best possible experience to our customers, and your idea is advantageous in helping us achieve this. We are constantly working on updates and improvements to enhance the features of QuickBooks Online.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to make QuickBooks Online as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible, and we would like to send our heartfelt gratitude for being with us and for using QuickBooks Online.

I encourage you to add your vote for this one by sending a request in the Feedback section within QuickBooks. Our product development team reviews all the feedback we receive to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers.

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Under the Profile column, select Feedback.
3. Share your suggestion, then click Next.

You can get back on this thread to stay informed if there are any updates regarding the availability of the option. If you have any other questions about the program's features, please don't hesitate to keep us posted.

@Gregg10 

"Need to have simple functionality that recognizes the original check was outstanding through the void date, and the re-issued check has all the same itemized payables listed on it."

There is an easy solution: create a deposit for the amount of the original check and assign a bank Clearing Account (set one up if you don't have one) and dated as of the date you need to re-issue the check.  Then, re-issue the check and assign the same Clearing Account to the check.  You can post the deposit and check to A/P but, if you do, don't forget to apply the deposit to the check .

That will keep the original check outstanding through the "void" date and not change the effects of the original bill and payment.  Then, the next time you reconcile, clear the old check against the deposit and clear the new check when it actually clears.  Works like a charm.          

Hi. I'm trying to follow along. Would it be a big error just to go into the write checks screen to the check that expired (my situation, my vendor was just lazy about going to the bank, has 3 checks that expired for "Bill Payments") and just enter a new check number and current date? Sounds wrong even when I type it. So these checks were written in 2023. I now want to write replacement checks in 2024. But I already sent out 1099-NEC to this vendor and to the taxing authorities. Does the original great advice still stand about creating a new deposit? (and you 'holding' account, how would that be classified?" Thanks for holding my hand

For my clients, I try to keep it simple. 

Since the old check must still be paid, it is still outstanding and there is no need to mess with the old bank reconcilations.  I tell my client to edit the lost check in the QB file and simply change the check number. In the memo area of the check, I will ask them to write the old check number and the date the new replacement check was issued.

For the next reconciliation, the "old lost check amount" will simply be replaced with the new check number for an easy match when it is cashed.

Re-issued check as recommended here: created a deposit for the same amount, then re-issued the check. Cancelled each other out at next bank reconciliation.

That said, how do I get the AR account (original check was a refund to the customer) to show properly? Right now, when I run an AR report, I get a an open debit and an open credit (end result is zero). How do I apply one to the other to get it off the AR report?

@SBrown001 

Go to New > Receive payment, select the customer and apply the credit to the debit.  

Could you further explain setting up a bank Clearing Account

Thanks.

Reissuing a lost or Stolen Check from closed period

1. First, place a stop payment on the original check at the bank
2. Locate the original Bill Payment in QB, make a note in the memo that the original check was lost/stolen and will be re-issued under a different Bill Payment. You can note the new Bill Paytment check number (From step 5 below)
3. Create a journal entry in the current period, debiting the same bank account and crediting the expense account of the original bill.
4. Reissue a new Bill Payment check in the current period. Record to the same expense account as the original Bill & JE from above. Add the new check number to the memo from the original Bill Payment check in Step #2
5. Perform the reconciliation in the new period
1. Reconcile the original Bill Payment from the closed period with the JE that was created in Step 3.  
2. The newly issued current period check (from Step 4) will remain outstanding until cashed.

I know this was a conversation from awhile ago but I'm currently in this situation, too. What I'm thinking is that I will use a different account line than one that is mapped to 1099s for the deposit and the new check... Someone please stop me if this is a bad idea!