Paper Checks in TRAXPayroll

How do I configure paper checks and download the Paper Checks report in TRAXPayroll?

Purpose: The need for printing checks is slowly becoming less and less as many employees prefer direct deposit. However, there are still certain situations where printing a paper check for an employee is necessary. This help guide will show you everything you need to know about paper checks in TRAXPayroll from configuration, set up, printing on company check stock, and reporting.  

Table of Contents

Check Configuration

You can customize the format of the check to align with your company check stock. To adjust the check configuration, navigate to the Company, Pay Group tab in TRAXPayroll. Click Action then Make change - to correct existing record next to the applicable pay group.

Simply select the position of the check and then check or uncheck what fields you’d like to show. Descriptions of each field in the screenshot above will help you see where the information will be shown on the check. You can review what the check will look like when you go to print the check under the Reports tab.

Paper Check Options - Assign Check Number

Once your payroll has been approved, you will be able to print checks onto your company’s check stock and adjust check settings. To do so, go to the Pay Cycle section under the Reports tab and select Paper Check. Then, click Assign Check Number.

  1. Starting Check Number: Enter the number by which you would like to start numbering checks.
  2. Assign: Click here to renumber the remaining checks.
  3. Check Number: Check numbers will be assigned sequentially, starting with the number you entered as the starting check number.
  4. Edit: Click Edit to change an individual check number or make the check cashable immediately. 
  5. Cashable Immediately: Checking the Cashable Immediately box will allow the print date to print on the check instead of a future pay date. This is useful for situations such as terminations where the check needs to be cashed immediately. 
  6. Update & Cancel: Be sure to click Update to finalize your changes. Clicking Cancel will discard any changes made.
  7. Close: Once you have made all individual changes, click Close to navigate back to the Pay Cycle tab.

Printing a Check

BambooHR Payroll does not offer check printing services. Your company will need to print the check on your own check stock. We do work with a company that can provide that service for you. Click here to learn more. 

Now that your check format is configured and your payroll has been processed and approved, the employee(s) check is ready for print. Navigate back to the Reports tab, select Pay Cycle, and click on Paper Check within the Pay Stub box. Then click the applicable employee to see the preview of their paper check, which will now reflect your updated check configuration settings. You can also select All Employees to view printable checks for multiple employees at once.

If you cannot get the configurations to match your specific company stock, consider printing the check amount from another internal system or writing the check physically. You may also consult your bank for an updated check stock.

Paper Checks Report

To review the correctness of check numbers listed for each employee, check out the Paper Checks report under the Adobe PDF Reports section.

PDF version of the Paper Checks report

This report lists employees and their net pay amount. Assigned check numbers will show in the Check Number column.

How do I pay an employee the same day with a printed check?

Sometimes, there are those rare situations where you have to pay an employee that same day, and direct deposit does not process fast enough. For example, you’re terminating an employee who is based out of California, and legally, you have to pay them the day of termination. Below are the steps you need to take to make sure that happens: 

1. Create an off-cycle payroll run that only includes the employee(s) you will need to create a same-day check for. You will select which employees you will want to include in the off-cycle settings. 

Please note, you will need to assign the pay date two days in advance even though they will be paid that same day. We will show you how to update the date on the check in a later step.

2. You must then ensure the employee’s deposit method is set to a printed check. You can do this on the Off-Cycle Payroll Options modal by selecting Choose Custom Settings > Payment Method > I want to issue a paper check. You can also do this individually for each employee on their Payment Details page once you open the payroll. 

3. Make any additional edits to the payroll on the Edit page, then click Calculate. On the Review page, check that the employee(s) who need to be paid through a paper check appear on the paper checks list within the Payroll Summary. You can also double-check if the payment method has been switched to a paper check by reviewing the employee's unapproved paystub within the Paystubs section at the bottom of the Review page. After reconciling, click Approve to process the payroll. 

4. Now that the payroll is approved, you can print the employee’s check via TRAXPayroll. Before printing, remember to update the check to be printable immediately so the correct date appears on the check. Follow the steps outlined in the Paper Check Options - Assign Check Numbers section above and check the Cashable Immediately option. 

5. You can now print the check on your company check stock and administer it to your employees within the same day. Follow the instructions in the Printing an Employee Check section for more help.