This guide walks you through every step of issuing cheques in Awditify — from setting up your cheque books and bank details, to writing cheques for bills, payroll, or manual payees, printing them, and tracking their status through to reconciliation.
What is Cheque Issuance?
Cheque Issuance lets you write and print physical cheques directly from Awditify. You can pay supplier bills, run payroll cheques, or write manual cheques to any payee. Every cheque posts a journal entry to your general ledger automatically, and the system tracks each cheque from draft through to clearing and reconciliation.
Getting to the Cheques Page
- Open the client you want to work with.
- In the left sidebar, under Banking, click Cheques.
You will see the Cheques dashboard, which lists every cheque you have issued for this client.
ℹ Info: If you do not see the Cheques menu item, your plan may not include this feature. Cheque Issuance is available on Professional and higher plans.
The Cheques Dashboard
Header actions
At the top of the page, you have four buttons:
- Download Selected PDF — download a combined PDF of all cheques you have selected in the list. The button shows how many cheques are currently selected.
- Settings — opens the cheque settings page where you configure cheque books and bank account details.
- New Cheque — starts the cheque issuance workflow.
Search and filter
Use the search bar to find cheques by number, payee name, or memo text.
Use the All statuses dropdown to filter the list by a specific status: Draft, Pending, Issued, Printed, Cleared, Reconciled, or Voided.
The cheques list
Each cheque in the list shows:
- A checkbox for selecting the cheque for batch PDF download.
- The cheque number.
- The cheque date.
- The payee name.
- The amount in Canadian dollars.
- A status badge — Draft, Pending, Issued, Printed, Cleared, Reconciled, or Voided.
- Action buttons — PDF download, Mark Printed, and Void (depending on the current status).
Click any row to open the cheque detail page.
Selecting cheques for batch download
- Check the boxes next to the cheques you want to download.
- Use the top-left checkbox to select or deselect all visible cheques at once.
- Click Download Selected PDF to generate and download a single combined PDF of all selected cheques.
✓ Tip: Select multiple cheques and download them as one PDF to save time when printing a cheque run.
Empty state
If you have not issued any cheques yet, the page shows a prompt with an Issue your first cheque button to get started.
Before You Start: Cheque Settings
Before issuing your first cheque, you need to configure at least one cheque book and optionally set up your bank account printing details. Click Settings on the Cheques dashboard to open the settings page.
Cheque Books tab
A cheque book links a bank account to a range of cheque numbers and controls how cheques are numbered and printed.
Creating a cheque book
- Click New cheque book.
- Fill in the fields in the dialog:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A label for this cheque book, e.g. "Operating CAD" or "USD Account". |
| Bank account | The GL bank account the cheques will draw from. |
| Starting number | The first cheque number for this book, e.g. 1001. |
| Number padding | How many digits the cheque number should have. The default of 4 means cheque #1 prints as 0001. |
| Print layout | How cheques are arranged on the page when printed (see below). |
| Print mode | Whether you are filling in pre-printed cheque stock or printing the entire cheque on blank stock. |
| Reset numbering on fiscal year end | When turned on, cheque numbers restart from the starting number each fiscal year. |
| Require approval before issuance | When turned on, cheques must be approved before they can be issued. |
- Click Save.
Print layouts
| Layout | Description |
|---|---|
| Personal — Cheque on top | One cheque per page, positioned at the top. Standard for personal-sized cheques. |
| Voucher — Cheque on top, voucher below | One cheque with a tear-off voucher section below it. |
| Business — 3 cheques per page | Three cheques stacked on a single page. Standard for business cheque stock. |
Print modes
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Fill pre-printed cheques | Use cheque stock from your bank. Awditify fills in the date, payee, amount, and memo. |
| Print on blank cheque stock | Awditify renders everything — bank info, MICR line, signature lines, and all fields. |
Managing cheque books
Each cheque book card shows:
- The name and linked bank account.
- The next cheque number that will be used.
- The print layout and print mode.
- Whether approval is required.
Available actions per cheque book:
- Edit — change any setting on the cheque book.
- Default — make this the default cheque book (pre-selected when issuing a new cheque). The default book shows a blue "Default" badge.
- Reset — change the next cheque number counter. Use this if you need to skip numbers or restart a sequence.
- Delete — remove the cheque book. Only available if it is not the default.
⚠ Warning: Resetting the counter may create duplicate cheque numbers. Only reset if you are sure existing cheques will not conflict.
Bank Account Details tab
This tab lets you configure the information that appears on printed cheques for each bank account. Select a bank account from the dropdown to edit its details.
Issuer information
- Account holder name — your business name, printed at the top-left of the cheque.
- Issuer print address — your business address, printed below the account holder name.
Financial institution information
- Bank name — the name of your bank, e.g. "TD Canada Trust".
- Bank branch address — the branch address printed on the cheque.
- Institution number — the 3-digit financial institution number (part of the MICR line).
- Transit number — the 5-digit branch transit number (part of the MICR line).
- Account number — your bank account number (part of the MICR line).
ℹ Info: The institution, transit, and account numbers appear on the MICR line at the bottom of full-print cheques. They are required to produce bank-acceptable cheques when using the "Print on blank cheque stock" mode.
Signatures
- Signature line 1 label — the label under the first signature line, e.g. "Authorized signature".
- Require two signatures on cheques — when turned on, a second signature line appears on printed cheques.
- Signature line 2 label — the label under the second signature line, e.g. "Co-signer".
- Threshold (CAD) — when two signatures are required, you can set a dollar threshold. Cheques below this amount only need one signature. Leave blank or set to 0 to always require two signatures.
Click Save bank cheque settings to apply your changes.
Issuing a New Cheque
From the Cheques dashboard, click New Cheque. The issuance page has two columns: the form on the left and a live cheque preview on the right.
Cheque details (common to all types)
At the top of the form:
- Cheque book — select which cheque book to use. If you have not created a cheque book yet, a warning message appears with a link to the settings page.
- Date — defaults to today. Change it if the cheque should be dated differently.
- Memo — optional note that appears on the cheque and in your records.
- Override cheque number — check this box to manually set the cheque number instead of using the next auto-generated number. The system shows the next number that will be assigned.
Three ways to issue a cheque
The form has three tabs for different scenarios:
Pay Bills
Use this tab to pay one or more outstanding supplier bills with a single cheque.
- Select a supplier from the dropdown. The list shows all your suppliers.
- Once a supplier is selected, a table of their open bills appears. Each row shows:
- The bill number.
- The bill date.
- The balance due.
- A Pay amount field.
- Check the box next to each bill you want to pay. The full balance due is pre-filled automatically.
- Adjust the payment amount if you are making a partial payment.
- The Total row at the bottom shows the combined cheque amount.
✓ Tip: You can pay multiple bills from the same supplier with one cheque. Check all the bills you want to include and adjust the amounts as needed.
Payroll
Use this tab to issue cheques for a completed payroll run.
- Select a payroll run from the dropdown. Each run shows its name, pay date, and status.
- Choose the mode:
- One cheque per employee — creates a separate cheque for each employee in the run.
- Single consolidated cheque — creates one cheque for the total net pay of the entire run.
Manual
Use this tab to write a cheque to any payee, with full control over the GL accounts.
- Enter the payee name in the "Pay to the order of" field.
- Optionally enter a payee address.
- Add one or more lines to split the cheque across different GL accounts:
- Select the GL account from the chart of accounts dropdown.
- Enter a description for this line item.
- Enter the amount.
- Click Add line to add more rows. Click the trash icon to remove a row.
- The Total row shows the combined cheque amount.
✓ Tip: Use the Manual tab for one-off payments like rent, utilities, or refunds that are not tied to a supplier bill.
Live preview
As you fill in the form, the right column shows a live preview of what the cheque will look like. The preview updates in real time and shows:
- The cheque number in the top-right corner.
- The date.
- The payee name on the "Pay to the order of" line.
- The amount in numbers and words.
- The memo at the bottom.
- The authorized signature line.
Issue the cheque
When you are ready, click Issue cheque at the bottom of the form. The system will:
- Assign the next cheque number (or use your manual override).
- Post a journal entry to your general ledger — crediting the bank account and debiting the appropriate expense or AP accounts.
- Take you to the cheque detail page for the newly issued cheque.
⚠ Warning: Once issued, a cheque creates a permanent journal entry. If you make a mistake, you must void the cheque — you cannot simply edit or delete it.
The Cheque Detail Page
Click any cheque from the dashboard to open its detail page. This page shows everything about the cheque and lets you perform status actions.
Header
The top of the page shows:
- A back arrow to return to the cheques list.
- The cheque number as the page title.
- A status badge and the cheque date.
- Action buttons that change based on the current status.
Cheque details card
Shows the core information:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Payee | The name of the payee as recorded on the cheque. |
| Amount | The cheque amount in Canadian dollars. |
| In words | The amount written out in words, as it appears on the physical cheque. |
| Memo | The memo line, if one was entered. |
| Void reason | If the cheque was voided, the reason appears in a red alert box. |
Timeline card
Shows the audit trail of the cheque with timestamps in the client's timezone:
- Prepared — when the cheque was first created.
- Approved — when the cheque was approved (if approval is required).
- Issued — when the cheque was issued.
- Printed — when the cheque was marked as printed.
- Voided — when the cheque was voided.
- ✓ Matched to bank transaction — appears when the cheque has been matched to a bank feed transaction during reconciliation.
Allocations card
If the cheque has line items (bills paid, payroll distributions, or manual GL splits), they appear in a table:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | The allocation type — purchase bill, payroll pay stub, or GL account. |
| Description | The description for this line. |
| Amount | The amount allocated to this line. |
Actions
The buttons available depend on the cheque's current status:
| Status | Available actions |
|---|---|
| Pending | Approve, PDF |
| Issued | Mark printed, Void, PDF |
| Printed | Void, PDF |
| Cleared | Void, PDF |
| Draft / Reconciled / Voided | PDF only |
Approve
If your cheque book requires approval, new cheques start in Pending status. Click Approve to approve the cheque. Once approved, it moves to Issued status and the journal entry is posted.
Mark printed
After you physically print the cheque, click Mark printed to update its status to Printed. This is a manual step — the system does not detect when you print.
Click PDF to open the cheque as a PDF in a new tab. You can then print it or save it.
Void
To cancel a cheque, click Void. A dialog appears asking for a reason. When you confirm:
- A reversal journal entry is posted to undo the original entry.
- Any bills that were paid by this cheque are re-opened and become payable again.
- The cheque status changes to Voided.
⚠ Warning: Voiding is permanent and cannot be undone. The reversal journal entry is posted immediately. Only void a cheque if you are certain it should be cancelled.
Cheque Statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | The cheque has been created but not yet issued. Rare — typically only seen in specific workflows. |
| Pending | The cheque is waiting for approval before it can be issued. Only applies when the cheque book requires approval. |
| Issued | The cheque has been issued and the journal entry has been posted. It is ready to print. |
| Printed | The cheque has been marked as physically printed. |
| Cleared | The cheque has cleared the bank. This status is set automatically when the cheque is matched to a bank transaction during reconciliation. |
| Reconciled | The cheque has been fully reconciled in a bank reconciliation. |
| Voided | The cheque has been cancelled. A reversal journal entry has been posted. |
Downloading and Printing Cheques
Individual cheque PDF
From the cheques list or the cheque detail page, click the PDF button to open a single cheque as a PDF. The PDF is formatted according to the cheque book's print layout and print mode settings.
Batch PDF download
From the cheques list:
- Select the cheques you want by checking their boxes.
- Click Download Selected PDF.
- A single combined PDF is generated containing all selected cheques, each on its own page or arranged according to the cheque book's layout.
The batch PDF is built to handle large cheque runs — it processes cheques in chunks and streams the result to your browser, so it works even with hundreds of cheques.
✓ Tip: Use the batch download at the end of a cheque run to print all cheques in one go, rather than opening each PDF individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to set up bank account details before issuing cheques?
You can issue cheques without configuring bank account details, but the printed cheques will be missing bank information, MICR lines, and signature areas. For professional-looking, bank-acceptable cheques, fill in the bank account details under Settings > Bank Account Details.
What is the difference between "Fill pre-printed cheques" and "Print on blank cheque stock"?
Fill pre-printed cheques assumes you have cheque stock from your bank with the bank info, MICR line, and borders already printed. Awditify only fills in the variable fields — date, payee, amount, memo, and signature lines.
Print on blank cheque stock means Awditify renders everything — including the bank name, address, MICR line, and all cheque formatting. Use this if you are printing on plain paper or blank cheque stock.
Can I change a cheque after it is issued?
No. Once issued, a cheque's details are locked and a journal entry has been posted. If you need to correct a mistake, void the cheque and issue a new one.
What happens to the bills when I void a cheque?
When you void a cheque that paid supplier bills, those bills are automatically re-opened. Their balance due is restored and they appear as payable again.
Can I use different bank accounts for different cheques?
Yes. Create a separate cheque book for each bank account under Settings. When issuing a cheque, select the cheque book linked to the account you want to draw from.
How does the cheque numbering work?
Each cheque book has its own number sequence. The system auto-increments the number each time you issue a cheque. You can override the number for a specific cheque by checking "Override cheque number" on the issuance form. You can also reset the entire counter from the Settings page.
Does Awditify mail or send the cheques?
No. Awditify generates the cheque as a PDF for you to print and sign. You are responsible for printing, signing, and delivering the physical cheque.
Can I issue cheques in currencies other than CAD?
The cheque issuance system currently supports Canadian dollars (CAD). The amount is formatted with Canadian currency conventions.
Do cheque payments appear in my general ledger?
Yes. Every cheque posts a journal entry that credits (reduces) the bank account and debits the appropriate accounts — accounts payable for bill payments, payroll expense accounts for payroll, or the GL accounts you select for manual cheques.
Can I reconcile cheques with my bank statement?
Yes. When you perform a bank reconciliation, issued cheques appear as transactions that can be checked off when they clear the bank. Once matched, the cheque status updates to Cleared, and once the reconciliation is finished, it moves to Reconciled.