How do I void an online bill pay check that was never cashed?

Question

I issued a check via online bill pay.  It had the wrong address on it and got returned to me.  The check will never be cashed and needs to be voided in my check register.  Quicken give me an error when I use the void transaction feature.  The error says I have to cancel the payment BUT since it was already printed and mailed by online bill pay, I cant cancel the payment.

How do I void this transaction in my check register for a check that was issued by online bill pay?

UKR · Answer

it took the US postal system 5 months for the check to be returned to me

Good grief!

Instead of using Check Pay, if it's supported by this biller, may I recommend using one of the electronic payment alternatives?

Quick Pay thru Quicken to make one-time payments might be one possibility.

Or, to totally automate the process, setting up Autopay (aka Direct Debit, APS, etc.) at the biller's website might be another possibility. Letting the biller's computer do all the work for you will avoid problems with late or missing payments.

Teamshark · Answer

Hello UKR, thanks for the info.  Unfortunately, it took the US postal system 5 months for the check to be returned to me so it was useless by the time I got it back.  I will use your advice and enter a fake transaction to "put the money back."

Thanks,

UKR · Answer

If I may …

Personally, I would not have destroyed the check. It might still be useful, even if only to answer questions here in the Community or with Quicken Support personnel.

Question: Has the money for the check been taken out of your bank checking account already?

I would suspect not and, at this time, it's only an entry in your Quicken data file.

If you submitted a Check Pay transaction, Quicken treats this as if it was an Online Bill Pay transaction. As such, it cannot be canceled or voided.

You will need to enter a reversal transaction to "put the money back" into your Quicken account register.

After that, if you haven't done so already, submit a new Check Pay request making sure it goes to the correct address.

If all that was wrong with the original check was the mailing address, I would have written the correct new address on both the original check and a new envelope and mailed the check post haste.