Configuring Outsourced Check Payments

Abstract

Check payments remain a critical option for businesses that need an alternative to electronic transfers. With SquareWorks Automate, you can streamline this process through outsourced check processing. Instead of managing check stock, printing, and mailing in-house, our system handles it for you — securely printing and mailing checks directly to your vendors.

This article outlines the steps for enabling and configuring the Check payment method in SquareWorks Automate. It covers how to input business information, upload a check logo and signature, and determine whether a check should be available during payee onboarding.

Enable Check Payment Method

After enabling ACH, the next step is to set up the Check payment method. This process requires additional configuration, including entering check details and visual assets that will appear on printed checks.

Follow these steps to configure offsite check printing:

To begin, click the Setup button next to Pay via Check. This opens the Pay via Check configuration page:
On this page, the first step is to enable the method. Use the toggle button to turn the check payment method on (Enabled). Once enabled, you’ll see the Company Information on Check section appear. These fields are required for printed checks:
Enter your business name (e.g., John Doe's Business) in the Business Name field, which will be displayed on the actual Check. Next, fill in your full address — including Address, City, State, and Zip Code — in the appropriate fields:
After that, upload your Check Logo. The logo must be in GIF or JPEG format, and the recommended size is 2 x 2 inches:
Then upload a Signature image, which is required for printing on checks. The file must be a PNG, as that is the only supported format for this field:
Finally, configure the Payee Onboarding option. This toggle determines whether the Check payment method will appear as a selectable option during the payee's onboarding process. When the Allow As Payee Preferred Payment Method option is Enabled, then vendors will be able to select Check as a preferred payment method during onboarding:
If the Allow As Payee Preferred Payment Method option is Disabled, Check will not appear as an option during onboarding, but the method can still be used manually by the business entity:
It’s important to note that this setting is tied to the business entity and must be configured here in order to control vendor visibility during onboarding.
Finally, click the Save button to apply all changes. The status will update to Pay via Check (Enabled):
With both ACH and Check now enabled, vendors can select either option when receiving a pay invite, depending on what's allowed for the entity. If these methods are not enabled, they won't appear as options, and payments cannot be released using those methods: