Stopping a check payment

If you’ve written a check that hasn’t been deposited yet, you can request a stop payment from Mercury to prevent the funds from leaving your account.

Note: If you want to cancel mailed checks created through the Send Money flow, you can do so on your Transactions page.

What is a stop payment?

A stop payment prevents checks from being processed before they’re deposited. They can be applied to any checks/checkbooks assigned to your enabled Mercury accounts, including physical checks ordered from third-party providers. 

When to request a stop payment

You might want to request a stop payment if:

• You sent a check to the wrong recipient
• A check was lost, stolen, or voided
• You changed your mind about making the payment
• You issued a replacement payment and need to cancel the original check

You may also decide after ordering a checkbook that you no longer need it. If this is the case, message us — our team can help you cancel that checkbook if it hasn’t been mailed yet. Otherwise, you will need to request a stop payment on the checkbook number range you ordered by following the instructions in the section below. 

Tip: If you still have the check in hand, write “VOID” on it to prevent misuse.

If a check deposit appears for review in your Checkbooks page and you don’t want to honor it for any of the reasons above, you can reject it via check review — no need to submit a stop payment.

How to request a stop payment

Note: Only account admins can request stop payments for physical checks. 

Head to your Payments page or Checkbooks page and click the chat icon in the bottom right corner. You should see a “Stop Check Payment” option, which will lead to you a form to fill out these details: 

1. The issuing checking account
2. The check number or check number range (matching the checks you ordered exactly, e.g., “001-025” is not the same as “1-25”)
3. (Optional) any additional notes for context on why you’re stopping the check 
4. (Optional) the check amount

Once submitted, we’ll block processing of any checks matching those details for 180 days. You’ll also receive a confirmation email when your stop payment is created.

After submitting a stop payment

Next steps:

• Check your email for a confirmation of the stop payment
• If the check does go through within the 180-day stop payment window, notify us immediately by replying to the confirmation email
• Monitor your account in case of any processing delays

Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.