With Relay, you can order third-party check books with your Relay account and routing number printed on them. Plus, Relay has built additional security features to keep your business safe when you pay by third-party check!
Sections in this article
- Overview
- How to enable third-party check writing
- Understanding your approval threshold
- Check admins
- Receiving notifications about third-party checks
- How to review, and approve or deny, a third-party check
- Does Relay charge a fee to use third-party checks?
- How long will it take for check books to arrive in the mail?
- Can check admins turn off check notifications?
- What happens if a third-party check is deposited but I do not have sufficient funds in my account?
- Will Relay charge an insufficient funds fee if a check is returned?
- If a check is not approved in time, can the recipient re-deposit the same check?
- I would like to set up multi-stage approvals for third-party checks. Is that something I can do?
- Do third-party checks affect my ability to mail a check from my Relay account in any way?
- When are funds debited from my account?
Overview
When you turn on third-party check writing, you will be asked to:
- Designate a specific check-writing account;
- Order check books from a third-party vendor with your account and routing number printed on them;
- Review third-party check transaction limits;
- Assign check admins;
- Receive SMS & email notifications when a third-party check is deposited; and
- Approve or deny checks above the approval threshold.
Relay will not provide physical check books. Check books must be ordered from a third-party vendor. Here's a great place to get started.
Prices and shipping fees will vary when ordering and replenishing check books; however, Relay will not charge a fee when you pay by third-party check.
How to enable third-party check writing
Before you order your check books, you must first enable check writing for your account. Here's how:
- Sign in to your Relay account on your desktop.
-
Navigate to the Payments tab, then locate your Checks Dashboard.
- If you are an advisor setting up third-party check support on your client's behalf, please navigate to the Payments page, scroll down, and click Third-Party Checks. Advisors must have Super Administrator permissions to set up third-party check support on behalf of their clients.
- Review the steps, then click Continue.
- Select your check writing checking account from the drop-down menu. Only one checking account can be used for third-party check payments.
- Review your account information. This will need to be provided to the vendor when ordering your check books. Click Continue.
- Review your check writing limits, then click Continue.
- Review the security measures and approval threshold, then click Continue. You can learn more about the approval threshold below.
- Select the team members you want to assign as check admins from the drop-down menu. Only team members with Administrator permissions and advisors with Super Administrator permissions can be assigned as check admins.
- Select your notification preference. All check admins will receive a notification when a third-party check is deposited.
- Click Enable check writing.
- Review your check writing details on your Check Dashboard.
Understanding your approval threshold
The approval threshold is a security measure we’ve added to third-party check writing to help keep your business secure.
Your approval threshold determines which checks will automatically clear when deposited, and which will require manual approval.
Please note: the default approval threshold is $2,000. This means:
- Checks written for less than $2,000 will automatically clear when deposited by the recipient.
- Checks written for $2,000 or more will need to be manually reviewed and approved by a team member with Administrator level permission, or an advisor with Super Administrator level permission.
Check admins
When you assign a check admin, Relay will send a notification to them when a third-party check above the approval threshold is deposited. You can assign check admin access to any team member with Administrator permissions, or advisor with Super Administrator permissions.
Any team member with Administrator permissions, or advisor with Super Administrator permissions can approve a check. Only one person needs to approve or deny a third-party check payment.
Receiving notifications about third-party checks
All check admins will receive a notification when a third-party check is deposited by the recipient. When enabling third-party check writing. you can select from one of three notification preferences:
- SMS
- Email and SMS
All check admins will receive the same notification.
For checks above the approval threshold, the notification will include a link to log in to Relay to review the check.
How to review, and approve or deny, a third-party check
You and your team members with Administrator permissions, or advisors with Super Administrator permissions, can manually approve or deny any third-party check above the approval threshold. You will have until 11:50 AM EST the following business day to approve the check. If a check is not approved before 11:50 AM EST the following business day, the check will automatically be denied.
To review and approve or deny a check:
- Click the link in the check notification to sign in to Relay.
- Click the image of the check to see it in more detail.
- Click Approve or Deny. Checks that are approved will clear as expected, and checks that are denied will be returned.
Only one team member or advisor needs to approve or deny a check. If a check is denied in error or is not approved before the cut-off time, you will need to write a new check and provide it to the recipient.
Does Relay charge a fee to use third-party checks?
Relay will not charge a fee for you to enable third-party checks. There will also be no transaction fee associated with paying by third-party check. However, the third-party check provider will charge a fee to print and ship the checks. Fees will vary depending on the vendor.
How long will it take for check books to arrive in the mail?
Shipping times will vary depending on the third-party vendor. Some vendors may allow you to order/pickup checks at brick-and-mortar locations which could provide a faster turnaround time if the checks are needed quickly.
Can check admins turn off check notifications?
No, all check admins will receive a notification via text, email, or both when a third-party check is deposited.
What happens if a third-party check is deposited but I do not have sufficient funds in my account?
If a third-party check is deposited but you do not have sufficient funds in your check writing account to cover the payment, the check will be returned. A new check will need to be written and deposited by the recipient.
Will Relay charge an insufficient funds fee if a check is returned?
No, Relay does not charge a fee if the check is returned.
If a check is not approved in time, can the recipient re-deposit the same check?
No, if a check is not approved on time it will be automatically rejected if re-deposited. A new check will need to be written and provided to the recipient.
I would like to set up multi-stage approvals for third-party checks. Is that something I can do?
Currently, only one team member or advisor is required to approve or deny a check.
Do third-party checks affect my ability to mail a check from my Relay account in any way?
No, third-party checks are considered a separate type of transaction, and will not impact mailed checks in any way.
When are funds debited from my account?
The funds will be debited from your account when the check is successfully deposited by the recipient. If the check is above the approval threshold and is denied by a team member or advisor, the funds will be returned to your account.