Why do mailed checks take so long?
A mailed check waits on a chain of other people's schedules:
- Your invoice waits in their accounts payable queue.
- It waits for their next check run, often weekly or every two weeks.
- The check waits for someone to sign it.
- Then the mail: commonly one to five business days, if the envelope arrives at all.
- Then someone at your end has to open it and get it to the bank.
None of that is in your control. Reminder emails and voicemails don't make a check run come sooner.
What's the faster way?
- 1
Create the draft
Drop in the invoice or a photo of a check they've sent before, or type the payer and amount.
- 2
Send the approval link
DraftPay emails your customer a link to approve the exact amount. Most approve in one step.
- 3
Print it
Print the check draft on blank check stock with your laser printer.
- 4
Deposit it
Deposit it at your own bank that day, like any other check.
Once deposited, your bank's normal funds availability policy for checks applies.
What do you need?
- A business bank account at a bank that accepts remotely created checks.
- A laser printer and blank check stock.
- Your customer's bank details (from a check they've sent before, or a voided check) and an email for whoever approves payments.
- A DraftPay account. Setup takes about five minutes.
How do you ask a customer to pay this way?
Keep it simple and make it about saving them a step. For example:
"Rather than mailing a check, you can approve this payment online in about a minute. You'll see the exact amount and our terms, and we'll take care of the deposit."
For customers you bill every month, ask once for a blanket authorization so later invoices don't need them at all.
Where do you get your customer's bank details?
From any check they've paid you with before: the routing number and account number are on the MICR line along the bottom. A voided check works too. In DraftPay, drop in a photo and it reads the details for you to confirm.
Common questions
How much faster is a check draft than a mailed check?
You can deposit a check draft the day your customer approves it, instead of whenever their check arrives. After the deposit, your bank's hold policy applies to both the same way.
Will my customers be comfortable with it?
They see exactly what they're approving: your business, the amount, the account and the terms. Nothing is drafted beyond what they approve, and they can revoke an authorization from the link in their email.
Keep reading
- GuideHow to accept a check payment over the phone or by emailA business customer on the phone says they'll pay by check. How to take that payment now with a check draft, and get a signed approval instead of a verbal OK.
- GuideHow check draft authorization worksEvery check draft needs the account holder's authorization. The three ways to get it, what a good record includes, and how your customer can stop it.
- How it worksHow DraftPay worksDraftPay turns an invoice into a deposited check in four steps: create the draft, your customer approves by email, print it, deposit it at your bank.
- ComparisonCheck drafts vs. ACH debit vs. cards vs. mailed checksHow four ways to collect a business payment compare on speed, fees, setup, what your customer has to do and who carries the risk if it's disputed.