Send an eCheck by Email: Steps and Payee Instructions

Last reviewed October 2, 2026.

A contractor does not take ACH, and a mailed check would take days to arrive. You can email the check instead, as a PDF.

With OnlineCheckWriter, you connect your bank account, create the check, and email it to your payee. They print it on plain paper and deposit it at their bank, by mobile deposit, or in person, as the eCheck page describes. Their bank decides whether to take it and when the money is available.

In this article, an eCheck means a check PDF sent by email. It is not an ACH payment.

How Do You Send an eCheck by Email?

1. Connect your bank account. This is the business account the check comes from.
2. Create the check. Enter the payee, amount, date, and a memo. Put the invoice number in the memo.
3. Send it by email. Type the payee’s email address. You can also notify them by SMS.
4. The payee prints and deposits it, at their bank, in person, or in their bank’s app if it takes printed checks.

OnlineCheckWriter lists a tracking facility for emailed checks, so ask support what it shows. Pricing depends on your plan. See current pricing.

Will the Payee’s Bank Take a Printed Check?

Maybe. Each bank sets its own rules, and some decline printed checks, especially in the app. The payee should ask their bank first, especially for a large amount. Banks read the numbers along the bottom of a check, called the MICR line. OnlineCheckWriter explains it in what the MICR line is and why it matters.

When Is the Money Available?

After the payee deposits the check, their bank decides when the money is available. Under Federal Reserve Regulation CC, a bank must make the lesser of $275 or the day’s deposits available the next business day. The CFPB adjusted the $275 amount effective July 1, 2025. Banks can hold more in some cases, such as new accounts or large deposits. Any check can also be returned after the deposit.

What Do You Tell Your Payee?

OnlineCheckWriter’s eCheck page says the payee needs no special stock and no account with it. They need a printer, paper, and their own bank account. Send a short note with the check:

Hi ___, I just emailed you a check for invoice #___. Open the PDF and print it. Sign (endorse) the back, then deposit it once at your bank, in your bank’s app if it takes printed checks, or in person. Delete the file afterward. Reply if the file does not open.

If the payee has no printer, they should print it somewhere they trust, because the check shows your account details. You can also use check mailing, which prints on real check paper with MICR ink. See the page for current prices and delivery estimates.

What Should You Check Before You Press Send?

• The payee name matches the invoice.
• The check carries an authorized signature. Banks generally decline unsigned checks, so confirm how your account signs checks.
• The amount is right. If it is wrong, tell the payee not to deposit it. Cancelling it in your own records does not stop your bank from paying it. Ask your bank for a stop payment on that check number, then send a new check with a new number. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, as adopted in most states, a written stop-payment order lasts six months and can be renewed, and an oral order lapses after 14 days unless you confirm it in writing. Your bank’s terms and fees apply. Once your bank has paid the check, it is too late, so call as soon as you know.
• The email address is right. JPMorgan notes that with a company’s account and routing numbers and the signer’s name and signature style, fraudsters can create counterfeit checks. Send the PDF only to an address the payee confirmed, and never forward or post it.

A PDF can be printed more than once. Ask the payee to deposit it once, delete the file, and tell you when it is deposited. Check your account every day or two while the check is outstanding. Positive pay is a bank service that compares the checks your bank receives with a list you send.

When Is an eCheck the Wrong Choice?

• The payee only takes ACH or card.
• The payee cannot or will not print a check.
• The amount is large and the payee’s bank has not agreed to take a printed check.

If a vendor wants paper, use check mailing instead.

How Do You Keep Your Books Straight?

Record the check with its number and mark it outstanding until it clears your account. Then reconcile by check number. If a check is still outstanding after a set time, such as 30 days, ask the payee if they printed it. If they cannot confirm it was destroyed, ask your bank for a stop payment on the original before you send a replacement, and record the original as voided. OnlineCheckWriter lists QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, and Zoho Books among its integrations.

More reading: how electronic checks work.

Quick Answers About Sending an eCheck