Number of Significant Digits

Number of Significant Digits for ID Embedded in Check #

If your accounting program is able to print a check number on the check printout (most do), then MultiCHAX can automatically determine the bank account. This can only be applied in our software if you choose the “Automatic” method of check selection (Ultimate Edition only).

You should specify in your accounting program, for it to provide a large number of digits for check number, preferably 8 or more. Example check number: 87654001. This will let you use the first (leftmost) three positions to designate a bank number while still leaving at least five positions for the check sequential number. From the above check number: the number of significant digits would be 3, with a max length of 8 digits.

Thus you can issue one hundred thousand checks on a single bank account before you need to be concerned about the incrementing of the check number affecting the bank number assigned to the first digits.

If your accounting program does not allow eight digits, you will have to compromise the number of digits you use for the bank account or the number of digits remaining for sequential check numbers. One digit will allow for nine bank accounts. Two digits will allow for ninety bank accounts to be automatically selected (10-99). Three will allow you to assign up to nine hundred bank accounts to a single control file. Assign a number of digits to take care of the maximum number of checking accounts.

Remember, your accounting program will be unaware of this use of the check number, so you must monitor the use of sequential numbers to prevent corrupting the leading significant digits. For example, if you only have a seven-digit check number (7654001) and use the 3 leading positions (765) as account numbers, this will leave only four digits for sequential check numbers (check numbers between 7654001 till 7659999), and so you must manually reset the starting check number to 1 before you reach 9,999 checks.