Open a new checking account and you may walk out with a small pad of plain-looking checks before your real checkbook shows up in the mail. These are starter checks — also called counter checks or temporary checks — and they cause a predictable round of questions: Why don't they have my name on them? Will a store take one? Can I use one to set up direct deposit, or void one the way an employer asked? This guide explains exactly what a starter check is, what is and isn't printed on it, where it gets accepted (and refused), and whether it works as a voided check, plus how to get your permanent checks.
The short version: a starter check is a fully functional check drawn on your account, just without the cosmetic personalization. That missing name and address is exactly why it is handy for some uses and rejected for others.
What is a starter check?
A starter check is a temporary paper check a bank or credit union issues to a new account holder to bridge the gap until pre-printed personalized checks arrive — typically a couple of weeks later. Banks often hand you a small number of them (commonly around four or five) when you open the account, or a teller can print a counter check at the branch on request. The term "counter check" comes from the teller's counter, where these are issued; in everyday use the names are interchangeable.
What sets a starter check apart from a regular check is what is missing from the top: there is usually no pre-printed name, address, or phone number in the upper-left corner, and often no pre-printed check number (or a very low starting number like 100 or 1001). You write your name and address on the blank lines yourself. Crucially, though, the part that matters for moving money is there — the bottom edge carries your bank's routing number and your account number in the machine-readable MICR line, just like a normal check.
- Temporary checks for a brand-new account, used until your personalized checks arrive.
- No pre-printed name/address (you fill those in), and often a low or missing check number.
- They do carry your routing number and account number in the MICR line.
- Usually given in a small quantity at account opening, or printed by a teller on request.
Are starter checks real checks — and will people accept them?
Yes, a starter check is a real, spendable check drawn on your account. The bank will honor it if there are funds to cover it, exactly like a personalized check. The catch is acceptance by the other side. Because the missing name and address make it obvious the check is from a freshly opened account, some merchants, landlords, and other payees are wary of them — a new account has no track record, and there is no printed identity to tie the check to you. That caution is about risk, not validity.
In practice, acceptance is uneven. Many businesses take a counter check just like any other check, especially if you also show ID. Others have a flat policy against checks without a pre-printed name and address. There is no universal rule, so if you are relying on a starter check for an important payment, it is worth asking the recipient in advance whether they will accept one — and writing your own name and address neatly in the blank top-left area, which makes it look more complete and is sometimes required for it to be processed.
Can you use a starter check for direct deposit or void one?
This is the most common reason people look starter checks up: a new employer asked for a voided check, and all you have is a starter check. The good news is that the entire purpose of a voided check is to share two numbers — your routing number and your account number — and a starter check prints both in the MICR line. So you can usually void a starter check the standard way: write VOID in large letters across the front, leave the bottom number row untouched, and hand it over. Most of the account details an employer needs are right there.
The limitation is, again, acceptance plus the missing personalization. Some payroll departments specifically want a check showing your pre-printed name and address to match it to you, and a starter check has neither pre-printed — you would be writing them in by hand, which a strict reviewer may not accept. If that happens, you do not need a check at all: you can give payroll your routing and account numbers another way entirely. A bank verification letter on official letterhead, your bank's pre-filled direct deposit form, or simply setting up direct deposit without a voided check all supply the same numbers, often more convincingly than a hand-completed starter check.
- Voiding works mechanically — a starter check carries the routing and account numbers a voided check exists to share.
- Write VOID across the front and keep the bottom MICR numbers legible; never sign it.
- Some employers want a pre-printed name and address, which a starter check lacks — confirm what payroll accepts first.
- If a starter check is refused, a bank verification letter or a pre-filled bank form does the same job.
How do you get your permanent checks?
Starter checks are meant to be a stopgap, so the real fix is getting your personalized checkbook. When you open an account, the bank usually offers to order your first box of checks automatically — confirm the mailing address and the spelling of your name, since that is what will be pre-printed. A standard order typically arrives within about one to two weeks. If you did not order at opening, you can request checks anytime through your bank's app or website, by phone, or at a branch, and many banks let you reorder directly through a check-printing vendor.
If you need real checks faster than the mail allows, ask your branch about expedited printing or in-branch printed checks; some banks can produce personalized or partially personalized checks on a shorter timeline for a fee. Until they arrive, your starter checks, your debit card, online bill pay, and electronic transfers all keep working — and for direct deposit or autopay you do not need printed checks at all, just your routing and account numbers.
The bottom line
A starter check (or counter check) is a temporary, fully valid check a bank gives a new account before your personalized checkbook arrives. It skips the pre-printed name and address but still carries your routing and account numbers in the MICR line, so it spends like any check — when the recipient accepts it, which is not guaranteed, since the temporary look makes some payees cautious. You can usually void one for direct deposit, but if an employer insists on pre-printed details, a bank verification letter or your bank's direct deposit form supplies the same numbers without a check. Meanwhile, order your permanent checks so the starter pad is just a short bridge.