To fill out a check request form, enter your requestor details, the payee’s exact legal name and address, a specific description of the expense, the dollar amount in both numerals and words, the correct general ledger code, and your signature — then route it for approval and submit it to accounts payable with every supporting document attached. The form is how you ask accounting to cut a check when there’s no purchase order or standard invoice driving the payment, so the goal is to give an approver and an AP clerk everything they need to say yes on the first pass.
When a Check Request Is the Right Form
Use a check request for payments that fall outside the normal purchase-order-to-invoice cycle: a one-time service from a new vendor, a conference registration, an annual membership or subscription, a customer refund, or an employee reimbursement. If an open purchase order already covers the expense, use that process instead. Submitting a separate check request against a PO creates duplicate payments that are painful to unwind.
Most organizations also cap check requests at a dollar ceiling. Anything above the limit gets routed through formal procurement with competitive bids. Check your internal spending policy before you start — a request that exceeds the threshold is one of the fastest ways to get the form kicked back.
Gather Your Documentation Before You Start
Collecting everything up front avoids the back-and-forth that stalls payment. You’ll need:
- The payee’s legal name and mailing address, exactly as they appear on the payee’s bank records. A nickname or abbreviated business name can cause the bank to reject the check.
- A completed IRS Form W-9 if you’re paying a non-employee — a freelancer, consultant, independent contractor, or unincorporated vendor. The W-9 captures the payee’s Taxpayer Identification Number for year-end tax reporting. If the payee won’t provide a TIN or gives an incorrect one, your organization is required to withhold 24 percent of the payment and remit it to the IRS.1Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification2Internal Revenue Service. Backup Withholding
- Itemized receipts or invoices showing the date, a description of what was purchased or performed, and the exact dollar amount. Vague credit card statements or handwritten summaries don’t substantiate the expense.
- Any contract or agreement tied to the payment. Accounting will compare the check amount against the contract terms, and a mismatch will stall the request.
- The correct general ledger or department code from your organization’s chart of accounts. Common categories include travel, professional services, office supplies, and training. Incorrect coding distorts budget reporting and raises questions during audits.
- A tax exemption certificate if your organization is tax-exempt (a government agency or 501(c)(3) nonprofit, for example), so the vendor doesn’t charge sales tax on eligible purchases.
Working Through the Form
Templates differ by organization, but the core fields are consistent. Fill them in order.
Requestor Information
Enter your full name, department, phone number or email, and the date. This is who AP will contact if something doesn’t add up. Some forms also ask for your employee ID or cost center number.
Payee Information
Transfer the payee’s legal name and mailing address exactly as they appear on the W-9 or invoice. If the check needs to be mailed to a specific person at a company, include the “Attn:” line here. Double-check spelling. A check made out to “Johnson Associates LLC” won’t clear if the bank account is under “Johnston Associates LLC.”
Expense Description
Write a clear, specific explanation of what the payment covers and why. “Consulting services” is too vague. “Website redesign consulting — phase 2 deliverables per contract dated March 10, 2026” gives an approver and an auditor what they need. Treat this field as a one-paragraph justification to someone who has never heard of the project.
Dollar Amount and Account Coding
Enter the gross amount, any applicable sales tax, and the net total. Many forms ask you to write the final amount in both numerals and words: “$2,500.00” and “Two thousand five hundred dollars and 00/100.” The dual entry mirrors how checks themselves are written and acts as a safeguard against alteration after signing. If the numbers and words don’t match, expect the form to come back.
Enter the general ledger account code for each line. If the expense splits across multiple budgets, list each code and its share of the total.
Signatures
Sign and date the form. Your signature certifies that the expense is legitimate and the information is accurate. The form then needs an authorized approver — typically your direct supervisor or department head, depending on the dollar amount. Many organizations use tiered thresholds: a manager might approve up to $1,000, while anything above that requires a director or VP.
Submitting It and What Happens Next
Once every signature is in place, submit the completed form with all supporting documents attached: receipts, invoices, W-9, contract copies, and exemption certificates. Depending on your organization, submission means uploading a scanned package to an accounts payable portal, emailing it to a shared finance inbox, or hand-delivering a physical envelope to AP.
From there the request enters a review queue. An AP clerk verifies that the form is complete, the documentation matches the amount requested, and the GL coding is valid. The payment is then scheduled for the next check run, which most organizations process on a weekly or biweekly cycle. From submission to check in hand, expect five to ten business days, and sometimes longer at month-end or year-end when AP volume spikes. The payment may go out as a physical check mailed to the payee or as an electronic deposit if the vendor is set up for ACH in your organization’s system.
Why Check Requests Get Rejected
When a form comes back, it’s almost always for one of a few reasons:
- A missing signature, usually the approver’s.
- No W-9 on file for a non-employee payee.
- Documentation that doesn’t match the requested amount.
- An invalid or wrong GL code.
- A dollar amount above the check-request ceiling, which should have gone through procurement.
- Numerals and written amount that don’t agree.
Fix the issue and resubmit quickly. Resubmissions go to the back of the queue, so sitting on a rejected form only delays payment further.
If You’re Reimbursing an Employee
When the check request reimburses an employee for an out-of-pocket business expense, extra IRS rules apply. To keep the reimbursement from being treated as taxable income, the arrangement must qualify as an “accountable plan.” Three things have to happen: the expense must have a clear business connection, the employee must substantiate it with adequate documentation, and any excess advance must be returned.3Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2003-106
Substantiation means showing the amount, the date, the place or description of the expense, and the business purpose.4Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses A restaurant receipt alone doesn’t satisfy this. You also need a note explaining who attended and what business was discussed. The IRS safe harbor for timing is 60 days: substantiate the expense within 60 days of paying it and you’re within bounds.3Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2003-106
If the reimbursement doesn’t meet accountable plan requirements, because the employee submitted it late, skipped the documentation, or the expense had no legitimate business purpose, the full amount gets treated as taxable wages. It lands on the W-2 and is subject to income tax withholding and payroll taxes. Getting the documentation right on the check request form keeps that from happening.
Why the W-9 Step Matters
Check requests feed directly into year-end tax reporting. Every payment to a non-employee is tracked, and if total payments to a single payee cross the reporting threshold during the calendar year, your organization must file a Form 1099-NEC with the IRS and send a copy to the payee. For tax year 2026, that threshold is $2,000, up from the previous $600 floor.5Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1099 (2026), General Instructions for Certain Information Returns Payments made by credit card or through third-party platforms like PayPal are reported on Form 1099-K instead and don’t count toward the 1099-NEC total.
Without a valid TIN on file, your organization can’t prepare the 1099 correctly and must withhold 24 percent of every payment to that payee until one is provided.6Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 307, Backup Withholding Collecting the W-9 before the first check goes out is far simpler than chasing a contractor for their tax ID in January when 1099s are due. That’s why the W-9 belongs with the check request package from the start, not as an afterthought once the vendor has already been paid.