Help & FAQ

SimpleChex is a check-printing platform for small businesses, bookkeepers, and anyone who needs to send a real, bank-deposit-ready check from a laptop in under a minute. We print and email professional business checks with real MICR encoding — the kind your bank's scanner reads — so recipients can deposit them through mobile apps, ATMs, or in branch like any other check.

Visit simplechex.com and click “Get started free.” Enter your email and a password — no credit card required. You'll get a confirmation email; click the link to finish creating your account.

Yes. The Free plan gives you 1 business, unlimited bank accounts, and 10 checks per month with real MICR encoding and eCheck emailing — no credit card, no time limit. Upgrade only if you outgrow it.

Cancel anytime from Settings → Billing. We schedule the cancellation for the end of your current billing period, so you keep paid features until what you already paid for runs out, then drop to the Free plan automatically. No retention calls.

To keep the free plan generous without abuse. Most one-person operations write fewer than 10 checks a month — Free covers them indefinitely. If you cross 10 in a month, the next check prompts you to upgrade to Solo.

No. The Free plan never asks for a card. You only enter payment when you upgrade.

Yes — upgrade or downgrade anytime from Settings → Billing. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period so you don't lose paid time you already bought.

Sidebar → Bank Accounts → Add. You'll need: bank name, account holder name and address, routing number, account number, and a starting check number. One-time setup.

We encode them into the MICR line at the bottom of the check, exactly the way pre-printed business checks do. Your bank scans this when the check is deposited. Without it, the check is just a piece of paper. Your numbers stay encrypted in our database — they're never displayed back to you in plain text after entry.

Sidebar → Payees → Add. Save names, addresses, and (optional) emails for vendors you pay regularly. Then when you write a check, pick from the list instead of retyping.

Sidebar → Write Check. Pick the business, bank account, and payee. Enter the amount — the dollar-in-words line fills in automatically. Pick a check date and memo if needed. Click Save & Print to download a PDF.

You have two options:

• Plain white paper (recommended). Real MICR encoding works on plain paper because the MICR specification is about font shape and ink reflectivity, both of which work in standard laser printers with normal toner. Recipients deposit through mobile apps, ATMs, or in branch.
• Pre-printed blank check stock. If you already buy NL-VT-style check stock for QuickBooks, SimpleChex prints into the same positions. Adjust the layout per bank account if needed (Bank Accounts → Layout).

Yes. On the Write Check page, enter the recipient's email and click Save & Email. They receive a clean PDF and can print it on their end.

When you email a check, SimpleChex attaches two PDFs:

• check-N.pdf is the eCheck — a full check image. The recipient prints on plain white paper.
• check-N-paper.pdf is the paper version — data only. The recipient prints on pre-printed blank check stock.

The recipient picks whichever way works for them. Both have the same MICR line and deposit the same way.

Yes — that's the whole point. SimpleChex uses the E-13B MICR font specified by ANSI X9.13 (the standard your bank's scanner reads). The check format follows the NL-VT layout used by Costco-style pre-printed stock. We've tested with major U.S. retail banks.

Email is the same channel banks already use to send eStatements and invoices — it's a routine business communication channel. We sign every outgoing email with DKIM + SPF for sender authentication. The PDF itself contains no information a fraudster couldn't get from a paper check sitting on your desk. The only practical risk is the recipient's email being compromised — and that risk applies to any document you email them.

In our hosted PostgreSQL database, encrypted at rest and in transit (TLS 1.3). Account and routing numbers are never displayed back to you in plain text after entry. Only the MICR encoding step uses them, and only the workspace owner can edit bank account details.

Every database row is tagged with a workspace ID, and every query enforces “this workspace only.” Inviting a team member to a specific business gives them access to that business's data only — never to other workspaces or even to other businesses inside your own workspace if you scope their invite.

Settings → Team → Invite a new member. Enter their email and pick the scope — full workspace, specific businesses, or specific bank accounts. They get an invite email with an Accept link.

Yes. When you invite someone, you can restrict their access to specific businesses and even specific bank accounts within those businesses. They'll only see what you scope them to.

• Free / Solo: 1 user (you).
• Firm: Unlimited team members included.

No. Only the workspace owner can change billing or cancel.

Add to my team (Settings → Team) invites someone into your workspace as a member. They see all your businesses (you can scope them to specific ones if you want). You stay on the hook for billing. Best for a colleague who works alongside you daily.

Share with another workspace (Businesses → open one → Share access) keeps the other person in their own SimpleChex workspace. They only see the one business you share — not your other businesses. Billing can stay with you, or you can hand it off so it counts toward their Firm plan instead. Best for an outside accountant or bookkeeper who already runs their own shop.

If the person is on your team — a colleague, an assistant, your business partner — use Add to my team. They live in your workspace, see what you decide they should see, and you keep paying.

If the person is on their own team — an outside accountant or bookkeeper who has their own SimpleChex account — use Share with their workspace. They keep their workspace, you keep yours, and only the one business you share is visible to them.

On the Businesses page each row has a billing badge:

• On your bill — counts toward your Firm seat count.
• Free for you · billed by [name] — you own this business but handed billing off; their workspace pays.
• Shared in · billed by [name] — someone else owns this; they pay; you have access because they shared it with your workspace.

Header counter:X businesses · Y on your bill · Z shared (no cost to you)

Yes — and both require explicit consent.

Give billing over: open the business → Share access. If the other workspace already has shared access, use the Hand off billing to... picker. If they don't yet, use the regular invite form and check “Let them take over billing”. They get an email to accept. Money doesn't move until they click accept.

Take billing over: open the business → Share access. If you have shared access but you don't bill it, you'll see a Request billing handoffbutton. We email the current biller asking them to approve. Nothing happens until they do. You must be on Firm to take over billing.

If you're on the Firm plan, you can share access to any business in your workspace with another SimpleChex workspace. Both workspaces will see the business, its bank accounts, payees, checks, and history, and either side can write, email, void, or reprint checks.

Typical uses: handing a business off to a bookkeeper or accountant, or letting two firms collaborate on one client without giving them full access to your other businesses.

1. Open the business from the Businesses page.
2. Click Share access in the top-right.
3. Enter the email of the SimpleChex user you want to share with. (They need an existing account using that email.)
4. Optionally check “Let them take over billing” if you want the business to count toward their Firm plan instead of yours.
5. Click Send invitation. They'll receive an email with an accept link; the invitation expires in 14 days.

Each business has a billing workspace. By default that's the workspace that created it, and the business counts toward that workspace's Firm plan seat count.

When you send a share invite, you decide whether to also offer billing transfer. If you do and the invitee accepts with that option, the business moves to their Firm seat count (their next invoice gets +1 seat, yours gets −1, prorated).

Only Firm-plan workspaces can take billing. A Free or Solo invitee can still accept access — they just can't become the biller.

Open Businesses. The Billing column shows either “You bill this” (green tag) or “Billed by [other workspace]” (gray tag).

For full details on any business, open it and click Share access — the top of that page lists the owner workspace, the billing workspace, and any workspaces it's shared with.

Yes. The workspace currently billing can return billing to the original owner at any time. Open the business, click Share access, and use the“Return billing to [owner]” button. Stripe quantities re-sync on both sides automatically.

When you cancel, those shared businesses automatically revert to billing by their original owner workspace. You keep your own (un-shared) businesses, but the workspace drops to the Free plan, which is limited to 1 business — additional businesses stay in your account but you'll need to either delete them, transfer them, or re-upgrade before writing more checks.

On the share page, the workspace that has shared access can leave at any time (no UI yet — email support@simplechex.com if you need help). The billing workspace can revoke a pending invitation from the same page before it's accepted.

Yes. SimpleChex is a real check-printing platform. The PDF you received contains a real check with a real MICR line that your bank's scanner reads. Open the PDF, print it on plain white paper (don't shrink or “fit to page”), and deposit it via your bank's mobile app, ATM, or in branch — the same way you'd deposit any other check.

Each SimpleChex check has a unique URL at simplechex.com/verify/<id> printed on the check or included in the email. Open it to see check details and confirm it was issued through our system. (Verification confirms issuance — it doesn't guarantee available funds, just like any other check.)

A few common causes:

1. Printed at the wrong scale. Print at 100% — don't use “fit to page.”
2. Wrong paper. Plain white printer paper works. Colored or recycled paper sometimes confuses scanners.
3. Smudged or damaged MICR line. Reprint cleanly.
4. The issuer's account doesn't have funds. That's between you and the issuer — same as any bounced check.

If none of those apply, email support@simplechex.com with the check number and we'll look into it.

Settings → Billing → Manage billing. This opens our Stripe-hosted portal where you can update your card, view past invoices, and cancel.

Yes — every Stripe charge generates a receipt emailed automatically. Past invoices live in your Stripe portal (Settings → Billing → Manage billing).

Stripe retries the charge over a few days. If it still fails, your workspace drops to the Free plan automatically — you keep your data and can update your card anytime to resume Solo or Firm.

Email support@simplechex.com and we'll wipe your workspace within 7 business days. We do not retain data after account deletion.

Try a different PDF reader — Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview (Mac), or your browser's built-in viewer. If the PDF is corrupted on download, regenerate it from Check History → click the row → Download PDF.

Upload a higher-resolution image. We recommend at least 600×200 pixels at 300 DPI. PNG with transparent background works best.

Try refreshing and re-submitting. If the error persists, email support@simplechex.com with the bank name and a screenshot — we get an alert when these fail and can usually diagnose quickly.

Check Settings → Team → their row. Did you scope their invite to specific businesses/bank accounts? If yes, they'll only see those. To give them full access, remove them and re-invite without restrictions.