HSBC Canada Void Cheque: Everything you need to know to find and understand it

By Arthur Dubois | Published on 02 Mar 2022

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    From pre-authorizing payments to getting paid, void cheques still come in handy… even though cheques are rarely used in Canada. The main reason you need an HSBC Canada void cheque is to share your banking information with someone else.

    Understanding Your HSBC Canada Void Cheque

    If you know what the numbers at the bottom of your HSBC Canada void cheque mean, you can probably just share them… without having to go looking for a Void Cheque in your banking portal every time someone asks for one.

    So, here are the important features of a cheque in Canada that you should be able to recognize by looking at one :

    1. Your home address

    This is the information you don’t need to look at a void cheque to know. However, it is often needed by those who ask you for a void cheque.

    2. Your branch address

    This is the address of your HSBC Canada branch. Note that some HSBC Canada branches have more than one point of service. 

    3. Your branch transit number

    This is a 5-digit number that identifies the HSBC Canada branch to which your bank account is associated.

    4. Your bank Institution Number

    The institution number is a three-digit number that identifies the financial institution you are dealing with, regardless of the branch you have chosen. HSBC Canada’s institution number is 016.

    5. Your account number (or folio number)

    The account (or folio) number is the identifier for your bank account. Without the transit number and institution number, it cannot be used to transfer money. As a result, it is the most sensitive information you will find on your void cheque, as it is the number that is associated with your bank account. At HSBC Canada, this is a 9-digit number.

    How to find your void cheque on the HSBC Canada  online portal

    Before the Internet, a void cheque was a paper cheque with “SAMPLE” or “VOID” written on it to ensure that the cheque could not be used. If you have a chequebook, you can still do this. In fact, a void cheque is a document that contains all the information displayed on a cheque, so you can still do it that way.

    For those who don’t want to waste paper or who don’t have a chequebook, it’s possible to get a pre-filled direct deposit form from HSBC by logging in to their online banking portal. Follow the steps below to download your form as a PDF in just a few clicks: 

    • Log in to your HSBC Canada account.
    • Once you have logged in, click the following link to download your pre-filled form with all the information you need, including an image of your void cheque.
    • You can also download a blank form that you can download as a PDF and fill out electronically or print and fill out.

    Now you know everything you need to in order to find your account information and understand your void cheque as an HSBC Canada customer! Furthermore, you should now be able to write a cheque.

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    Arthur Dubois is a personal finance writer at Hardbacon. Since relocating to Canada, he has successfully built his credit score from scratch and begun investing in the stock market. In addition to his work at Hardbacon, Arthur has contributed to Metro newspaper and several other publications