How to create a Chase positive pay file
Chase protects business checking accounts with positive pay: you upload a check issue file listing every check you write, and the bank flags anything that doesn't match. QuickBooks and most accounting systems can't produce this file. Below is the format Chase expects and how to generate it for free.
Open the generator with the Chase format preselected
The Chase file format
- Comma-separated values, no header row
- Column order: check type, account number, check number, date, amount, payee line 1, and an optional payee line 2 for joint payees (this generator emits one payee line)
- Check type:
I= issued,C= voided or canceled (Chase uses C, not the usual V) - Dates as
MMDDYYwith no separators (e.g. 061126) - Amounts may contain a decimal point but must not contain commas
- Payee lines max 40 characters; the upload fails beyond that
- One account per file
Chase requires the file by 10 PM ET the business day before the checks are issued. Upload it in Chase Business Online under the positive pay / check protection services menu.
This layout follows the bank's published specification. Source: www.chase.com.
Step by step
- Export your check register. From QuickBooks Online: Settings → Chart of accounts → your bank account → View register → filter to checks → Export to Excel. (Full QuickBooks walkthrough, including Desktop.)
- Convert it. Drop the export into the generator, confirm the detected columns, and enter your account number once. The generator applies the Chase layout above. Everything runs in your browser; your check data is never uploaded.
- Check the preview. The built-in validator flags missing dates, unreadable amounts, duplicate check numbers, and fields that exceed Chase's length limits before the bank ever sees the file.
- Upload to Chase. Log in to your business/treasury portal and upload under the positive pay or check protection menu. Verify the item count and total match the preview.
Voided checks
Mark voids in your register (a status column containing “void” works) and the generator emits Chase's void code automatically.
Always test your first file. Bank specs change and some are negotiated per customer. Send your first generated file through the bank's test facility or your treasury contact. If Chase has given you a different spec sheet, recreate it exactly with the custom format builder. It takes about five minutes.
Related reading: the positive pay file format guide explains fixed-width versus delimited layouts and void codes, the glossary defines the terms, and the QuickBooks guide covers exporting your check register.