SECTION OVERVIEW AND POLICIES

The purpose of this section is to provide guidance to agencies for when vendor, employee expense, or SSP checks (all commonly referred to as “A” checks) are returned and/or need to be reissued. These checks can be easily identified by the letter that appears on the face of the check. Vendor and employee expense checks have an “A” on the face, while SSP checks have an “A” with a smaller “SSP” in front of it.

Information on how to reissue or cancel other types of checks is as follows:

Process and Document Preparation:

Agencies are responsible for monitoring returned checks and/or for determining when a check must be reissued or cancelled.  When a check requires additional action, the agency must first determine what the desired outcome is based on the type of check and the reason for the request. These requests are referred to as “stop requests” throughout the remainder of this section.  The chart below depicts the type of action the agency must take to achieve the desired outcome, based on the type of check:

*A Regular vendor is a vendor that is registered to do business with NYS. They are approved, managed, and assigned a unique 10-digit vendor identification (ID) number by the Office of the State Comptroller’s Vendor Management Unit.

**A Single payment vendor is a vendor whose specific information is not managed by the Office of the State Comptroller’s Vendor Management Unit.

There are several ways to stop and cancel or reissue a check. The steps below outline the detailed steps to achieve each desired outcome. To review a high-level process flow, please see XII.9.C - Reissuing or Cancelling an A Check - Flow Chart.

Checks representing payment for one voucher

Agencies must enter stop requests for checks representing payment of only one voucher are entered directly into SFS. To enter a request, agency users with the role NYF_AGY_AP_PYM_STOP_REQ should navigate to Accounts Payable > Payments > Cancel/Void Payments > Agency Stop Payment Request and click the Add a New Value button. Users will then search for the check using the payment reference (check number) and the appropriate values from the below chart. Note: The Business Unit (BU) field will prefill with the user’s default BU.  Users who have access to more than one BU should ensure the appropriate BU is selected when entering the stop request.

Once the check information populates on the screen, the user must select the appropriate stop payment action, enter any required information and click save to submit the request.

After submitting a stop request, a user can view the request status by navigating to Accounts Payable > Payments > Cancel/Void Payments > Agency Stop Payment Request and entering criteria to find an existing value.  The search results will provide information including which user requested the stop, the date of the request, and the status of the request.  (Note:  If the search only produces one result, the stop request page will automatically open. To view the user which entered the request, click “Return to Search” at the bottom of the request page and view the user listed in the search results.)  Stop statuses are as follows: 

To ensure a stop request is processed the same day as it is entered, agencies must submit the request prior to the SFS nightly batch, which begins at 6 pm.  If a stop request is submitted after 6 pm, it may take an additional business day to process.

Checks representing payment for multiple vouchers

Stop requests for checks representing payment of multiple vouchers must be entered into SFS by Treasury on behalf of the agency. To submit a request, complete a TD-346 form and email it to [email protected]. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Agencies can determine if a check has been cashed, stopped, staled dated or escheated by completing the following steps:
  • SFS Navigation: Accounts Payable > Review Accounts Payable Info > Payments > Payment.
  • Enter the check number in the From Ref ID field and click Search.
  • The Payment Date is the date the check was issued out of SFS.
  • The Reconcile Date is the date the bank file was reconciled in SFS, which is typically one business day after the check was cashed or stopped at the bank.
  • The Payment Status and the Reconciliation Status will tell you if the check has been cashed, stopped, staled or escheated as follows:

*** See Paid Over Stops section below for additional information

• Agencies should monitor the NYTR1652 (Stale Payments) query to ensure that all returned checks are reissued or cancelled timely. Treasury is not responsible for notifying the agencies when a payment has been returned by the Post Office and marked stale in SFS. Agencies should utilize the NYTR1652 query in SFS to routinely identify returned checks and agencies should contact the affected payees as soon as possible.
  • Run the NY_NYTR1652_AGY_QRY query by navigating to either:
    • Banking > Reports > Stale Payments, or
    • Reporting Tools > Query > Query Viewer and searching for NY_NYTR1652_AGY_QRY
  • Enter the ‘From Date’ and ‘End Date’
  • Bank SetID: SHARE
  • SFS Bank Code: 10001
  • SFS Bank Account:
    • 1002 for Vendor or Employee Expense checks
    • 1102 for SSP checks
• For a single payment check being reissued to the same address, or any regular voucher check being reissued, agencies can use SFS to determine if a check has been reissued by completing the following steps:
  • Navigate to Accounts Payable> Vouchers > Add/Update > Regular Entry
  • Click Find an Existing Value
  • Enter the Business Unit and Voucher ID for the voucher you are searching for into the respective fields and click Search
  • Navigate to the Payments tab
  • On the Payment Information line, click the ‘View All’ blue hyperlink
    • Scheduled Payment 1 contains the payment information for the original, cancelled check
    • Additional Schedule Payment rows will identify subsequent cancelled/re-issued payments as they occurred, in chronological order
• In the event the Post Office returns an undelivered check to the agency, the check must be forwarded to:
  
  Department of Taxation and Finance
  Division of the Treasury
  PO Box 22119
  Albany, NY 12225
   
• Pursuant to §102 of State Finance Law, the amounts of all uncashed checks and prepaid cards issued by or on behalf of the State for more than one year from the date of issuance shall be paid into the Abandoned Property Fund.

Paid Over Stops

A paid over stop check occurs when a check stop has been entered into SFS but could not be completed at the bank due to timing, as the check was cashed the same day as the stop request. In these instances, the stopped transaction will appear as reconciled in SFS, however the expenditure will be recorded with a new, manually recorded payment line or voucher and no additional payment will be issued. The agency user who requested the stop will be notified by Treasury via e-mail. Check stop requests entered through the Agency Stop Payment Request page that result in a paid over stop will also be flagged as such on the Agency Stop Payment Request page.

Check copies

If a vendor did not receive a check but the check status is paid and reconciled (cashed) in SFS, the agency can request a copy of the cashed check by emailing [email protected]. The email must indicate it is a request for a check copy, and include the check number, check amount and payee name.

Forgery Claims

If a vendor determines that a check was fraudulently cashed, the agency must request a forgery affidavit from NYS Treasury by emailing [email protected]. The agency must provide the affidavit to the vendor, who must return the completed form to the agency with a notarized signature. The agency must return the completed affidavit to the same email address, [email protected].

NYS Treasury will forward the affidavit to the paying bank, who will collaborate with the cashing bank to render a decision on the claim. If the banks determine the claim is a valid forgery, NYS will receive reimbursement for that check.

NYS Treasury will notify the agency when the funds have been received so the agency can submit a refund of appropriation. Agencies MUST submit the refund of appropriation immediately upon notification, by referencing the payee’s Vendor ID and the original voucher (referred to as the Related Voucher). For more information, please see Chapter VII, Section 3 – Refund of Appropriation / AP Adjustment Vouchers. Once the agency sees the refund of appropriation has been approved, the agency can then pay the vendor with a new voucher through SFS. Agencies should submit the refund of appropriation and, upon approval, repay the vendor as soon as possible to ensure the vendor receives its money timely.

Guide to Financial Operations

REV. 06/17/2025