ATB Financial Sample Cheque: Everything you need to know to find and understand it

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

Understanding Your ATB  Sample Cheque

If you know what the numbers at the bottom of your ATB  sample cheque mean, you can probably just share them… without having to go looking for a Sample 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 sample cheque to know. However, it is often needed by those who ask you for a sample cheque.

2. Your branch address

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

3. Your branch transit number

This is a 5-digit number that identifies the ATB  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. ATB ’s institution number is 219.

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 sample cheque, as it is the number that is associated with your bank account. This number varies in length depending on the financial institution but generally ranges from 7 to 12 digits.

How to find your sample cheque on the ATB  online portal

Before the Internet, a sample 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 sample cheque is a document that contains all the information displayed on a cheque, so you can still do it that way.

If you don’t have a chequebook, there is a simple alternative. Unlike some financial institutions, which allow a sample cheque to be downloaded from their client portal, ATB invites its clients to download a document that works the same way, a direct deposit form that you will need to complete yourself. Indeed, once you have completed the form, it will contain all the information available on a cheque and anyone who asks you for a sample cheque will accept it. Here are the steps to download and complete the ATB Financial direct deposit form:

• To download the ATB Financial direct deposit form, click here: https://www.atb.com/siteassets/resources/personal/404463directdepositform.pdf;
• To find your account and transit number, log into the ATB your account at: ATB Online Banking | Login
• Then, select the “Accounts” tab and, under “Account Summary”, you will find your current accounts and their numbers. With the first three digits, add a 0 to the front and a 9 afterwards, and this is your transit number. (e.g. 760 becomes 07609. The remaining 11 digits are your account number. 

Now you know all it takes to find your account information as an ATB customer! Furthermore, you should now be able to write a cheque.