How to create a First American Bank positive pay file
First American Bank 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 First American Bank expects and how to generate it for free.
Open the generator with the First American Bank format preselected
The First American Bank file format
- Fixed-width text, 79 characters per record, plain text only, no blank lines
- Account number positions 1–11, zero-filled, right-justified
- Check number positions 12–21, zero-filled; issue date 22–29 as
MMDDYYYY - Amount positions 30–39 as implied-decimal cents ($1.00 →
0000000100) - Payee positions 40–69, left-justified, space-filled
- Voids: capital
Vat position 71 plus void date at 72–79
First American publishes an unusually precise spec. The generator reproduces it byte for byte, and our automated tests check the spec's own $1.00 example.
This layout follows the bank's published specification. Source: www.firstambank.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 First American Bank 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 First American Bank's length limits before the bank ever sees the file.
- Upload to First American Bank. 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 First American Bank'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 First American Bank 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.