How to create an F&M Bank positive pay file
F&M 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 F&M Bank expects and how to generate it for free.
Open the generator with the F&M Bank format preselected
The F&M Bank file format
- CSV with a header row:
Date, Account Number, Number, Payee, Amount(plus optional void column) - Dates as
M/D/YYYY(e.g. 10/19/2021); amounts as plain decimals - Voids: optional indicator column with
V(or −1) - Avoid special characters like
*in payee names if you use payee match
F&M maps and tests your sample file before go-live, and also accepts Excel and fixed-length files. Upload cutoff is 2 PM Pacific.
This layout follows the bank's published specification. Source: www.fmb.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 F&M 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 F&M Bank's length limits before the bank ever sees the file.
- Upload to F&M 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 F&M 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 F&M 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.