BMO's quick start guide for direct deposit has you download a void cheque for the account you want paid into, then give it to your employer. The file comes from the account's details, in Online Banking or in the app.
In BMO Online Banking
- Log into Online Banking.
- Select the account you want to use for direct deposit.
- Select Void Cheque from the Account Details box.
- Open the downloaded file.
In the BMO Mobile App
- Log in to the BMO Mobile App.
- Select the account you want to use for direct deposit.
- Select Account Details.
- Scroll down to Void cheque and select Download.
For government payments
The same guide points you elsewhere for money from the government: to have it deposited into your account, select CRA direct deposit rather than sending a void cheque.
What the void cheque shows
Like any Canadian cheque, it shows a five-digit transit number for your branch, a three-digit institution number for the bank and your account number. BMO's institution number is 001 in Payments Canada's directory of members.
To match each group of digits on the downloaded cheque to its meaning, see how to read a void cheque. Forms that ask for a nine-digit routing number use the same two codes in another order, as bank routing numbers in Canada explains.
Paying suppliers who bank with BMO
A BMO void cheque forwarded as an attachment is simple to tamper with, and the payment follows whatever account number is on it. With Smartbills vendor management, the supplier fills in its own banking details on its vendor record. A newcomer that shares a bank account or tax number with an existing supplier gets flagged as a likely duplicate, and accounts payable sends payments from that record.