To set up direct deposit with Ameris Bank, download the Direct Deposit Change Notice PDF from the bank’s website, enter routing number 061201754 along with your account number and account type, and give the completed Ameris Bank direct deposit form to your employer’s payroll department with a voided check attached.1Ameris Bank. Direct Deposit Change Notice The same routing number applies to every Ameris Bank account regardless of where the account was opened.2Ameris Bank. Answers
Where to Get the Form
Ameris Bank publishes the form as a downloadable PDF on its website under the title “Direct Deposit Change Notice.”1Ameris Bank. Direct Deposit Change Notice You can also pick up a printed copy at any Ameris Bank branch.3Ameris Bank. Ameris Bank Locations in the United States
Many employers hand out their own generic authorization form instead. Either version works. What matters is that the routing number, account number, and account type on the paper you submit are correct.
What to Have Ready
Before you start writing on the form, put these details in front of you:
- The Ameris Bank routing number, 061201754. This nine-digit number is the same for every Ameris Bank account.2Ameris Bank. Answers
- Your account number, found at the bottom of your checks, on a monthly statement, or in your online banking dashboard.
- The account type — checking or savings. Payroll systems route the funds differently depending on which you pick.
- Your full legal name and your employer’s name, matching payroll records exactly.
If you have Ameris Bank checks in front of you, the routing number is the first block of numbers on the bottom-left of the check and your account number is the block next to it.4Nationwide. Locate Routing and Account Numbers on a Check When the account number looks shorter than the check number, pick the longer of the two.
Filling Out the Form
The Direct Deposit Change Notice authorizes your employer to deposit funds into your account and authorizes the bank to credit them. It stays in effect until you send written notice to change or cancel.1Ameris Bank. Direct Deposit Change Notice
Write in your name, employer name, and the date. Enter 061201754 in the routing field, then your account number, then check the box for checking or savings. Sign and date the bottom.
Compare every digit against your online banking screen or a statement before you hand the form over. A single transposed number in the routing or account field can send your pay somewhere else or trigger a return code that pushes the deposit out by a whole pay cycle. Selecting “savings” for a checking account (or the reverse) causes the same problem.
Splitting Pay Between Accounts
Most payroll systems will divide your pay across more than one account, using either a fixed dollar amount or a percentage per account. A common setup routes a set amount into savings and the remainder into checking. If the Ameris form leaves you space for only one account, ask your employer’s payroll department whether their system supports a split — you may need a second line on their internal form.
Verifying the Account
Most employers want proof that the routing and account numbers belong to you. The usual document is a voided check: a regular check with “VOID” written across the face in large letters so no one can cash it while the numbers remain readable.5Huntington Bank. How to Void Check for Direct Deposit
If you don’t have checks, ask an Ameris Bank branch to print an account verification letter on bank letterhead showing your account number, routing number, and status. A deposit slip for a savings account carries the same information. Some HR departments will accept a screenshot of your account details from online banking, but confirm that with your employer before relying on it.
Submitting the Form
Hand the completed form and verification document to payroll or human resources. If your employer runs a self-service payroll portal, you may be able to key the routing and account information in directly and upload a photo of the voided check.
The Prenote Test
Before your first live deposit, the payroll processor sends a prenote, which is a zero-dollar test transaction through the ACH network confirming that your routing number, account number, and account type are valid.6Sage. What Is a Prenote NACHA rules set the prenote waiting period at three banking days.7Nacha. Definition of Banking Day and Related Operational Topics Your employer’s own payroll schedule can stretch that out, since some companies only batch prenotes at certain points in the pay cycle. Expect a paper check for the first one or two pay periods.
When the Money Shows Up
Once the prenote clears, Ameris Bank makes electronic deposit funds available on the business day the bank receives them.8Ameris Bank. Funds Availability If payday falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deposit posts the next business day. Check your account through online or mobile banking on the morning of your first expected direct deposit to confirm it arrived.
Changing or Canceling Later
If you switch banks or close your Ameris Bank account, submit a new direct deposit form to your employer with the updated information. Keep the old account open until at least one deposit has landed successfully in the new one. If you close the old account too early, a deposit sent there will be returned and you could miss a paycheck.
To stop direct deposit entirely, send written notice to your employer’s payroll department. The form states that the authorization stays in force until you provide written notice of change or cancellation.1Ameris Bank. Direct Deposit Change Notice A signed letter or email to HR is usually enough, though some employers keep their own cancellation form.
Federal Benefits Use a Different Process
The Ameris Bank form is for employer payroll. Federal benefit payments, including Social Security, SSI, and VA compensation, are required to be paid electronically, and you update the deposit information with the paying agency rather than with an employer.9Go Direct. Go Direct For Social Security and SSI, the fastest option is signing in to your my Social Security account online; you can also call 1-800-772-1213, visit a local office, or ask Ameris Bank whether it participates in the Automated Enrollment (ENR) process, which lets the bank forward the update for you.10Social Security Administration. Update Direct Deposit Have your Social Security number, most recent benefit amount or claim number, the Ameris Bank routing number, and your account number ready.
Your Protections Under Federal Law
Direct deposits fall under Regulation E, the federal rule implementing the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.11Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1005 – Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E) The regulation requires the bank to disclose fees and limits, provide receipts and periodic statements, and follow set procedures when you report an error.
If an unauthorized transfer hits your account, your liability depends on how fast you report it. Notify Ameris Bank within two business days of discovering the problem and your loss is capped at $50. Wait longer and you could owe up to $500. If an unauthorized transfer appears on your statement and you don’t report it within 60 days, you may be liable for the full amount of any transfers that happen after that 60-day window.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1005.6 Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers Watch your account after every payday, especially through the first few cycles.