The Patelco direct deposit authorization form is a one-page PDF you complete and give to your employer so your paycheck posts automatically to your Patelco checking or savings account. The form comes pre-printed with Patelco’s routing number, 321076470, and asks for your name, contact information, employer ID, your Patelco account number in ACH format, and how you want the money split between checking and savings.1Patelco Credit Union. Direct Deposit Authorization Form You sign it, hand it to payroll, and wait one or two pay cycles for the switch to take effect.
Where to Get the Form
The quickest option is downloading the fillable PDF from Patelco’s forms page at patelco.org/contact-us/forms, under “Other Account Forms.”2Patelco Credit Union. Useful Forms A download link also sits on Patelco’s checking account support page in the direct deposit enrollment section.3Patelco Credit Union. Checking Account Support Any Patelco branch can hand you a paper copy, and a member service representative can confirm your account details while you’re there.
What to Gather Before You Start
Three pieces of information do all the work on this form.
The routing number is 321076470. It’s already printed on Patelco’s own form, but confirm it hasn’t been altered if you’re using a copy from anywhere else.3Patelco Credit Union. Checking Account Support
Your Patelco account number in direct-deposit format is the field that trips up the most people. It is not the short member number you use at a branch. For ACH transactions, Patelco account numbers start with 746, followed by four zeroes, your member number, and a two-digit code for the account type. Member 12345-10’s checking account, for instance, becomes 74600001234510.3Patelco Credit Union. Checking Account Support To find yours, log in to Patelco Online, tap the account you want deposits sent to, and open Account Details. Look for the field labeled “Account Number for Direct Deposit and ACH Transactions” and use that number exactly. Entering only your short member number causes the deposit to bounce or land in the wrong account.
You’ll also need whichever employee identifier your payroll department uses: payroll number, Social Security number, or employee ID.
Filling In Each Section
Start at the top with your full legal name, mailing address, and phone number, then enter the payroll number, SSN, or employee ID your employer requires.1Patelco Credit Union. Direct Deposit Authorization Form
Next, decide where the money goes. Each account type — checking and savings — has a row with fields for the full direct deposit account number and a percentage. If your whole paycheck goes to one account, put 100% on that line. To split it, fill both rows with the corresponding account numbers and percentages, and make sure the two percentages add up to 100.
Enter an effective date for when direct deposit should start. Payroll cycles are unforgiving here: submitting mid-cycle almost always pushes the start to the following pay period.
The authorization statement at the bottom confirms you’re directing your employer to deposit funds into your Patelco account. Sign and date it. The form itself notes your employer may require additional paperwork on top of this page, so check with payroll before you submit.1Patelco Credit Union. Direct Deposit Authorization Form
If Payroll Asks for a Voided Check
Some payroll departments still want a voided check attached, using it as a second source for the routing and account numbers. Write VOID in large letters across the face of a Patelco check, keeping the numbers along the bottom edge readable.
If you don’t carry paper checks, you have two workarounds. Call Patelco at 800-358-8228 and request a Verification of Deposit, which the credit union can include your address on if needed.3Patelco Credit Union. Checking Account Support Many employers now also accept a screenshot or printout of your Account Details page from Patelco Online showing the routing number and full account number.
Splitting Across More Than Two Accounts
The Direct Deposit Authorization form only handles a two-way split between checking and savings. If you want your paycheck distributed across three or more Patelco accounts — say, checking, savings, and a holiday club — you’ll need Patelco’s separate Payroll Disbursement form instead.3Patelco Credit Union. Checking Account Support That form assigns dollar amounts to each account and goes to Patelco rather than to your employer, because the credit union handles the internal routing after your employer sends one lump deposit.4Patelco Credit Union. Payroll Disbursement to Various Accounts
Submitting the Form and What Happens Next
Give or email the completed form to your employer’s payroll or HR department. Patelco doesn’t need a copy unless you’re also setting up a payroll disbursement.
Most payroll systems run a pre-note before sending live money. A pre-note is a zero-dollar test transfer that verifies the routing number, account number, and account type. The pre-note cycle typically takes about ten days from when the clearinghouse receives it, and during that window you’ll get a paper check or your previous payment method.5Oracle Help Center. Understanding Prenote Transaction Records Some employers skip pre-notes and start live deposits on the next pay cycle, depending on their payroll software.
If your first expected deposit doesn’t arrive, call payroll first. The usual culprit is an incorrect account number, almost always the short member number used in place of the full 746-format number. A failed pre-note sends the error back to the employer, not to you, so nothing shows up on the Patelco side. Patelco charges $15 for returned ACH items, which is another reason to double-check the number the first time.6Patelco Credit Union. Consumer Fee Schedule
Changing or Canceling Your Direct Deposit Later
To change your account, adjust your split percentages, or move to a different institution, submit a new Direct Deposit Authorization form to your employer. The old instructions stay active until the new ones take effect, so pay doesn’t stop as long as you time the swap before a payroll cutoff.
If you’re closing your Patelco account and moving direct deposit elsewhere, keep the Patelco account open until at least one paycheck lands successfully at the new bank. Closing it early sends any in-flight deposit back to your employer and delays your pay.
To stop direct deposit entirely and go back to paper checks, send a written request to payroll. Some employers have their own cancellation form; others accept a signed letter. The change usually takes one to two pay cycles.
Government Benefits and Tax Refunds Use Different Forms
Federal benefit payments — Social Security, VA, military retirement — don’t use the Patelco form. They use Standard Form 1199A. You fill out Sections 1 and 2, bring the form to a Patelco branch to have Section 3 completed and your account verified, and Patelco mails it to the agency. You need a separate SF-1199A for each type of benefit payment.7Internal Revenue Service. Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (Standard Form 1199A)
For IRS tax refunds, you set up direct deposit on the return itself. To split a federal refund across as many as three accounts, file IRS Form 8888 with your return, using Patelco’s routing number 321076470 and your full direct-deposit-format account number.8Internal Revenue Service. Direct Deposit Fastest Way to Receive Federal Tax Refund
Your Right to Choose Where Your Pay Lands
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1693k, no employer can require you to receive electronic fund transfers through a particular financial institution as a condition of employment or benefits.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1693k Your employer can require direct deposit as the payment method, but the choice of bank or credit union is yours. Pressure to switch to a specific institution is a violation of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.