This article will walk you through installing a scanner, creating and depositing checks, and allocating the donations in Subsplash Giving.
Installing your Scanner
Installing your Scanner
Scanners must be registered before they can be installed. If you have not done so, please register the device with Subsplash.
Plug the scanner into your computer using the USB cable and power on the device.
Within your Subsplash Dashboard, please navigate to Giving > Batches, and select Create Batch in the upper right corner. On the pop-up, click Remote Deposit and select Create Batch.
Within the pop-up, select Scan Checks.
You will be taken to the SmartPay check scanning portal, our 3rd party processor. Within the check scanning portal, click on Transactions and Remote Deposit Complete.
Click on Create New Deposit
This will prompt a download of the DeviceControllerInstallation
After the DeviceControllerIntallation has been successfully installed, we recommend following along while watching the applicable video:
Windows:
Mac:
Video: Mac Check Scanner Install
Additional resource: Scanner Installation for RDC & RDS PDF
If you run into any issues with the scanner not being recognized after installation, try restarting your computer and returning to the check scanning portal.
Batch Creation & Check Scanning
Batch Creation & Check Scanning
Creating a New Batch
Within your Subsplash Dashboard, please navigate to Giving > Batches, and select Create Batch in the upper right corner. On the pop-up, click Remote Deposit and select Create Batch.
Within the pop-up, select Scan Checks.
Click Transactions on the left side menu and choose Remote Deposit Complete under Check Processing.
Click the green Create New Deposit in the lower right-hand corner to start the check scanning process. To reduce confusion, Subsplash refers to a collection of donations as a batch, while SmartPay calls it a Deposit. You will learn more about this overlap in step six.
The Create New Deposit page will appear:
Now it's time to fill out the details regarding the Deposit.
Create a Deposit Name.
This will be how the Batch is named in Subsplash and cannot be edited.
Batch names must be unique.
We recommend including the date or date range of the donations and a service time e.g., 9/21/25 11 am or 9/21/25-9/28/25
Enter the Number Of Checks that will be scanned.
Enter the Total Amount of the checks as your control number. This will help you verify the total after the checks have been scanned.
We recommend creating a batch per fund and received date. This will allow you to bulk update the entries during the allocation process (this feature is coming soon)!
Separating checks that have multiple funds written into the memo line can be helpful during the allocation process to ensure each check is reviewed and correctly allocated when splitting funds.
Scan Your Checks
Once a new batch is successfully created, the checks are ready to be scanned!
Click the Create button to start scanning checks. If the Scanner Terminal Number displays your scanner, you can immediately start scanning checks.
Scan all the checks for your batch. The scan will initially display at $0.00. Click Refresh to populate the deposit amounts. A real person is actively reviewing your checks, and it may take a few moments if any checks are slightly illegible.
Under the Deposit Status section, the Scanned field presents the number of items as they are scanned. When you have a match, you are ready to complete the deposit!
If you choose to separate the checks by fund, date, or another method, you may complete additional deposits before sending them to your bank. To do this, select Complete Deposit in the bottom right corner and repeat steps 4-6 in Creating a New Batch.
Alerts
You will see an alert if a particular check has an invalid MICR, is recognized as a duplicate, or requires a rescan for poor image quality. Hover your cursor over the alert for more details. Below is an example of a duplicate and invalid MICR alert.
Use the Delete or Rescan option on the right side of the check to fix any issues.
Selecting Delete will give you the option to delete and adjust the deposit amount. If the check was included in the total number and dollar amount entered in Step 5 of Creating a New Batch, choose the second option to Delete check, decrement check count, and reduce the deposit total to reduce your batch total accordingly.
While scanning checks, you may notice "To be Keyed" within the Amount field. This is a temporary label as the team reviews the amount of each check. Once the amount has been reviewed, "To be Keyed" will be replaced.
Completing the Deposit
Once you’ve completed scanning the checks, click the green Complete Deposit button in the bottom right-hand corner.
If you are ready to deposit the checks into the bank, click on the check box next to the batches you would like to process, select Close Deposit(s) in the right-hand corner, and click Confirm by clicking Close.
🏦 Funds will be deposited into your account within 1 business day if closed before 9:00 p.m. Central Time.
Keep in mind that you will need to allocate the donations and commit the batch before the deposit appears in the Transfers area of the Giving dashboard.
Allocating Donations
Allocating Donations
Once the batch is closed and completed in the check scanning portal, you may begin to allocate the donations. Return to the Subsplash Giving dashboard by navigating to Giving > Batches, and selecting the Active tab. It may take a few minutes to populate a recently closed batch. Feel free to refresh the page after waiting for a short time.
During the allocation process, there are three types of donation states:
Unallocated: The check has not been assigned to a donor. Using this information, we will match checks in later deposits to the donor using the check's routing and account number.
Needs Review: Our system has automatically allocated the check to a donor using the account and routing number previously assigned, and we are asking for your review. This information should always be reviewed carefully. For example, Donors who use bill pay can have trouble being allocated to the check due to the account and routing number.
Allocated: You or another admin has allocated the check to a donor and a fund.
Select a check, search for an existing donor, or create a new one. Select campus and fund. Click on the plus sign to designate a check into multiple funds.
When allocating remote deposits, bookkeepers can select a Method: “Check”, "Donor-advised fund", "Qualified charitable distribution", or “Cash equivalent” as a payment method when creating gifts via remote deposit allocation. To learn more about these options, check out our Giving Methods & Statements article.
When all donations have been allocated, you can then commit the deposit, and the transactions will display throughout the system (Transfers, Gift details, Donor profiles, etc)
Processing Errors
Occasionally, a scanned check may be rejected. If this occurs, an error message will appear below the check's image. A check can be rejected for several reasons, such as running into a velocity limit, unreadable ink, a handwritten check number, damaged or unreadable MICR (checking and routing number), or the check may have been voided by the donor.
You will need to pull the erroneous check(s) out of your batch to either rescan them in a new batch or take them to a bank to deposit. If the check was a duplicate scan, then disregard it completely. You can move forward with allocating and committing the remainder of the batch. You can run a report in the check scanning portal to find out specifics about the error by following the steps below:
While in your SmartPay portal, click Reports on the left side menu.
Click on Deposit Results.
Set the timeframe for your reports, which will bring up all deposits within the selected timeframe.
Click on the Item Details icon for the deposit you want to view.
You will find a list of all the checks in the Deposit. Scroll down to the Rejected check, and keep in mind you may need to progress through the pages to find the check. Click on the Item Details picture icon.
Click on Show Events, which will note the Rejected event, and provide a description for why a check was rejected.
Handling Rejected Checks
Depending on the error, you'll need to take a specific action to resolve the issue:
MICR Data Issue: We recommend ensuring the check MICR is scannable and clear, then rescan the check. If a rescan is rejected, you'll need to take the check to the bank to be deposited.
Check Format: If the format of the check is not allowed, you'll need to deposit the check with the bank directly.
Velocity Limits: Our team is notified when you hit 80% of your limit and will reach out to request an increase. You can learn more about velocity below.
Understanding Velocity
Velocity limits are security boundaries that define the maximum dollar amounts you can deposit. There are two primary velocity limits you may run into:
Single Check Limit: The maximum amount allowed for an individual check. If exceeded, the check is rejected and flagged during scanning.
Period Maximum: The total aggregate limit for a rolling window (e.g., 14 days). If your total deposits hit this threshold, further scans are blocked until the window resets.
If you attempt a deposit that surpasses these limits, you will see a "Velocity Exceeded" error. If you see this error, you can either wait for your rolling window to reset or contact Support to request a temporary or permanent limit increase.
Viewing and Editing Entries
Viewing and Editing Entries
You can adjust donation details (campus, fund, splits, etc) by going to the gift and making an adjustment.
Go to the Committed tab, and select the batch to locate the gift. You can also search for the donation on the Giving > Gifts page of the dashboard and view the details there.
Click on the pencil icon to adjust the donation. For remote deposit, all fields are editable except for the check number since it was scanned via the MICR data.
Click on the Check to view front and back for a closer look.
