Cancelled cheques are used for several different reasons. Some of them are:
KYC
Cancelled cheques are generally used for KYC procedures and documentations. If and when you want to invest in market-linked instruments, such as mutual funds and stocks, the financial institution can ask you to submit a cancelled cheque.
Cancelled cheques are often times required to be submitted by salaried individuals when they want to withdraw money from their EPF accounts. If you are a salaried employee looking to take money out of an EPF account, you will have to first attach a cancelled cheque with the withdrawal form and then submit them to your employer or the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. The cheque helps in confirming the details of the account to which the amount is to be directly credited.
Electronic Clearing Service (ECS)
ECS is an electronic mode of funds transfer, facilitating paperless credit or debit transaction, from one bank account to another. If you wish to make use of ECS for deducting money from your account every month, you will be required to submit a cancelled cheque.
Demat Account
At the time of opening a demat account, which is used by investors to hold their shares in an electronic form, you will be required to submit a cancelled cheque with the account opening form and other KYC documents.
EMIs
Banks offer various loans whose payments can be made on an EMI basis. They will insist on a cancelled cheque to complete the process. A cancelled cheque is necessary for finalising EMI payments.
Insurance
When you buy an insurance policy, such as term plan, endowment plan or health plan, you will be asked to handover a cancelled cheque to the insurance company.