Remote deposit or mobile deposit is the ability of a bank customer to deposit a cheque into a bank account from a remote location, without having to physically deliver the cheque to the bank. This was originally accomplished by scanning a digital image of a cheque into a computer then transmitting that image to the bank, but is now accomplished with a smartphone. The practice became legal in the United States in 2004 when the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21 Act) took effect, though banks are not required to implement the system.
This service was originally used primarily by businesses with dedicated check scanners, but with the spread of smartphones and mobile banking it is now common in consumer banks.