What is a bank statement?

You can usually keep track of your money 24/7 with online and mobile banking, including checking your balance and monitoring payments in or out – including pending payments due to leave your account.

A bank statement is just an official record of this, so you have a history of all your transactions. It usually covers the last month, three months or year.

A bank statement is also commonly accepted as proof of your address, which you might need to rent a property or apply for benefits and financial products.

You can view an example bank statement at Lloyds Bank AcademyOpens in a new window

To get a bank statement, you’ll need to open a bank account first.

Many bank statements are paperless, which means you’ll usually need to log in to online or mobile banking to view them.

You can typically see bank statements for the last year online, but some banks or building societies will let you view older statements too.

You can also ask your bank or building society to send you a copy in the post, either by calling their customer services team or visiting a local branch – but there might be a charge for this.

You can usually download a copy of any bank statement found in your online or mobile banking account. You can then save, print or email it.

Always store your bank statement in a safe location and only share it with people you trust. Someone could potentially use the information on your bank statement to commit fraud, like opening accounts in your name.

If you no longer need it, it’s best to tear it into small pieces before recycling it.

Bank statements can be confusing as they often use codes to shorten the types of transaction you make. For example:

• FPI stands for faster payment inwards (a bank transfer you’ve received from someone else)
• FPO stands for faster payment outwards (a bank transfer you’ve made to someone else)
• STO or S/O stands for standing order (a regular payment you set up yourself)
• DDR or D/D stands for Direct Debit (a regular payment a company sets up)
• CHG stands for bank charge, such as a fee to make or stop a transaction.

Retailers you’ve bought from might also appear as different names.

For example, you might see ‘Zettle’ on your bank statement rather than the name of the retailer – Zettle is the name of PayPal’s service so businesses can accept card payment.

See MoneySavingExpert’s guide to bank statement abbreviationsOpens in a new window for other common examples.

If you don’t recognise a transaction on your bank statement, quickly report it to your bank or building society for them to investigate.

This usually means your account will be frozen to stop more money being taken. For example, your debit card might be cancelled and a new one sent out.

If you’ve been a victim of a scam or a fraud, you can often get any money you’ve lost refunded.

For more information, see our guide Am I being scammed?

If you’re asked to prove where you live, you can usually use photo ID like your driving licence.

If you don’t have one, check if a bank statement is an acceptable proof of address. If it is, your bank statement will usually need to be less than three months old.

You can typically use a downloaded copy of your bank statement, but you’ll often need a different document to prove your identity, like a passport or utility bill.

For more help, see How to beat ID issues.