Bank Statement: All you need to know

  • Updated on: 31 Jan 2024
  • Published on: 7 Mar 2022
Bank Statement: All you need to know

What is a Bank Account Statement?

bank statement summarises all bank transaction details over a given period for every bank account held by an individual or a business. It also provides a salary statement from the bank and acts as a proof of income. An online bank statement is a form of PDF containing:

  • Your name 
  • Account number
  • Bank data
  • Charges
  • Deposits
  • Withdrawals 
  • Deductions
  • Closing bank account balance

Now that you have an answer to the question, ‘what is a bank statement?’, here are some additional pointers about the bank statement that you must know.

How to read a bank statement online?

Once you download the bank statement, you can easily check the bank account balance on it. You can also find a few more bank details mentioned in the bank statement PDF. It is crucial to understand these details, as they directly concern your finances. 

So, what shows up on your bank statement?

  • Statement cycle: The date range of your bank statement
  • Personal and bank account details: Holds your name, address and account number
  • Bank information: Bank’s name and logo, phone numbers, details of help centre, etc., so you can reach out to them should the need arise
  • Bank account activity: A detailed breakdown of every transaction of the account
  • Bank account summary: Your starting balance, the total number of additions and withdrawals and the ending account balance
  • Transaction dates: The date on which the bank processes a transaction made through the account
  • Credits and debits: Details of fund addition and deduction from your bank account

Below is a snapshot of how a typical bank statement looks like to make you more familiar with the document:

What are the benefits of a bank statement?

The purpose of a bank statement is to summarise all bank account activities within a certain period.  A few benefits of a bank statement include:

  • You can easily review all transactions in your bank account
  • Lenders like Fibe need you to submit a bank statement PDF to apply for a personal loan or an instant cash loan
  • Credit card firms and banks also need bank statements to validate your loan application
  • If you apply for any mortgage, credit or financial help, you must submit your bank transaction details for income and employment verification

A bank statement also serves as financial documentation for certain services. Now that you know that a bank statement is necessary when applying for any finance, here is how to show salary in a bank statement to apply for a loan. 

How to download a bank statement in PDF?

As mentioned above, proof of income is necessary to avail of a credit facility. You may be wondering, “How to get a salary credit bank statement to apply for a loan.” You can request a bank statement online and download a bank statement PDF if you use internet banking. 

However, there are other ways to download a bank statement, too. You can get a bank statement online through an official bank application. All you need to do is register on your bank’s net banking portal. After that, you can follow the simple steps given below to download a bank statement.

  • Visit your bank’s app or official website
  • Log in to your net banking account with your username and password
  • Click on any of these options as applicable: ‘Bank account statement’, ‘Download e-document’ or ‘View your transaction history’ 
  • Select the date range for your bank statement
  • Click on the ‘Download PDF’ option
  • For banks that do not provide a download option, you can select the print option and then save the document as a PDF

In the below image, you can see the net banking portal of a bank’s website, where you have to specify a period to download a bank statement PDF.

(source: bankingidea.org)

How to download a bank account statement from an e-mail?

You can also receive a bank statement online on your registered email ID. This may occur periodically; you usually get them in a password-protected PDF format. You don’t need to sign up separately for the service by default. Here’s how to download the bank statement PDF from your email: 

  • Log in to your registered email account
  • Search for the terms ‘Bank statement’, ‘Account statement’ or ‘Transaction summary’
  • Click on the attached PDF and download it once you find the respective email

To download the bank statement in PDF, follow the rules for the password, as stated in the body of the mail.

How to get a bank account statement without Net Banking?

If you cannot avail of net banking services, you can still get a physical copy of your bank statement from an ATM by following these steps:

  • Visit your bank’s nearest ATM with your debit or credit card
  • Enter your PIN
  • Select the ‘Get mini statement’ or ‘Print mini statement’ option you find on the screen
  • Receive a copy of your bank statement instantly

How to keep your bank account statement safe?

If you receive your bank statements by mail, keeping them for about one year is safe. However, if you can access your bank statement digitally, you don’t need to save them. This is because, for most banks, you can download and print these statements even after 1-3 years. You can also contact the bank for physical copies if you need older bank statements.

Bank Statement Vs. Transaction History

Bank StatementTransaction History
Contains more information than just the listing of all transactions for a given time.This is a record of all transactions within a period.
It has the bank logo, your full name, address, account number, opening balance, closing balance and transactions made during the statement.A transaction history only has the bank logo, the account number, a list of all transactions made in the given period and a running balance.

If you wish to apply for a loan, you will need to submit a bank account statement as proof of income. Choose Fibe to avail of an Instant Personal Loan ranging between ₹5,000 to ₹5 lakhs in just a few minutes. Download the Fibe Personal Loan App or register on our website to apply for it.

FAQs on Bank Statements

1. Who can get my bank statement?

Bank account statements are private documents, so you are the only person who can get your bank statement by any legal means.

2. What do credit and debit on a bank account statement mean?

Credits are the funds your bank account receives, while debits are funds deducted from your bank account. 

3. Can a bank account statement be used as an address-proof document?

Yes, according to the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), your latest bank statement is among the documents accepted as valid proof of address.

4. Can a bank account statement be used as proof of income?

Lenders consider your bank account statement of not more than three months old as proof of income, given that the statement comes from the bank where your salary is deposited. Hence, you can use a salary statement from bank to apply for a loan.

5. Do bank account statements work when applying for a passport or visa?

Yes, you can submit your bank statements as proof of address when applying for a passport. For a visa, too, you have to submit a bank statement. 

6. Can I get a bank account statement without a balance?

Yes, even if you don’t have a balance in your bank account, you can still download a bank statement PDF through your bank’s digital banking services.

7. Can I get a bank account statement without transactions?

A bank account statement contains more than just the record of transactions you made within a specified period. So, you can still request a bank statement even if you have not made any transactions within that time.

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