Published on: 7 March 2022
Modified on: 22 May 2023
A bank statement summarises all bank transaction details over a given period for every bank account held by an individual or a business. The bank statement obtained online is a form of PDF containing:
The above mentioned details one can find in a bank statement. 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.
Once your bank statement download is complete, you can easily check the bank account balance on it. Additionally, 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?
Below is a snapshot of how a typical bank statement looks like to make you more familiar with the document:
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:
A bank statement also serves as financial documentation for certain services.
You can place an online request for a bank statement and download bank statement PDF if you use internet banking. However, there are other ways to get a bank statement download too. You can get a bank statement online through official bank applications or your bank’s official website. All you need to do is register on your bank’s netbanking portal. After that, you can follow the simple steps given below for a bank statement download.
In the below image, you can see the net banking portal of a bank’s website, where you have to specify a period for a bank statement PDF download.
(source: bankingidea.org)
You can also receive a bank statement online on your registered email ID. This may occur periodically, and you normally get them in a password-protected PDF format. By default, you are not required to sign up separately for the service. Here’s how to download the PDF:
Download the bank statement PDF and follow the rules for the password, as stated in the body of the mail.
If you cannot avail netbanking services, you can still get a physical copy of your bank statement from an ATM by following these steps:
In case you receive your bank statements by mail, it’s safe to keep them for about one year. However, if you can access your bank statement digitally, then there’s no need for you to save them. This is because for most banks, you can download and print these statements even after 1-3 years. If you need older bank statements, you can also contact the bank for physical copies.
1. Who can get my bank statement?
Bank account statements are meant to be private, 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 funds your bank account receives, while debits are funds that are 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 a valid proof of address.
4. Can a bank account statement be used as proof of income?
A bank account statement not more than three months old can be considered proof of income, given that the statement comes from the bank where your salary is deposited.
5. Do bank account statements work when applying for a passport or visa?
Yes, you can submit your bank statements as a proof of address when applying for a passport. As for a visa, 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 of time. So, you can still request a bank statement even if you have not made any transactions within that time.
Category : Finance
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