Reading them can be quite confusing. Here’s some help...
Even though they are important documents that land in the mailbox of account holders at the end of each month or quarter, bank account statements hardly ever get a second look. Unless, of course, it is time to submit them to the chartered accountant for the annual income tax computation.
Most, unfortunately, give the document a cursory glance. And that, too, to check the balance. The fact is that it contains many more details.
Transactions like deposits, withdrawals, debit card purchases, cheques written and other monthly deductions from the account for paying other businesses — along with bank charges or fees — are included in the statement.
“A bank account statement reveals the small charges that you pay as a customer for different transactions. Sometimes, they may add up to a substantial sum,” says Vidya Patel, a financial advisor.
The account summary gives the basics — opening balance, amount credited, amount debited and closing balance. But that’s not all.
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Start with the basics (the top of the account statement):
Customer ID and account number: These are unique numbers that belong to you. A single ID is assigned to you even if you hold more than one account with the bank. However, each account will have a different account number.
Account type: Whether it is a savings or a current account.
Account status: Actively-operated accounts are marked ‘Regular’. No transaction for six months makes them dormant. To re-activate or make a transaction, the branch has to be contacted.
Overdraft facility: Based on the type of the account (current) or as against a fixed deposit, the overdraft amount is mentioned.
Nomination: The beneficiaries of your account, especially if held by a single person, are mentioned at the start of the statement. It is important to have a beneficiary as it is difficult to make claims in case of a mishap or the account holder’s death.
Reading the details
Look at the particulars or the narration part. This gives details of transactions, along with dates, withdrawals, deposits and the closing balance. If transactions are through cheques, cheque numbers are also given.
While describing a particular transaction, the nomenclature can be different for each bank. Some banks are more customer-friendly and explain abbreviations at the end. Others test your knowledge of cryptology.
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‘CHQ DEP-MICR CLG-CLEARI’ is one way to describe a cheque deposited in your account. Some might even give details of the cheque issuer and the bank. For instance, the narration would read as, ‘XYZ INDIA 55555 HDFC’. And your chartered accountant will be quite thankful for these details. In cases they do not give these details, you may have to keep a record to avoid confusion at the end of the year.
There are two more columns: The Autosweep and the Reverse sweep. The Autosweep facility allows a bank to convert funds from your account into a fixed deposit (FD). However, if there are insufficient funds for a cheque payment, the Reverse Auto sweep is initiated. Funds from FD are transferred to the account to make the payment. The interest on FD is calculated depending on the tenure chosen by you and how much and how soon (prematurely) the funds are withdrawn.