Bank Statement Abbreviations: A Plain-English Glossary
Bank statements are full of short codes: ACH DEBIT, POS PUR, NSF FEE, PPD, BGC, FPO. Most are standard, a few vary by bank, and some mean different things in different countries. This glossary covers the abbreviations you're most likely to see on US and UK statements, plus the codes hidden inside ACH descriptions and the terms on a credit card statement.
One caution first. There's no single official list. Banks choose their own labels, and the same letters can mean different things. "DD" can be a direct deposit on a US statement but is a Direct Debit on a UK one. If a code on your statement doesn't fit any meaning here, check your bank's help pages or call them.
Common abbreviations (US and general)
| Abbreviation | Meaning | What it usually tells you |
|---|---|---|
| ACH | Automated Clearing House | An electronic transfer through the US ACH network: payroll, bill payments, transfers between banks |
| ACH CREDIT / ACH CR | ACH credit | Money in, such as a direct deposit or a refund |
| ACH DEBIT / ACH DR | ACH debit | Money out, such as an autopay bill |
| ADJ | Adjustment | The bank corrected an earlier entry |
| APY | Annual percentage yield | The yearly interest you earn, including compounding |
| ATM | Automated teller machine | A cash withdrawal or deposit at a machine |
| ATM W/D | ATM withdrawal | Cash taken out at an ATM |
| BAL | Balance | The account balance at that point |
| BAL FWD / BAL B/F | Balance forward / brought forward | The balance carried in from the previous statement or page |
| C/F | Carried forward | The balance carried to the next page or statement |
| CHK / CK | Check | A paper check you wrote that has cleared, often with its number |
| CR | Credit | Money into a bank account (on a card statement, a payment or refund) |
| DD | Direct deposit (US) / Direct Debit (UK) | On some US statements, pay or benefits coming in. In the UK, a payment a company collects from you |
| DIR DEP | Direct deposit | Pay, benefits or other money deposited electronically |
| DDA | Demand deposit account | Bank shorthand for a checking account |
| DEP | Deposit | Money paid in |
| DR | Debit | Money out of the account. Next to a balance, it can mean the account is overdrawn |
| EFT | Electronic funds transfer | A general term for any electronic payment |
| FEE / SVC CHG / SC | Fee / service charge | A charge from the bank, such as a monthly maintenance fee |
| FX / FOREIGN TXN FEE | Foreign exchange / foreign transaction fee | A charge for a purchase or withdrawal in another currency |
| INT | Interest | Interest paid to you, or charged to you on a loan or overdraft |
| NSF | Non-sufficient funds | A payment was returned, or a fee charged, because the balance was too low |
| OD | Overdraft / overdrawn | The balance went below zero, or an overdraft fee was charged |
| PMT / PYMT | Payment | A payment made, or received on a loan or card account |
| POS | Point of sale | A card purchase at a merchant. Despite the name, it can be online |
| PUR | Purchase | A card purchase, often shown as POS PUR |
| REF | Reference or refund | Usually a reference number; on some statements, a refund. Check the amount's direction |
| REV | Reversal | An earlier transaction was undone |
| WD / WDL / W/D | Withdrawal | Money taken out |
| WIRE | Wire transfer | A bank-to-bank wire, often with a fee on a separate line |
| XFER / TFR / TRF | Transfer | Money moved between accounts |
| YTD | Year to date | Totals since January 1, such as interest or fees for the year |
ACH entry codes (PPD, CCD, WEB and others)
US ACH transactions carry a three-letter Standard Entry Class (SEC) code set by Nacha, the organization that runs the ACH rules. Many banks print it in the description. It tells you how the payment was authorized.
| Code | Name | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| PPD | Prearranged Payment and Deposit | Consumer payments set up in advance: payroll direct deposit, recurring bills |
| CCD | Corporate Credit or Debit | Payments between business accounts |
| WEB | Internet-Initiated/Mobile Entry | A consumer debit authorized online or in an app |
| TEL | Telephone-Initiated Entry | A consumer debit authorized over the phone |
| CTX | Corporate Trade Exchange | Business payments that carry detailed remittance data, such as many invoices in one payment |
| ARC | Accounts Receivable Entry | A paper check you mailed that the payee converted into an electronic debit |
| BOC | Back Office Conversion | A check given at a store or counter, converted to an electronic debit later |
| POP | Point-of-Purchase Entry | A check converted to an electronic debit at the checkout |
Fields inside an ACH description
Some banks print the parts of the ACH record as labeled fields. Labels differ by bank, but these are common:
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ORIG CO NAME | Originating company name: who sent or pulled the money |
| CO ENTRY DESCR / DES | Company entry description, such as PAYROLL or AUTOPAY |
| CO ID / ORIG ID | The company's ACH identification number |
| IND NAME / INDN | Individual name: the person on the receiving end |
| IND ID / ID | Individual ID: often your customer or employee number with that company |
| SEC | Standard Entry Class code (PPD, CCD, WEB and so on) |
| TRACE# | The ACH trace number, useful if you need the bank to research a payment |
| EED | Effective entry date: the date the payment was meant to settle |
UK statement codes
UK banks use their own set. Several are shared across banks; the exact list varies by provider.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BACS / BAC | An electronic payment through the Bacs system, often salary or supplier payments |
| BGC | Bank Giro Credit: money paid in, such as cash or a cheque deposited at a branch |
| BP / BBP | Bill payment: a payment to a person or organisation you set up |
| CHAPS | A same-day sterling transfer, often for large or urgent payments such as a house purchase |
| CHG | A charge from the bank |
| CHQ | Cheque paid in or paid out |
| COR | Correction of an earlier transaction |
| CPT | Cashpoint: a cash machine withdrawal |
| DD / DDR | Direct Debit: a payment a company collects with your permission |
| DEB | Debit card payment |
| DIV | Dividend from shares you hold |
| FPI | Faster Payment in: money received through the Faster Payments system |
| FPO | Faster Payment out: money you sent through Faster Payments |
| MPI / MPO | Mobile payment in / mobile payment out |
| SAL | Salary paid in |
| SO / STO | Standing order: a regular fixed payment you told your bank to make |
| TFR / TRF | Transfer between accounts |
| TLR | A transaction carried out with branch staff |
| UNP | Unpaid item, such as a cheque that bounced |
Credit card statement terms
Card statements use more words and fewer codes, but the layout confuses people because the "balance" is what you owe. On US statements, fees and interest also appear under their own headings, "Fees" and "Interest Charged", with totals for the period and the year to date. Federal rules (Regulation Z) require that grouping.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Previous balance | What you owed at the end of the last statement |
| New balance | What you owe at the end of this statement period |
| Payments and credits | Money that reduced the balance: payments, refunds, returns |
| Purchases | New charges in the period |
| Cash advance | Cash taken against the card, usually with its own fee and APR |
| Balance transfer | Debt moved from another card |
| APR | Annual percentage rate: the yearly cost of borrowing |
| Minimum payment due | The least you must pay by the due date to avoid a late fee |
| Statement closing date | The last day included on this statement |
| Trans date / Post date | When you made the purchase / when the issuer recorded it |
| Credit limit / Available credit | Your maximum balance / how much of it you can still use |
How to identify a transaction you don't recognize
- Read the full description, not just the first word. The merchant name, a city or state, and a phone number are often in there.
- For ACH lines, look at the originating company name and the entry description. "PAYROLL" or "AUTOPAY" usually explains it.
- Check the last four digits of the card number if the description shows them. A joint account holder or authorized user may have made the charge.
- Look for a matching refund or reversal a few days later.
- If you still can't place it, contact your bank. Many have a dispute deadline that starts from the statement date, so don't wait.
Working with statements in a spreadsheet
Codes are easier to scan and filter in Excel than in a PDF. Put the transactions in a sheet, add a column with =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("NSF",B2)),"Fee",""), and you can find every NSF line in a year of statements in seconds. Swap "NSF" for any code you're hunting for.
StatementCheap converts PDF bank and credit card statements to Excel or CSV and keeps each description as printed on the statement, abbreviations included, so you can search and filter them yourself. Every conversion is checked against the statement's opening and closing balances. You get 5 free pages a day with a free account: just an email, no card. Convert a statement, or see bank statement to Excel and bank statement to CSV.
Skip the copy-paste
Convert a PDF statement to Excel, CSV or QuickBooks in seconds, checked against its balances. 5 free pages a day.
Convert a statement free