Bank Fees and Charges Log

Who this is for

Every bank charge, where it came from and whether you got it back. Each fee gets a line with the account, the type, the amount and the cause, a tick if it could have been avoided and a record of any refund asked for, and the sheet totals what fees have cost after refunds.

Anyone paying overdraft, unpaid item, cash machine, foreign transaction or account fees who wants to see what they add up to, query the ones that look wrong and stop the ones that keep coming back.

What this helps you track

• Each fee with the date, account and type of charge
• What caused it, from the statement or the bank's letter
• Which fees could have been avoided
• Refunds asked for and the amount actually returned
• The total charged, refunded and the net cost for the period

How to use it

1. Write the bank, the accounts the log covers and the period at the top.
2. Go through each statement and add a line for every fee or charge, with the date, account, type and amount as shown.
3. Note what caused it, and tick avoidable if a change on your side would have prevented it.
4. If you ask the bank for a refund, tick asked and enter what was returned; the net cost and the totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
5. Tick the steps you have taken to stop repeat fees, and use the notes for complaint references and what the bank said.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Can bank charges be refunded?

A bank may agree to refund a charge if you ask, for example when it came from the bank's own error, but it is up to the bank and your account terms. If you think a charge was unfair, use the bank's complaints process and check the rules where you are.

What counts as avoidable?

Your call. A fee caused by a payment leaving before your pay arrived might be avoidable with a different payment date; a monthly fee you chose for an account's benefits might not be. The tick shows you which ones to work on.

How do I see the fees by type?

Filter the fee type column in the workbook to see one kind of charge at a time, or keep a separate copy of the sheet for the type you most want to watch. The totals cover whatever lines are on the sheet.

Is this the same as the bank account and direct debit register?

No. The register lists your accounts and the regular payments that leave them. This log records the charges the bank itself takes, and whether you got any of them back.