Current Account Switching Checklist

Who this is for

Move banks without losing a payment. Compare up to three accounts, list every payment in and out of the old one with a tick as each is moved, and work through the stages from opening the new account to closing the old.

Anyone moving their everyday banking to a new provider, whether for lower fees, a better app, a branch nearby or a joint account, and anyone helping a relative change banks.

What this helps you track

• Fees, overdraft terms, cash access and app features side by side
• Every direct debit, standing order, card payment and income to move
• A tick for each payment once it is set up and seen working
• Money left in the old account until everything has moved
• Old statements saved and the old account closed properly

How to use it

1. Fill the comparison for up to three accounts from each provider's own fee and terms pages, and write the one you choose at the top.
2. Go through the old account's statements and list every payment in and out, going back far enough to catch the yearly ones.
3. Open the new account, and ask whether the new provider offers a switching service where you are and what it moves for you.
4. Tick Moved as each payment is set up on the new account, and Seen once it has gone through.
5. Leave money in the old account until nothing more is leaving it, save the old statements, then close it.
6. Work on paper, or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser.

Formats

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

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 online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

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

Will the new bank move everything for me?

In some countries banks offer a switching service that moves direct debits, standing orders and incoming payments. Check what is offered where you are and what it covers; payments taken from your card usually need updating with each company yourself.

Why keep money in the old account?

Payments you have not found yet may still try to leave it. Money left there until every payment has moved stops a missed bill or a charge, and the statements show anything you overlooked.

How far back should I look in my statements?

Far enough to catch payments that come round once a year, such as insurance, memberships and subscriptions, as well as the monthly ones. Check card statements too, for subscriptions paid by card.

How is this different from the bank account and direct debit register?

The register is a standing record of your accounts and the payments leaving them. This checklist is for the one-off job of moving them, with the comparison before and the closing steps after.