It reads layouts, not logos.
Most banks print their transactions in one of a few table shapes. If yours matches one below, it should read — and the free check will tell you within seconds whether it did.
Separate money-out and money-in columns, with a running balance
Common with credit unions, community banks and many UK and Asian banks. Every row is proven by the balance after it.
Date Description Withdrawals Deposits Balance
03/02/2026 Zelle Payment From M. Chen 1,936.96 4,387.14
03/02/2026 Card Purchase Home Depot #6612 288.76 4,098.38
Ref 485622977
One signed amount column, with a running balance
Negative amounts written as −12.00, (12.00) or 12.00-; balances with CR / DR suffixes are understood, including an overdrawn account.
Date Transaction details Amount Balance 03/04/2026 EFTPOS Woolworths 1123 Sydney -84.10 1,204.55 CR 05/04/2026 Salary Bluegum Pty Ltd 1,450.00 2,654.55 CR
Sections without a running balance
The layout used by several large US banks: a summary at the top, then “Deposits and additions”, “ATM & debit card withdrawals”, “Electronic withdrawals” and so on, each with its own Date / Description / Amount table. The section heading gives the sign, and the rows are proven against the summary totals.
DEPOSITS AND ADDITIONS DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT 03/02 Direct Deposit Acme Logistics Payroll $2,180.00 ATM & DEBIT CARD WITHDRAWALS DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT 03/03 Card Purchase 03/02 Whole Foods #102 $86.13
Date once per day, balance at the end of the day
Typical of UK current accounts. Rows without a date take the date above them; each day is checked as a block against its closing balance. “Balance brought forward” and “carried forward” lines are recognised and not counted as transactions.
Date Payment type and details Paid out Paid in Balance
06 Feb 2026 FPO J BLOGGS 80.04
SO COUNCIL TAX 144.67
DEB PRET A MANGER 64.28 2,412.06
Dates and amounts
- 03/14, 03/14/2026, 14/03/2026, 2026-03-14, 14 Mar 2026, Mar 14 — with or without a year on each row.
- 1,234.56 · (1,234.56) · −1,234.56 · 1,234.56- · 1.234,56 · 1 234,56 · $ £ € prefixes · CR / DR suffixes.
What does not read
- Scans and phone photos. There is no text in them. Download the PDF from online banking instead.
- Password-protected PDFs. Open the file and print it to a new PDF without a password.
- Tables without a header row, and headers in languages other than English.
- Exports that are already spreadsheets. If your bank offers CSV or OFX downloads for the period you need, use those — they are better than any PDF conversion.
Credit card statements
Card statements with a Date / Description / Amount table read like any other section. They rarely print a running balance, and their totals run the other way round (a purchase raises what you owe), so the check often cannot prove the rows. When that happens the page says so plainly; compare a few rows with the statement by eye.