Bank statement abbreviations: what BGC, DD, POS, PPD and the rest mean
2026-07-29 · 6 min read
Bank statements are full of short codes — BGC, DD, SO, POS, PPD — that banks use to say how a payment happened. They don't tell you who you paid; that's the name printed alongside. Here's what the common UK and US abbreviations mean, so no line on your statement is a mystery.
UK bank statement abbreviations
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| BGC | Bank Giro Credit — money paid in, often wages or a transfer from another bank. |
| DD | Direct Debit — a recurring payment you authorised a company to pull (bills, subscriptions). |
| SO | Standing Order — a fixed, regular payment you set up yourself (e.g. rent, savings). |
| FPI / FPO | Faster Payment In / Out — a near-instant bank transfer received or sent. |
| BAC / BACS | A BACS transfer — the standard 3-day UK bank payment (payroll, supplier payments). |
| CHAPS | A same-day, high-value bank transfer (often used for house purchases). |
| TFR | Transfer — money moved between accounts, often your own. |
| DR / CR | Debit (money out) / Credit (money in). |
| POS | Point of Sale — a card payment made in person or online. |
| ATM | Cash withdrawn from a cash machine. |
| CHG | Charge — a bank fee. |
| INT | Interest paid to or charged on the account. |
| OD | Overdraft — the account is (or went) below zero. |
US bank statement abbreviations
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| PPD | Prearranged Payment and Deposit — an ACH code for recurring consumer transactions like payroll direct deposit or a monthly bill. |
| CCD | Corporate Credit or Debit — an ACH code for business-to-business payments. |
| WEB | An ACH payment you authorised online. |
| TEL | An ACH payment you authorised over the phone. |
| ACH | Automated Clearing House — the US bank network behind most transfers, direct deposits and auto-payments. |
| POS | Point of Sale — an in-person or online card purchase. |
| ATM | Cash withdrawn from a cash machine. |
| NSF | Non-Sufficient Funds — a fee charged when a payment bounced for lack of money. |
| INT | Interest paid to or charged on the account. |
| DEP | Deposit — money paid in. |
The code isn't the whole story
An abbreviation only describes the payment type. What usually confuses people is the merchant descriptor that follows — a cryptic string like SQ *SOME LLC or PP*XYZ. Those are payment processors (Square, PayPal) standing in front of the business you actually paid. If a line still doesn't make sense, paste the descriptor into the charge identifier and it'll name the real merchant — or read the guides for SQ*, PP* and other common prefixes.
Frequently asked questions
What does PPD mean on a bank statement?
PPD stands for Prearranged Payment and Deposit — an ACH transaction code used for recurring consumer payments and deposits, such as a payroll direct deposit or a monthly bill you set up. It describes how the payment was made, not who it was to; the company name usually appears alongside it.
What does BGC mean on a bank statement (UK)?
BGC is a Bank Giro Credit — money paid into your account, commonly wages, a refund, or a transfer from someone at another bank.
What's the difference between a Direct Debit (DD) and a Standing Order (SO)?
A Standing Order is a fixed amount you tell your bank to pay on a schedule (like rent). A Direct Debit lets a company pull a variable amount you've authorised (like a utility bill), and the amount can change.
The abbreviation is followed by a company name I don't recognise — what now?
The code tells you the payment type; the text after it names the merchant or biller. If that name is a cryptic descriptor, paste the whole line into our free charge identifier to see the real business behind it before you worry about it.