DocMuse is a private, paid service run by The Muse Technology EOOD (Bulgaria). It is not a government website and is not connected with GOV.UK, mygov.scot, nidirect, any courts and tribunals service or any other public body. It is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland or any other legal regulator, so no legal ombudsman or legal complaints body can consider complaints about it; its documents are not legal advice.
Letter asking your bank to close your account (UK)
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales · in English · for consumers
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
10 questions · about 4 min
Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Fill in the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
- Instant download after payment
- Backup link emailed to you
- No account needed
For a customer who wants to close a current account with a bank or building society. Under regulation 51 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017 you can end a current account at any time, subject to a notice period of up to one month if your terms set one, and closing is free once the account has been open for six months. The letter asks the bank to close the account, cancel cards and payments, pay the remaining balance to another account and confirm the closure in writing. Most banks also close accounts free in the app, by phone or in a branch.
- Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You want to close a current account with a bank in the UK.
- You do not use banking apps and want to close your account by letter.
- You are moving abroad and need to close your bank account.
- You want the balance transferred and the closure confirmed in writing.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Bank
- Address of the bank that holds the account
- Sort code
- Account number
- Bank account
Common questions
- Can my bank charge me for closing my current account?
- Not once the account has been open for six months: under regulation 51 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017, as restated from 28 April 2026, closing is then free, and before that any charge must reasonably reflect the bank's actual costs. You may end it at any time, subject to a notice period of up to one month if your terms set one. Savings accounts with fixed terms or notice periods follow their own terms.
- Is there a free and faster way to move my bank account?
- Yes. To move to another bank, use the Current Account Switch Service through your new bank: it moves your balance, Direct Debits and standing orders in seven working days, free, and closes the old account. This letter is for closing an account outright, or when the app, phone or branch route is not available to you.
- Can I close a joint bank account on my own?
- It depends on the account's terms: many banks need every holder to agree to close a joint account, although one holder can often ask for it to be frozen or for their own name to be removed. Ask the bank before sending this letter; where all holders must agree, send one letter signed by each.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Letter telling a company you have cancelled a Direct Debit or standing order (UK)
For a customer who has cancelled a Direct Debit or standing order with their bank — usually in online banking, free and at once — and needs to tell the company it paid. Cancelling the payment does not end a contract or a debt, so the letter states your position: the contract has ended, you will pay another way, or you dispute the charges. Under the Direct Debit Guarantee, your bank refunds at once any payment taken in error. Send it by email and by first class post.
- Request for a copy of your credit agreement under the Consumer Credit Act (UK)
For a borrower with a loan, credit card, store card or catalogue account regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 who wants a copy of the agreement and a statement of the account. Under section 77 (fixed-sum credit such as a loan) or section 78 (running-account credit such as a credit card), the creditor must send them within 12 working days of a written request with a £1 fee; while it fails to, it cannot enforce the agreement. Send it with the fee, first class with a certificate of posting.
- Claim to your bank for a refund after a bank transfer scam (UK)
For a personal customer tricked into sending money by bank transfer to a fraudster — a fake investment, a purchase that never existed, a caller pretending to be the bank or the police. Under the reimbursement rules for authorised push payment scams, your bank must normally refund payments made by Faster Payments or CHAPS since 7 October 2024, up to £85,000, if you claim within 13 months of the last payment. The letter makes the claim in writing and asks for a decision; if refused, the Financial Ombudsman Service is free.
- Complaint to your bank or another financial firm (UK)
For a customer with a complaint about a bank, building society, credit card company, lender, pension or investment firm — a charge, a refused or wrong payment, poor service, a mistake or a mis-sold product. The letter is the formal complaint the FCA's rules require the firm to answer: within 15 business days for most payment-services complaints, and within eight weeks otherwise. After its final response, or once the time has passed, you can take it free to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months.
- Letter before claim for money a private person owes you (England and Wales)
For a private individual owed money by another individual — an unrepaid loan, a share of a bill, money paid for something never handed over. The letter sets out the debt and gives 14 days to pay or reply, as the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct expects, and says you will otherwise claim in the County Court through Money Claim Online. It is not the letter of claim a business sends an individual, which follows the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims. Send it first class with a certificate of posting, and by email.
- Offer of reduced payments to a creditor when money is tight (UK)
For a borrower or customer who cannot keep up with a loan, credit card, overdraft or bill after a change such as job loss, illness or a cut in income. The letter explains what has changed, offers a monthly payment you can afford and asks the creditor to accept it, freeze interest and charges, and confirm in writing. FCA rules require lenders to treat customers in financial difficulty with forbearance. Free debt advice is also available from MoneyHelper, StepChange and Citizens Advice anywhere in the UK, from National Debtline in Great Britain, and from Advice Direct Scotland and Advice NI. Send it by email and by first class post.