Redact a bank statement before sending it

Common questions

What should I redact on a bank statement?

Ask the recipient what they need to see, and remove the rest. That usually means the full account number (many people leave the last four digits so it can be matched), the sort code, transit or routing number, any card numbers, customer or reference numbers, and transactions that have nothing to do with the request, especially ones that reveal medical, legal or family matters. Keep your name, the bank's name and logo, the statement dates and the lines they asked for, such as salary deposits or the closing balance.

Will a landlord or lender accept a redacted bank statement?

Often, when they need proof of income or address and can still see your name, the bank, the dates and those lines. Some lenders, mortgage brokers and immigration offices want the complete statement, sometimes sent directly by the bank, so ask before you send one. If they will not take a redacted copy, ask whether recent payslips or a letter from your bank or employer would do instead.

Is drawing a black box over the numbers enough?

Not in most PDF editors. A box drawn on top usually leaves the text underneath, where it can be copied out or uncovered by deleting the box. The Redact step rebuilds each marked page as an image with those areas painted over, and checks that no text can be extracted from it before handing the file back. One limit: if another page links to a page you redact, a hidden copy of the original page can stay inside the file, and if the pages share one list of pictures and fonts, a picture that only the redacted page used can stay too, where a PDF inspection tool can read it. To be sure, add a small box in an empty margin of every page, so every page is rebuilt as an image and none is copied across from the original; the whole statement then becomes images without selectable text.

What if my statement is already secured or encrypted?

A PDF can open without a password and still be marked as secured or encrypted in the document properties of your PDF reader, for example when it restricts editing, copying or printing. For such a file the Redact step turns the pages you did not mark into blank pages, and the next steps carry the blank pages along. Check every page of the redacted copy before you carry on. Marking a small area in an empty margin of every page avoids it, because every page is then redrawn instead of copied. The cost is that no page keeps selectable text, and each mark shows as a small black box.

Why clear the metadata and add a password as well?

A PDF's properties can carry your name, the software that made it and its original title, and an emailed statement can be forwarded. Clearing the metadata removes those properties; a password means only the people you give it to can open the copy. Send the password separately, by text or a call rather than in the same email, ask how long they will keep the statement, and keep a copy of exactly what you sent.