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In a nutshell
Your bank account number is a unique identification number for your bank account. The length of the number is set by your bank.
- Without a bank account number for payments and debits, your bank can’t process payments and debits.
- Securing your bank account number is one way to avoid becoming a victim of theft or fraud.
- If you need to change your bank account number, your bank can help.
How a bank account number works
When you open a bank account, it’s assigned a unique number that identifies it to your bank and businesses. While the number won’t be the same as any other person’s bank account number, the structure will be similar, as it identifies the bank and branch, as well as the account holder.
What is a bank account number used for?
Your account number can be used when someone, such as your employer, deposits money into your account or when you want to make a payment using your bank’s bill pay service. If you write and pay for something with checks, the account number on the check is part of the information needed by a business to complete the payment transaction.
What is the difference between a routing number and an account number?
If you look at a check, you’ll see two numbers printed on the bottom: an account number and a routing number. These numbers have different purposes:
- A routing number identifies your bank. All account holders at that bank may share the same routing number. The number helps “route” money to and from the appropriate bank when making or receiving payments.
- An account number identifies your specific checking, savings or other bank account. It’s unique to you, and no one else at your bank will have the same number. You can, however, have multiple unique bank account numbers if you have multiple separate accounts.
How to locate your bank account number
You can find your bank account number in one of a few ways:
- Contact your bank and ask.
- Log in to your online account and click to see the full number. This may require additional verification, such as a two-factor authentication through your phone’s text service or email.
- Look at the bottom of your check. It will be the second number listed. The number in the bottom left corner is the routing number.
You can also find your account number on a recent bank statement. However, due to security reasons, many banks have stopped providing the full account number on documents and may show only the last few digits.
How to protect your bank account number
Since a bank account number is sensitive financial information, you’ll want to prevent others from seeing it. This can help prevent fraud and theft. To keep it secure:
- Don’t give it out to others, especially with other personally identifiable information (PII), such as your full name, address, phone number, email or Social Security number. Only share this information if you start the call or conversation with a reputable financial representative and can verify that they are who they say they are.
- Don’t leave physical checks laying around, and destroy deposited or voided checks by shredding them. If you suspect a check has been lost or stolen, call the bank right away to stop payment on it.
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Your unique bank account number plays an important role in identifying your account for payments and debits. While there are many ways for you to access it, it’s smart to keep it under wraps and not share it with any unauthorized person or business.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How do I protect my bank account number?
One of the better ways to protect your bank account number is to keep it to yourself. Don’t share it with anyone who doesn’t need to know it. Securely destroy all documents that have the number listed on them when you no longer need them.
Can I change my bank account number?
You can likely have your bank number changed, but it will take your bank's help to do so. Contact them with your concerns, and provide the information needed to make the switch. Note that once you do this, you’ll need to update all the places that use your old account number to make payments, such as any businesses that use automated billing.
Is the bank account number on a card?
Banks don’t typically print your account number on any sort of card. Also, your debit and credit cards will have other unique numbers on them (not your account number). If you don’t remember your account number, you can contact your bank or log in through your secure online account portal to find that information. Checks may have the number printed on them, as well.
How long is a bank account number?
The length of a bank account number varies by country. In the U.S., banks set their own account number length. The number averages eight to 12 digits, but can be longer or shorter.
This content is created by AP Buyline in accordance with AP’s editorial guidelines and supervised and edited by AP staff. Our evaluations and opinions are not influenced by our advertising relationships, but we may earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content. Learn more about AP Buyline here.
