Bank statements for a UK visa — how to check the 28-day funds rule in Excel

Most UK visa refusals on financial grounds are not about how much money the applicant has — they are about the balance dipping below the required amount for a single day inside the 28-day window, or the statement being a day too old. Both are things you can check yourself in a spreadsheet before you submit. This guide shows how. It is not immigration advice; the rules are in the Home Office's Appendix Finance and change — check the current version.

The rule in one sentence

For routes that require "funds" (Student, Child Student, Skilled Worker where the sponsor doesn't certify maintenance, and several others), the required amount must have been held for 28 consecutive days, and the closing balance date of the statement you submit must be no more than 31 days before the application date. If the balance falls below the threshold for even one day in those 28, the requirement is not met.

Other countries apply similar logic: Canada's study permit needs proof of funds (often 4 months of statements), Australia's student visa asks for 12 months of living costs, Schengen visas ask for 3–6 months of statements with a minimum daily amount.

Step 1 — Get the statements as PDF

Download the official PDF statements from your bank for the period covering the 28 days plus a margin either side. Screenshots and app exports are frequently rejected; the PDF with the bank's name, your name and account number on every page is what caseworkers expect. Keep these originals — the spreadsheet is only for your own checking.

Step 2 — Convert to Excel

Upload each PDF on Rowvert and download the Excel file. You get one row per transaction with the Balance column as a real number. A 100-page pack for $12 covers most applications; 1 page a day is free.

Statements in another language or currency convert too — the layout is what matters, not the words.

Step 3 — Build the daily balance

The Balance column only has a value on days with a transaction. The rule is about every day, so:

1. In a new sheet, list every date from the start to the end of your window in column A (type the first date, drag down).
2. In column B, look up the last known balance on or before that date: =LOOKUP(2, 1/(Transactions!A$2:A$500<=A2), Transactions!E$2:E$500) (A = dates, E = balance on the Transactions sheet).
3. In column C, convert to GBP if the account is in another currency, using the exchange rate rule the guidance specifies (the Home Office uses OANDA rates on the application date).

Step 4 — Test the 28-day window

With the daily balances in column C and the threshold in cell F1:

• Lowest balance in the window: =MIN(C2:C29) for a 28-row range. It must be ≥ F1.
• Rolling check for any 28-day window: in D29, =MIN(C2:C29), fill down; every value from the earliest qualifying window onward should be ≥ F1. The first date where it is tells you when the 28 days were satisfied.
• Statement age: =TODAY() - MAX(Transactions!A:A) must be ≤ 31 on the day you apply.

If the lowest balance is below the threshold, the fix is not to explain it — it is to wait until you have 28 clean days and download a fresh statement.

Step 5 — Explain large deposits

Sort the Excel file by Credit, largest first. Any big one-off deposit inside the window will be questioned ("was this money borrowed for the application?"). Prepare evidence for each: a transfer from a parent needs a letter and their statement; a salary needs a payslip; a property sale needs the completion statement.

What to submit

• The bank's original PDF statements (all pages, including blank ones).
• If the account is not in your name, the sponsor's statements plus the relationship evidence the route requires.
• Not the spreadsheet — but you will know, before you pay the fee, that the numbers work.

Related: Rowvert for visa applications · Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo statement guides.