Common questions and answers about our Online Service

Money sent to us via Faster Payment may take until the end of the next working day to show on your account online. If you're concerned a payment hasn't gone through after this period, please call us and we'll be happy to check.

Once logged in to the Online Service, go into the account you wish to take money from and click on ‘Add or withdraw money’. Follow this through like a normal withdrawal then select the account you want to fund as the destination account.

This may be because the electronic identity check we did for you wasn’t successful. This can happen for a number of reasons and is nothing to worry about. We’ll send you an email or a secure message if we need any extra identification documents from you.

Please do not try to pay into your new account until we’ve been able to complete our identity checks as any money you send will be returned to you.

If you need any help in the meantime, please contact our dedicated Online Support Team 03300 243406

When you’re setting up a new payment or amending an existing payment, the payee details are checked through Confirmation of Payee (CoP). CoP is an account name checking service to help make sure your payment goes to the right account. These checks are designed to help stop payments going to the wrong account by spotting possible mistakes and adding extra security steps to prevent fraud. You can find out more here. 

If your payee's account details do not match, it may be because we still need to send the new account details on to the bank/building society. Whilst we aim to action this as soon as possible please allow until the end of the next working day after your account is activated for the payee to match.

Alternatively, you can add money to your savings account by debit card as soon as your account is active. To do so you must be registered for our Online Service.

If you have any questions please contact our friendly service team on 03330 140144.

You have 15 days from the date you applied for your savings account, to add your initial funds and provide any identification documents (if required).

If the funds you want to add to the account will not be available until after the 15 day period, this account may not be suitable for you. 

You can either send us a secure message stating how much you would like to withdraw and which account you would like the funds to go to, or contact our dedicated Online Support Team on 03300 243406

You can send us an online secure message, call us on 03330 140144 or send us a signed letter. 

You'll need to provide details of a valid UK bank/building society account. Please note, we are only able to accept banks and building societies that are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). Find out more about which banks and building societies are PRA regulated.

Verifying your nominated account details
We will need to verify your nominated account details and, where possible, we will carry out an electronic check. If we can’t verify your nominated account details electronically, we will need additional documentation, along with a signed letter from you requesting the change.

 We will need one of the following documents:

• An original statement sent from your bank or building society dated within the last three months
• A cheque marked ‘cancelled’ and crossed through
• A printed paying-in slip
• A downloaded PDF online bank or building society statement showing your latest transactions.

If you're sending a PDF online statement, you'll need to upload this via the secure document upload facility on our website. Alternatively you can upload via our Online Service and can click the 'Upload' button on your online account.

You can also upload a photograph or scan of a certified copy of your original bank statement to your online account or via the secure document upload facility on our website.

If you're sending us a cancelled cheque or paying in slip, we are unable to accept photographs or scans of these. Please send these to us by post. 

If you choose to send your documents via post, original statements will be returned to you, and we will securely destroy cancelled cheques or paying-in slips. 

As a Power of Attorney you can operate an account online. Our Online Service allows you to pay into these accounts and make withdrawals, as long as the funds are going to the beneficiary's nominated bank account.

We've introduced two-factor authentication which is designed to make sure you're the only person who can access your Family Building Society account(s).

Each time you log in to the Online Service we'll need to verify your identity, firstly with your password and secondly a One-Time Passcode. 

A One-Time Passcode is a unique code that is sent to your mobile phone as a text message or as a voice message to your landline. The code is six digits long and is valid for two minutes from the time that it is sent to you. 

It’s important to make sure your registered mobile and/or home landline numbers are up to date so you receive these One-Time Passcodes. Family Building Society will never call or email you to ask you to share part or all of your Online Service Username, password, Memorable Word or One-Time Passcode.

If you're registered and already have access to our Online Service, you can simply log in and open a Family Building Society savings account online. 

If you are not registered for our Online Service, you can apply for a new Family Building Society savings account online. If you'd like to access your accounts online you can register for our Online Service. 

You can magnify the size of online web pages / text by altering the ‘Zoom’ setting on your internet browser. How you do this depends on which browser you're using.

In the latest version of Internet Explorer, click on the ‘gear’ symbol at the top right of any web page. In Google Chrome, click on the three dots symbol at the top right of any web page.

In both cases, scroll down this menu and click on ‘Zoom’. This is normally set to 100%, but can be increased to make the web pages / text larger.

You will need to send us a secure message via the Online Service. Once we have received your message we'll update your address details. Alternatively you can call us on 03300 243406

The quickest, safest and most convenient way to update your email address is via our Online Service. Once you have logged in, go to 'Update my profile' to update your contact details.

If you contact us by telephone, secure message or written request, we may advise you to update your email address via our Online Service to ensure that your details are up to date on all platforms. 

Personal savings accounts
If your account is an easy access personal savings account, depending on the terms of the account, this can be closed online. When logging in to the Online Service, this is done by selecting your account, then ‘Manage account’, where you will then find the 'Close account' option. Follow the steps through to close this to your nominated bank account or another account held with the Society.

ISA’s, Offset Savers, Fixed Term and Notice accounts
ISA’s, Offset Savers, Fixed Term and Notice accounts cannot currently be closed online. To do this, please send us a secure message, write to us or call us.

Closure requests

Closure requests for easy access accounts need to be received before 3pm for closure the same day, otherwise the account will be closed the next working day.

Where a daily withdrawal limit applies to your account, amounts in excess of the limit must be split into a series of withdrawals over a number of days prior to closure of your account. 

If your account has a daily withdrawal limit, you will need to ensure the closing balance is below the limit amount, including any interest accrued. This amount will be displayed to you, prior to the closure of the account. 

If you have locked yourself out, please contact our dedicated Online Support team on 03300 243406 who will be able to unlock your account for you.

If you're already an existing customer and would like to access your account(s) online through our Online Service, simply follow the registration instructions below. 

Due to improved security, you must have a unique email address for your Online Service account. If you currently share an email address with another customer, a different email address will need to be used to register or transfer each Online Service account on our upgraded system.

You can also download this handy guide which provides useful information on how to register for the service and how to operate your account online.

What do you need to do?

To register for our Online Service, you need to provide us with some personal details and set up your security information.

Step 1

Following the on-screen instructions, enter this information about you:

• Surname
• Date of birth
• Postcode

Once this is done this you'll be able to create your password and Memorable Word, as well as confirming the email address you wish to register with. 

Step 2

You'll be sent two emails to your registered email address.

The first email will be your Username, which is the first two letters of your forename, and first two letters of your surname, proceeded by four numbers.

The second email will be an Activation Code, which will verify your email address. This code is valid for 24 hours.

Once the Activation Code is entered, you'll have successfully registered for the Online Service.

We'll then send you your Verification Code by post. This will take three to five working days to arrive. The Verification Code is a further security measure and is the final stage in the registration process. 

Step 3 - once you've received your Verification Code

• Visit our website and click on 'Log in' at the top right hand corner of the screen.
• Enter your new Username, password and the three required characters from your Memorable Word to log in.
• Click the on-screen link to enter your Verification Code exactly as shown in your letter.

Note: Once you have entered your Verification Code, you'll be asked to confirm your preferences, and this will enable two-factor authentication. This means that you'll be required to enter a One-Time Passcode each time you log in.

Important: the Verification Code is a further security measure and is the final stage in the registration process. Until you have received and entered your Verification Code you won't be able to see details of your existing account(s) or make a withdrawal. If you need to make a withdrawal before your Verification Code arrives by email or in the post, call 03300 243406 and we'll be happy to help.

That's it. Registration completed.

If you need any help along the way, please call us on 03300 243406.

Note: For joint accounts, each account holder will need to register separately if they'd like online access.

You can view our Online Service Terms and Conditions.

Register for the Online Service.

As part of the account opening process, we run an electronic identity check. Sometimes we’re unable to verify your details, but don’t worry as this can happen for a number of reasons.

Please do not try to pay into your new account until we’ve been able to complete our identity checks as any money you send will be returned to you.

If we require additional documents, we’ll either email you or send you a secure message, explaining what documents we need. This will also be confirmed on the screen after your application takes place. For reference, the documents that may be required are below.

Confirming your nominated bank account

To confirm your nominated bank account you will need to provide us with one of the below:

• An original bank or building society statement or an electronic statement downloaded from your banking online facility which shows your latest transactions dated within the last three months and displays all of the following:
  - full name
  - sort code
  - account number
• A cheque marked ‘cancelled’ and crossed through
• A paying in slip from a paying in book

If your bank or building society statement does not show your address - please also send us one of the following:

• Utility bill (dated within the last three months)
• Local authority tax bill
• Formal court document (eg Judgement or Order, Grant of Probate)
• Letter confirming your residency at a nursing home on their headed paper¹.

Please note that due to security, we cannot accept proof of identification via email.

¹These must be original documents and sent to us by post, (we cannot accept copies via the Online Service or our Secure Document Upload facility). These will be securely destroyed rather than returned to you. 

Confirming your identity

To confirm your identity, we require one of the following government issued documents:

• Valid, signed and in date passport*
• Valid, in date UK photo card or old style paper driving licence*
• Recent evidence of entitlement to a state or local authority benefit (e.g. state pension, tax credit or housing benefit)
• Firearms certificate or shotgun licence*
• HMRC tax notification (excluding self-assessment documents).

* For your own protection, we advise not to send original documents through the post and recommend sending certified photocopies. All documents received will be sent back to your home address when your identity has been confirmed. You can find our more about certifying your documents.

How to upload and send us your documents

You can:

• Upload your bank or building society statement by logging in to the Online Service and visiting the 'Account overview' page
• Upload your bank or building society statement via our secure document upload facility on our website and select 'Customer Service - Savings'
• Post² them to: Family Building Society, Ebbisham House, 30 Church Street, Epsom, Surrey KT17 4NL
• Bring any documents to our Epsom branch:
  Family Building Society, Ashley Square, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5DD.

Please note that due to security, we cannot accept proof of identification via email.

²For your protection, we advise against sending original identity documents through the post. All documents received in the post will be sent back to your home address when your identity has been confirmed. 

Please note, we are only able to accept banks and building societies that are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). To find out more about which banks and building societies are regulated.

What happens next?

Once we've successfully verified the identity of all account holders, you can add funds to your account. We will contact you by secure message to confirm you can do this.

Further details can be found on the ‘Add or withdraw money’ section. To access this, please click on your new account after you log in to the  Online Service.

Once you’ve set up your password and Memorable Word, we’ll send you a Verification Code to complete your registration. New customers will receive this by email by the end of the next working day after you applied, and existing customers will receive this by post. 

Please follow the instructions provided. You can still pay money in before receiving or entering this code, providing we have verified your identity and nominated bank details.

If you haven’t seen any of these emails, please check your junk or spam folders before contacting our dedicated Online Support Team on 03300 243406 

You must enter the Verification Code we sent to you to view your existing accounts with the Society.

If you're a new customer, we sent this to you by email by the end of the following working day after you applied. Existing customers will have received this by post.  You can request a new Verification Code through the Online Service, or by calling our Online Support Team on  03300 243406. 

If you cannot find this email and have checked your junk or spam folders, please select the 'Forgotten your Username' option on the login page. Then enter the email address you used when registering for our Online Service.

If you are still experiencing difficulties in finding out your Username, please contact out dedicated Online Support Team on 03300 243406 and we can assist you further. 

We ask for three sets of data before allowing you to log in to your online account:

• Unique Username or email address
• Password
• Characters from your Memorable Word
  (If you have successfully entered your Verification Code, a One-Time Passcode will be required in place of your Memorable Word)

If any of this data is entered incorrectly three times in a row, your online account will be locked. If you forget your security information you are able to reset it online.

If you have a foreign address you can still register for the Online Service.

When adding your address, please select ‘Don’t have a UK Postcode?’ and complete the address lines 1, 2 and 3, as appropriate. You don't need to put anything in the postcode field as this will only look for UK addresses. The address required is your living address and not the address we send your correspondence to.

No, unfortunately you cannot do this online.

However, if you’d like to make an overpayment or capital repayment you can send the funds to us using our bank details and stating your mortgage account number as a reference. You can then send us a secure message via the Online Service telling us how you would like the money applied to your mortgage.

Unfortunately our Online Service is currently not optimised to support corporate mortgage accounts so these will not be visible online. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

If you have any questions about your account, please do not hesitate to call us on 03330 140146, email mortgage.service@familybsoc.co.uk or send us a secure message and we'll be happy to provide any details you require.