Common questions and answers about our Online Service

If you're already an existing customer and would now like to access your accounts online, simply follow the registration instructions below.

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:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Postal address
• Email address

Once this is done you'll be sent two emails, one with your new username and the second with instructions on how to set up your password and memorable word.

Step 2

Use the link we have emailed to you to set up your password and memorable word.

Once this is done we'll send you your verification code by email or by post. This will take three to five working days to arrive.

Step 3 - once you've received your verification code

• Visit our website and click on 'Login' at the top right hand corner of the screen.
• Enter your new username, password and three characters from your memorable word to login.
• Click the on-screen link to enter your verification code exactly as shown in your email or letter.

Important: the verification code is a further security measure and is the final stage in the re-registration process. Until you have received and entered your verification code you will not 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 will 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 here.

As part of the account opening process, we run an electronic identity check. Sometimes we’re unable to complete this, 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 write to you, explaining what documents we need. For reference the documents that may be required are below.

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).

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 (e.g. Judgement or Order, Grant of Probate)
• Letter confirming your residency at a nursing home on their headed paper.

* 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. For further information, please find our Certifying Documents guide here.

Confirming your nominated bank account

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

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

If sending a PDF statement you will need to upload this via the secure upload facility on our website, all other documents will need to be originals and sent to us in the post.

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 PRA regulated please click here.

How to send in documents

We’ll enclose a pre-paid envelope with the letter regarding your additional documentation required.

You can also post your documents to: Freepost FAMILY BUILDING SOCIETY

Or you are welcome to bring your documents into our Epsom Branch:
Family Building Society, Ashley Square, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5DD.

Please note, we cannot accept proof of ID uploaded to our Secure Document Upload, or via email.

What happens next?

Once we have checked 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 ‘Pay Money In’ section. To access this, please click on your new account after you login to the  Online Service.

If you cannot find this email and have checked your junk or spam folders, please contact our dedicated Online Banking Support Team on 03300 243406 and they will send you an email confirming your username.

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

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

• Unique username
• Password
• Characters from 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.

You can magnify the size of online web page / text by altering the ‘Zoom’ setting on your internet browser. How you do this depends on which browser you are 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 page / text larger.

Once you’ve set up your password and memorable word, we’ll send you a verification code the following day to complete your registration. Existing customers will receive this by post and new customers by email. Please follow the instructions provided. You can still pay money in before receiving or entering this code. 

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

You can change your screen settings by:

• Right click on your desktop
• Select Display settings
• Scroll down to Display resolution and amend the screen resolution size accordingly.
  

You must enter the verification code sent to you by post to view your existing accounts with the Society.

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.

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.

Once logged into the Online Service, go into the account you wish to take money from and click on ‘Take money out’. Follow this through like a normal withdrawal then select ‘To one of my savings accounts’ and choose which account you want to fund.

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 a letter shortly 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 Banking Support Team 03300 243406

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 Banking Support Team 03330 140144

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

You will 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). To find out more about which banks and building societies are PRA regulated please click here.

We will need to verify your nominated account details and, wherever 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. All other documents will need to be originals and sent to us by post.

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 your accounts online. The 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.

If you have a foreign address you can still register for the Online Service. When adding your address, please select ‘Enter address manually’ 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.

You will need to send us a secure message via the Online Service to let us know you would like the account to be closed. Once this is received, and depending on the special conditions of your account, we'll send you a reply and the account will be closed that day.

Closure requests for instant 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. 

To open a Family Building Society savings account, you’ll need to log in using your login details on the Family Building Society website. Once you've done this you can select to open an account through your online access. This will give you a list of accounts currently available with the Family Building Society.

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. 

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 within the Online Service telling us how you would like the money applied to your mortgage.