What a certificate of balance or confirmation letter costs
A certificate of balance, a confirmation letter, or a letter of good standing is a note the bank writes about the account. It is not a copy of the monthly statement. Copy and research fees are already on [statement copy and research fees](/guides/statement-copy-fees). This page is the letter, and only the dollars a page actually printed.
Last updated: October 19, 2026
Last checked: Oct 2026
Canada
BMO's Agreements, Bank Plans and Fees for Everyday Banking, effective 2 June 2026, prints Certificate of account balance at $10.00. The same booklet's plan table shows a certificate of confirmation of balance as included on the Premium plan. A different row, search and copy of a personal account item such as a statement, voucher, or cheque trace, is $5.00. That $5.00 is a search, which belongs with the copy page. The $10.00 is the balance letter. Do not pay for a letter if the PDF of the statement is enough.
CIBC's Personal Account Service Fees brochure dated 12 March 2026 prints a letter to confirm account balance, interest, and similar information, if required, as Free. A search for accounts of a deceased or incapacitated person is a different line: $6.50 per name per banking centre, with a minimum of $22.00 plus applicable taxes. CIBC's Everyday Business Operating Account fees page prints letters confirming account balance, interest, and similar information at $16.50 per account plus applicable taxes. A personal account and a business account are not the same schedule.
Alterna Bank's personal service fee PDF prints a letter of good standing at $10.00, a loan, interest, or miscellaneous letter at $10.00, and a bank confirmation for audit certificates at a minimum of $25.00 each. eStatements on that PDF are free. Those dollars are Alterna Bank, not Alterna Savings. The statement PDF steps for both names are on how to download an Alterna statement.
United States
Chase's personal Additional Banking Services and Fees PDF and the Chase deposit account agreement, both opened 19 October 2026, do not print a personal balance letter dollar. This guide does not invent one. Ask Chase for the price before they write the letter.
Webster Bank's consumer fee schedule prints a signature guarantee at $2.00. A signature guarantee is a stamp on a form, not a letter of your balance. The same file does not print a certificate of balance dollar. Statement copies you can download yourself are on how to download a Webster Bank statement.
How to avoid the letter
If a landlord, a visa office, or a lender asked for proof of the balance, ask whether a statement PDF is enough. The PDF is the record the bank already created. A letter is an extra request, and some banks charge even when the balance is easy to see online. If you do need the letter, ask which line they will charge, and ask for the fee before they start.
On the statement the line may say certificate, confirmation, letter, or a similar word. It is not the monthly plan fee. Upload the statement on Expenvo. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists the lines. It does not sign in to the bank or the card company, and it does not cancel a card or a purchase. Canadian fee lines in general are on Canadian bank fees. US fee lines are on US bank fees.
Questions
- Is this the same as a statement copy fee?
- No. A statement copy is a month the bank already issued. A certificate of balance is a letter about the account. The copy page covers the first one.
- Does CIBC charge for a personal balance letter?
- The 12 March 2026 personal brochure prints that letter as free. The business operating account page prints $16.50 per account plus tax. Use the schedule for the account you have.
- What does Chase charge for a balance letter?
- The personal fee PDF and the deposit agreement opened 19 October 2026 do not print a dollar. Ask Chase before you order the letter.
Sources
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