What is a building society roll number?

If you are planning to receive money or send money to a building society, you may need a roll number to ensure the payment gets there safely.

But exactly what is a building society roll number, and where do you find it?

Although banks and building societies primarily work in the same way and offer similar services and financial products, money transfers and payments can work differently.

Most people are used to dealing with payments to bank accounts with a 6 digit sort code and an eight-digit account number.

However, Building Societies may also have a roll number which is a unique number used to identify an account.

Here’s how you can find roll numbers for a Building Society account.

Building Society roll number

Not all building societies have them, but some older savings accounts and building society accounts may come with a roll number as well as a sort code and account number.

This roll number is very important if you want to receive a payment.

Although it’s known as a number, it’s actually a mix of letters and numbers and is unique to the account holder.

Didn’t use a roll number? Sent money to the wrong place? Find out how long does it take for money to bounce back from a closed account.

How to find the number

Building society roll numbers are provided to you when you open an account.

Rather than hunting through old letters, the easiest way to find your reference code is to contact your building society directly, either over the phone or pop into your closest branch.

Although it’s just a roll number, you will need to pass security checks.

If it’s out of hours, look at any old letters to see if it’s written there.

Perhaps you have previous statements or a letter from a savings account update? Or maybe a passbook

You are looking for roll numbers or a reference code with letters that are usually 10 digits long but can be anywhere up to 18 digits long.

You could also look for it in your online account or banking app.

Roll numbers

Building Society Roll Number for Barclays

Barclays doesn’t use a building society roll number because it’s a bank, not a building society. Instead, Barclays uses sort codes and account numbers.

If you’re asked for a Barclays building society roll number, simply leave that box empty.

Building Society Roll Number for Nationwide

Nationwide has phased out the use of roll numbers and now uses sort codes and account numbers for account identification for the majority of its accounts. This change aligns with industry-wide standardisation, making it simpler for customers to manage their accounts efficiently.

Some accounts will still have a role number, including savings accounts with a passbook and ISAs and will look like “1234/123456789”

Building Society Roll Number for Santander

Santander does not have a building society roll number because it operates as a bank, not a building society. They use sort codes and account numbers for banking.

If you are asked for a Santander building society roll number, leave that section blank.

Building Society Roll Number for Lloyds

Lloyds does not use a building society roll number because it is a bank, not a building society. They use sort codes and account numbers to manage transactions.

If you are asked for a Lloyds building society roll number, simply leave that field blank.

Building Society Roll Number for HSBC

As a bank, HSBC doesn’t use a building society roll number. HSBC uses sort codes and account numbers.

If you’re requested to provide an HSBC building society roll number, just leave that box empty.

Building Society Roll Number for Monzo

Monzo does not use a building society roll number. Like other banks, it uses sort codes and account numbers.

If you’re asked to provide a Monzo building society roll number, you can leave that section empty.

FAQs

Does my bank have a roll number?

Standard UK bank accounts have an eight-digit account number and 6-digit sort code.

Only some Building Societies have a roll number or reference number for their accounts.

What are the main differences between banks and building societies?

You can find the difference between a bank and building society listed here.

Mostly, a building society is owned by its members. You can usually get a better rate on your savings, too, as there are no shareholders to split any profit with.

Want to keep your cash somewhere different? Here are some other places to keep your money instead of a bank.