Job description template
Bank Teller Job Description
Bank teller job description: duties from balancing the cash drawer to cash reporting rules, required skills, background checks and qualifications.
The role in brief
A bank teller handles customers' everyday transactions at a bank or credit union branch: cash and cheque deposits, withdrawals, cheque cashing, loan and bill payments, and money orders. Tellers verify each customer's identity, confirm the account can cover the transaction, count and balance their cash drawer at the start and end of every shift, and refer customers to other staff for loans, new accounts and other products. This teller job description template covers the duties, skills and screening requirements specific to a cash-handling role in a regulated bank.
- Process deposits, withdrawals, transfers, loan and bill payments and cheque cashing accurately, within the branch's limits and approval rules
- Verify each customer's identity and signature, and check that the account has the funds to cover a transaction before paying out
- Count the cash drawer at the start and end of every shift, balance it against the day's transactions, and resolve or report any difference
- Examine cheques for endorsements, dates, amounts and alterations, and watch for counterfeit notes, fraud and scams aimed at customers
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- Process deposits, withdrawals, transfers, loan and bill payments and cheque cashing accurately, within the branch's limits and approval rules
- Verify each customer's identity and signature, and check that the account has the funds to cover a transaction before paying out
- Count the cash drawer at the start and end of every shift, balance it against the day's transactions, and resolve or report any difference
- Examine cheques for endorsements, dates, amounts and alterations, and watch for counterfeit notes, fraud and scams aimed at customers
- Follow anti-money-laundering procedures, including collecting the details needed for a Currency Transaction Report on cash of more than $10,000 in one business day, and escalate unusual activity to the compliance team
- Prepare cashier's cheques and money orders, and exchange foreign currency where the branch offers it
- Answer account questions, explain deposit holds and fees, and refer customers to personal bankers, loan officers or other specialists
- Keep customer information confidential and follow the bank's cash limits, vault and security procedures
- Order cash for the drawer, help with vault counts, and verify armoured-car deliveries when assigned
Required skills
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Nice to have
Qualifications
- 1High school diploma or equivalent; a college degree is not usually required
- 2Passes the bank's background check; Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act bars people convicted of certain offences involving dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering from taking part in the affairs of an FDIC-insured bank without the FDIC's written consent
- 3Completes the bank's on-the-job training, usually given by a head teller or experienced teller, on balancing the drawer, verifying signatures and the bank's systems
- 4Available for the branch's opening hours, including any evenings or weekends
- 5Comfortable with currency-counting machines and the teller platform
Compensation and environment
Work environment
Career growth
Head tellers manage teller operations: they set schedules, handle difficult problems and manage the vault cash that other tellers draw on. From there, tellers move into personal banker or universal banker roles, assistant branch manager and branch manager, or into operations, fraud and compliance teams. Some banks now combine teller and new-account work in a single universal banker role, which makes product knowledge part of the job from the start.
Common questions
What are a bank teller's roles and responsibilities?
A teller processes deposits, withdrawals, cheque cashing and payments, verifies identity and funds, balances the cash drawer each shift, watches for fraud, and refers customers to other staff for products. Head tellers also manage the vault and the teller schedule.
What qualifications do you need to be a bank teller?
A high school diploma or equivalent, a clean background check and on-the-job training are the usual requirements. Employers value cash-handling experience, accuracy and customer service more than formal qualifications.
Why do banks run background checks on tellers?
Tellers handle cash and confidential data, and federal law limits who can work in an insured bank. Under Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, a person convicted of an offence involving dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering cannot take part in the affairs of an FDIC-insured bank without the FDIC's prior written consent, although some minor offences qualify for automatic consent under the FDIC's rules.
What cash reporting rules does a teller need to know?
In the US, banks file a Currency Transaction Report with FinCEN when a customer's cash in or cash out comes to more than $10,000 in one business day, adding separate cash transactions together. Breaking cash into smaller amounts to avoid the report, called structuring, is a federal crime, and tellers are trained to escalate it. In India, banks report cash transactions above Rs 10 lakh, including connected smaller ones in a month that add up to more, to FIU-IND, and follow the Reserve Bank of India's KYC directions for identity checks.
Is a teller the same as a universal banker?
Not quite. A teller focuses on transactions at the counter. A universal banker, a title some banks use, combines teller work with personal banking tasks such as opening accounts and recommending products. If your role mixes both, say so in the title and the duties.
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