How to change signers on a PTA bank account

Until your name is on the account, you can’t see statements, sign checks or stop a payment. Banks change signers all the time, so this is routine. You just need the right papers in hand, and the old signers taken off, so the account matches the current board of your PTA, school PTO or booster club.

How to change signers on a PTA bank account, step by step

Plan about 20 minutes to get the papers ready, plus the bank visit. Bring your co-signer if you can.

1. 1 Record the vote. The minutes of the meeting where you were elected, or where the board voted to change signers, name who signs. The secretary signs them.
2. 2 Pick a co-signer who isn’t related to you and doesn’t live with you.
3. 3 Call the bank and ask what it needs. Ask whether it has its own form, who has to come in, and whether its records name the office ("the treasurer") or the person.
4. 4 Write the cover letter that says who to add, who to remove and who signs after the change. The builder above writes it with the minutes wording.
5. 5 Go to the branch with your co-signer and the papers the bank asked for.
6. 6 Before you leave, ask for a copy of the new signature card and set up online access in your own name.
7. 7 Remove the old signers’ access to every money account, and log each account on Sheet D.

What to say at the counter can be this short:

"Hi, I’m the new treasurer for [school] [PTA/PTO]. Our board voted on [date] to change who can sign on our account. I have the minutes, our EIN and my ID. We’d like to add [your name] and [co-signer], and remove [previous treasurer]."

Before you leave the branch:

• Ask for a copy of the new signature card.
• Set up online access in your own name, not a shared login.
• Ask for the online banking administrator role to move to you, with a second administrator.
• If you write checks, ask for checks with two signature lines.

You’re done when you can log in and see this month’s statement.

Papers to have ready

Ask the bank which of these it wants. Having them all in one folder means you won’t need a second visit:

• Signed minutes from the meeting where you were elected, or where the board voted to change signers.
• A cover letter that says who to add and who to remove.
• The group’s EIN (Employer Identification Number), from the IRS letter.
• Photo ID for each new signer, and for the outgoing signers if the bank asks.
• Your bylaws, in case the bank asks who can sign.
• The account number from an old statement.

The builder above only asks for the last 4 digits of the account, which is all the letter needs to name it.

How to remove a signer from a PTA or booster club account

Access should match the current board, nobody else. It protects the group and the people who just left. Removing the old treasurer from the signature card is one step; the rest takes about 45 minutes:

• Confirm the bank removed the previous signers. Check the copy of the new signature card.
• Cancel any debit card the old treasurer had on the account.
• Ask the outgoing treasurer to list every account they used: bank, payment apps, email, shared drive, social media and any software. Log each one on Sheet D.
• Change passwords on every money account, the group email and any shared drive. Turn on two-step sign-in wherever it’s offered.
• Move recovery emails and phone numbers to a group address, not a personal one.
• Check where statements are mailed, and update the address if it’s still the old treasurer’s home.
• Plan to close Venmo or Zelle and set up something new. They’re tied to a personal phone number, so they usually can’t be handed over (see Venmo and PayPal for PTAs).

Give the old signers a short overlap with the new ones rather than a gap. If they come off before the new signers are on, there’s a stretch where too few people can sign. The builder checks the dates for you.

Who should be a PTA check signer?

Two officers sign every check. They shouldn’t be related or live in the same household, and neither should be related to the person being paid. Never sign a check to yourself: another officer signs reimbursements to you. Name a backup signer in the minutes for when one of you is away, so an emergency never becomes a reason for one signature. More in two signatures on every check.

A change of signers is also a good moment for a review of the books. A financial review is due when the treasurer or any check signer changes, so it covers both your start and your hand-over (see the PTA audit checklist).

PTA, PTO and booster club differences

• PTA units: many state PTAs require two signers who aren’t related and don’t live together, and some set handover dates. Utah PTA, for example, wants the checkbook passed on by July 1 and last year’s records by August 1. Some state PTAs, like Utah’s, also ban debit and ATM cards on the account.
• School PTOs and booster clubs: your bylaws come first. They say who can sign, how many signatures each check needs, and whether the membership or the board elects officers. Ask the principal whether your school district has its own rules for PTOs and booster clubs, too.
• Every group: the account belongs to the group and uses the group’s EIN, never a volunteer’s Social Security number. If you’re setting one up from scratch, see how to open a bank account for a PTO or booster club.

Common mistakes

• Going to the bank without calling first. One call saves a second trip.
• Taking the old signers off before the new ones are on, leaving nobody, or only one person, able to sign.
• Sharing one online banking login handed down from treasurer to treasurer. Each officer gets their own.
• Leaving the old debit card active, or statements going to the old treasurer’s home.
• Picking a co-signer who’s your spouse or lives with you.
• Opening an account in your own name or under your Social Security number.