Banking and Business Abbreviations for English Learners

Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience.

It's common in banking and business to use abbreviations for a wide range of specific business expressions. You'll find each expression followed by the appropriate abbreviations below. Remember that abbreviations and acronyms are used differently in English. Abbreviations are used to replace words or expressions while acronyms simply take the first letter of each word. It's true that some abbreviations are acronyms, but not all.

Against All Risks to Book Value

• Against all risks = a.a.r.
• Account = a/c
• Account current = A/C
• Accommodation = ACC/ACCOM
• Account = acct.
• Actual cash value = a.c.v.
• After date = a.d.
• Addition/Additional = add.
• Advise = adv.
• Air freight bill = a.f.b.
• Agency = agcy.
• Agent = agt.
• Air mail transfer = a.m.t.
• Account of = a/o
• Accounts payable = A.P.
• Authority to pay = A/P
• Accounts receivable = A.R.
• All risks = a/r
• Arrive/Arriving = arr.
• Arrange/Arrangement/Arranging = arr/arrng.
• Approximate/Approximately = approx.
• Account sales = A/S, A.S.
• At sight = a/s
• As soon as possible = asap
• Attention = attn.
• Atomic weight = at. wt.
• Average = av.
• Actual weight = a/w
• Air waybill = a.w.b.
• Balance = bal.
• Barrel = bar.
• Barrel = bbl.
• Brought down = b/d
• Bill of exchange = B/E, b/e
• Brought forward = b/f
• Before = bfor.
• Bill of health = B.H.
• Bank = bk.
• Brokerage = bkge.
• Bill of lading = B/L
• Brought over = b/o
• Bills payable = B.P.
• By procuration = b.p.
• Bills receivable = B.R.
• Balance sheet = B/S
• Berth terms = b.t.
• Bushel = bu.
• Book value = B/V

Circa to CWT

• Circa: centaire = ca.
• Chartered accountant = C.A.
• Current account = c.a.
• Cash against documents = C.A.D.
• Cash book = C.B.
• Cash before delivery = C.B.D.
• Carbon copy = c.c.
• Carried down = c/d
• Cum dividend = c.d.
• Carried forward = c/f
• Compare = cf
• Cost and freight = c & f
• Clearing house = C/H
• Custom house = C.H.
• Charges forward = ch. fwd.
• Charges paid = ch. pd.
• Charges prepaid = ch. ppd.
• Cheque, check = chq.
• Cost, insurance, freight = c. i. f.
• Cost, insurance, freight and commission = c.i.f. & c.
• Cost, insurance, freight, and interest = c.i.f. & i.
• Car load = c.l.
• Call of more = C/m
• Credit note = C/N
• Care of = c/o
• Company = co.
• Cash on delivery = C.O.D.
• Commission = comm.
• Corporation = corp.
• Cash on shipment = C.O.S.
• Carriage paid = C.P.
• Charter party = C/P
• Charters pay duties = c.p.d.
• Corporation = cpn.
• Credit; creditor = cr.
• Cable transfer = C/T
• Constructive total loss = c.t.l.
• Constructive total loss only = c.t.l.o.
• Cumulative = cum.
• Cum dividend = cum div.
• Cumulative preference = cum. pref.
• Commercial weight = c/w
• Cash with order = C.W.O.
• Hundredweight = cwt.

Documents to Ex Wharf

• Documents against acceptance; deposit account = D/A
• Documents against payment = DAP
• Debenture = db.
• Deferred = def.
• Department = dept.
• Dead freight = d.f.
• Draft = dft.
• Draft attached = dtf/a.
• Clean draft = dft/c.
• Discount = disc.
• Dividend = div.
• Dayletter = DL
• Daily letter telegram = DLT
• Debit note = D/N
• Delivery order = D/O
• Ditto = do.
• Dozen = doz.
• Documents against payment = D/P
• Debtor = dr.
• Doctor = Dr.
• Days after sight = d/s, d.s.
• Deadweight = d.w.
• Dock warrant = D/W
• Pennyweight = dwt.
• Dozen = dz.
• European Currency Unit = ECU
• East European Time = E.E.T.
• For example = e.g.
• Enclosure = encl.
• Endorsement = end.
• Errors and omissions excepted = E. & O.E.
• End of month = e.o.m.
• Except otherwise herein provided = e.o.h.p.
• Especially = esp.
• Esquire = Esq.
• Established = est.
• Out = ex
• ex coupon = ex cp.
• Ex dividend = ex div.
• ex interest = ex. int.
• ex new (shares) = ex h.
• ex store = ex stre.
• ex wharf = ex whf.

Free of All Average to Foreign Exchange

• Free of all average = f.a.a.
• Fast as can = f.a.c.
• Freight all kinds = f.a.k.
• Fair average quality; free alongside quay = f.a.q.
• Frequently asked questions = F.a.q.
• Free alongside ship = f.a.s.
• For cash = f/c
• Free of capture and seizure = f.c. & s.
• Free of capture, seizure, riots, and civil commotion = f.c.s.r. & c.c.
• Free delivery to dock = F.D.
• Free discharge = f.d.
• Following; folios = ff.
• Free of general average = f.g.a.
• Free in bunker = f.i.b.
• Free in and out = f.i.o.
• Free in truck = f.i.t.
• Free on board = f.o.b.
• Free of charge = f.o.c.
• Free of damage = f.o.d.
• Following; folio = fol.
• Free on quay = f.o.q.
• Free on rail = f.o.r.
• Free on streamer = f.o.s.
• Free on truck(s) = f.o.t.
• Free on wagons; free on wharf = f.o.w.
• Floating policy = F.P.
• Fully paid = f.p.
• Free of particular average = f.p.a.
• Freight = frt.
• Freight paid = frt. pd.
• Freight prepaid = frt. ppd.
• Freight forward = frt. fwd.
• Foot = ft.
• Forward = fwd.
• Foreign exchange = f.x.

General Average to I Owe You

• General average = g.a.
• Goods in bad order = g.b.o.
• Good merchantable brand = g.m.b.
• Good merchantable quality = g.m.q.
• Greenwich Mean Time = G.M.T.
• Gross national product = GNP
• Good ordinary brand = g.o.b.
• Gross = gr.
• Gross register ton = GRT
• Gross weight = gr. wt.
• Gross tonnage = GT
• Home consumption = h.c.
• Height = hgt.
• Hogshead = hhd.
• Head office = H.O.
• Hire purchase = H.P.
• Horsepower = HP
• Height = ht.
• Integrated data processing = IDP
• That is = i.e.
• Insufficient funds = I/F
• Indicated horsepower = i.h.p.
• Import = imp.
• Incorporated = Inc.
• Inclusive = incl.
• Interest = int.
• Invoice = inv.
• I owe you = I.O.U.

Joint Account to Making-Up Price

• Joint account = J/A, j.a.
• Junior = Jr.
• Kilovolt = KV
• Kilowat = KW
• Kilowatt hour = KWh
• Letter of credit = L/C, l.c.
• Telegram in the language of the country of destination = LCD
• Telegram in the language of the country of origin = LCO
• Landing; loading = ldg.
• Long ton = l.t.
• Limited = Ltd.
• Long ton = l. tn.
• Month = m.
• My account = m/a
• Maximum = max.
• Memorandum of deposit = M.D.
• Months after date = M/D, m.d.
• Memorandum = memo.
• Plural of Mr. = Messrs.
• Manufacturer = mfr.
• Minimum = min.
• Minimum lending rate = MLR
• Money order = M.O.
• My order = m.o.
• Mortgage = mortg.
• Months after payment = M/P, m.p.
• Mate's receipt = M/R
• Months' sight = M/S, m.s.
• Mail transfer = M.T.
• Making-up price = M/U

Name to Overtime

• Name; noiminal = n.
• No account = n/a
• No advice = N/A
• No commercial value = n.c.v.
• No date = n.d.
• Not elsewhere specified = n.e.s.
• No funds = N/F
• Night letter = NL
• No noting = N/N
• No orders = N/O
• Number = no.
• Not otherwise enumerated = n.o.e.
• Numbers = nos.
• No par value = NPV
• Number = nr.
• Net register ton = n.r.t.
• Not sufficient funds = N/S
• Not sufficient funds = NSF
• Net weight = n. wt.
• On account = o/a
• Overseas common point = OCP
• On demand; overdraft = O/D, o/d
• Omissions excepted = o.e.
• Overhead = o/h
• Or nearest offer = ono.
• Order of = O/o
• Open policy = O.P.
• Out of print; overproof = o.p.
• Owner's risk = O/R, o.r.
• Order, ordinary = ord.
• Out of stock = O.S., o/s
• Overtime = OT

Page to Par Value

• Page; per: premium = p.
• Particular average: per annum = P.A., p.a.
• Power of attorney; private account = P/A
• Phase alternation line = PAL
• Patent-pending = pat. pend.
• Pay as you earn = PAYE
• Petty cash = p/c
• Pecent; price current = p.c.
• Parcel = pcl.
• Paid = pd.
• Preferred = pf.
• Package = pkg.
• Profit and loss = P/L
• Partial loss = p.l.
• Promissory note = P/N
• Post office; postal order = P.O.
• Post office box = P.O.B.
• Post office order = P.O.O.
• Pay on return = p.o.r.
• Pages = pp.
• Postage and packing = p & p
• Per procuration = p. pro
• Prepaid = ppd.
• Prompt = ppt.
• Preference = pref.
• Proximo = prox.
• Postscript = P.S.
• Payment = pt.
• Please turn over = P.T.O., p.t.o.
• Partly paid = ptly. pd.
• Par value = p.v.

Quality to Sight Draft

• Quality = qulty.
• Quantity = qty.
• Riot and civil commotions = r. & c.c.
• Refer to drawer = R/D
• Running down clause = R.D.C.
• In regard to = re
• Received; receipt = rec.
• Received = recd.
• Redeemable = red.
• Reference = ref.
• Registered = reg.
• Returned = retd.
• Revenue = rev.
• Refused on delivery = R.O.D.
• Reply paid = R.P.
• Revolutions per second = r.p.s.
• Please reply = RSVP
• Right side up with care = R.S.W.C.
• Railway = Ry
• Stamped addressed envelope = s.a.e.
• Stock at valuation = S.A.V.
• Sea damaged = S/D
• Sight draft = S/D, s.d.

Without Date to Telex

• Without date = s.d.
• Special drawing rights = SDR
• Signed = sgd.
• Sundays and holidays excepted = s. & h. ex
• Shipment = shipt.
• Signature = sig.
• Sue and labor clause = S/LC, s & l.c.
• Shiping note = S/N
• Seller's option = s.o.
• Standard operating procedure = s.o.p.
• Spot = spt.
• Senior = Sr.
• Steamship = S.S., s.s.
• Short ton = s.t.
• Sterling = ster.
• Stock exchange = St. Ex.
• Sterling = stg.
• Sub voce = s.v.
• Telegraphic address = T.A.
• Trial balance = T.B.
• Telephone = tel.
• Temporary secretary = temp.
• Total loss = T.L., t.l.
• Total loss only = T.L.O.
• Multiple telegram = TM
• Turn over = T.O.
• Transfer = tr.
• Telegram to be called for = TR
• Trust receipt = TR, T/R
• Telegraphic transfer (cable) = TT, T.T.
• Telex = TX

Urgent to Yearly

• Urgent = UGT
• Under separate cover = u.s.c.
• Underwriters = U/ws
• Volt = v.
• Value = val.
• Value-added tax = v.a.t.
• Very good = vg.
• Very high frequency = VHF
• Very highly recommended = v.h.r.
• Wat = w.
• With average = WA
• Waybill = W.B.
• Without charge = w.c.
• West European Time = W.E.T.
• Weight guaranteed = wg.
• Warehouse = whse.
• With other goods = w.o.g.
• Weather permitting; without prejudice = W.P.
• With particular average = w.p.a.
• War risk = W.R.
• Warehouse receipt = W/R, wr.
• Weather working day = W.W.D.
• Weight = wt.
• ex coupon = x.c.
• ex dividend = x.d.
• ex interest = x.i.
• ex new shares = x.n.
• Year = y.
• Yard = yd.
• Year = yr.
• Yearly = yrly.