Sort codes are the domestic bank codes used to route money transfers between financial institutions in the United Kingdom, and in the Republic of Ireland. They are six-digit hierarchical numerical addresses that specify clearing banks, clearing systems, regions, large financial institutions, groups of financial institutions and ultimately resolve to individual branches. In the UK they continue to be used to route transactions domestically within clearance organizations and to identify accounts, while in the Republic of Ireland (a founder member of the Euro) they have been deprecated and replaced by the Single European Payment Area (SEPA) systems and infrastructure.
Sort codes for Northern Ireland branches of banks (codes beginning with a '9') were registered with the Irish Payment Services Organization (IPSO) for both Northern Ireland and the Republic. These codes are used in the British clearing system and historically in the Irish system.
The sort code is usually formatted as three pairs of numbers, for example 12-34-56. It identifies both the bank (in the first digit or the first two digits) and the branch where the account is held.[1] Sort codes are encoded into International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs) but are not encoded into Business Identifier Codes (BICs).
Codes began to be used in the early 20th century to facilitate the manual processing of cheques. Known as a 'national code', these had between three and five digits.
The eleven London clearing banks were each allocated a main number, with the "big five" (and the Bank of England) allocated single-digit numbers alphabetically. Lloyds Bank, for example, was allocated 3 and National Provincial was allocated 5. The remaining single digit codes were used to indicate that a cheque was from outside the London clearing system. The smaller clearing banks were allocated two-digit numbers, for example Martins was allocated 11.
The bank branches were allocated further digits by their bank to make up the entire number; some banks represented these on cheques in smaller type. Main clearing branches (usually major London branches) would have only one digit after the main number, e.g. 111. Metropolitan branches (which covered Greater London) had two digits after the main number, e.g. 1124. Country branches made up the rest of the country, and used three or more digits after the main number, e.g. 11056.[2] They were displayed on cheques in this fashion, with the bank identifier taking precedence.
Six-digit "sorting codes" were introduced in a staggered process from 1957 as the banking industry moved towards automation. The national codes were retained but where a single digit was used to identify the bank a two-digit range was introduced. So, for example, Barclays codes went from starting with a 2 to 20, Midland from 4 to 40, etc.[3]
| Code | Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bank of England | |
| 2 | Barclays | |
| 3 | Lloyds Bank | |
| 4 | Midland Bank | |
| 5 | National Provincial | |
| 6 | Westminster Bank | |
| 7 | Walks | |
| 8 | Scottish clearing | |
| 9 | Irish clearing | |
| 11 | Martins Bank | |
| 15 | Glyn, Mills & Company | |
| 16 | Williams Deacon's Bank | |
| 17 | National Bank | |
| 18 | Coutts |
In the United Kingdom the initial digits of bank sort codes were originally allocated to settlement members of the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company and the Belfast Bankers' Clearing Company. Today, sort codes are issued to any organisation that will be a direct member of a UK electronic payment network (in addition to the cheque clearing systems, this includes BACS, Faster Payments and CHAPS). Non-standard sort codes are issued to payment service providers who need an IBAN, for example for SEPA, as the sort code forms part of this.
The allocation of sort codes is managed by BACS. These numbers are six digits long, formatted into three pairs which are separated by hyphens.
The cheque clearing system in the United Kingdom is managed by Pay.UK, following the merger of the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company, BACS and Faster Payments Ltd in 2018. Since August 2019, sterling cheque clearing has been through the Image Clearing System.
In the following list the dates in parentheses give the year of merger with the present-day sort code holder, or its subsidiary.
| Range | Bank | Note |
|---|---|---|
00 | For IBAN use only[4] | |
04 | "Utility bank" | Issued to new participants in the BACS, CHAPS and Faster Payments schemes; not usable for cheques |
04-00-02 | BFC Bank | |
04-00-03 to | Monzo | |
04-00-11 | Satabank | |
04-00-40 | Starling Bank | |
04-00-53 | Payrnet/Railsbank | |
04-00-72 to | Modulr | |
04-00-75 and | Revolut | |
04-00-76 | LCH Limited | |
04-00-78 | Elavon Financial Services | |
04-00-79 to | Virgin Money Head Office | |
04-03-00 to 04-03-29 | LHV Pank | |
04-03-33 | Mettle by NatWest | |
04-04-05 | ClearBank | |
04-04-76 to | Enumis | |
04-05-40 to | BCB Group | |
04-06-05 | Tide (financial service) by ClearBank | |
04-13-01 | Midpoint & Transfer | |
04-13-02 to | Bilderlings Pay | |
04-13-04 to | Ecology Building Society | |
04-13-06 | Allpay Limited | |
04-13-07 to | Clear Junction | |
04-13-12 | Modulr | |
04-13-13 to | Project Imagine | |
04-13-15 to | Universal Securities & Investment | |
04-13-17 to | Contis Financial Services | |
04-13-42 | Duesday | |
04-29-09 | Revolut | |
04-36-14 to | Griffin Bank |
| Range | Bank | Note |
|---|---|---|
01 | Formerly District Bank (1962) | |
05 | Trading as Yorkshire Bank | |
07-00 to 07-49 | ||
08 | ||
08-60 to 08-61 | For building societies 08-60-64 for Virgin Money (ex Northern Rock accounts) | |
08-90 to 08-99 | ||
08-30 to 08-39 | 08-31 to 08-32 for UK Government banking (NS&I, HMRC etc.) | |
09-00 to 09-19 | Formerly Abbey National (2010) | |
09-01-31 to 09-01-36 09-01-39 to 09-01-49 for Alliance & Leicester09-01-51 to 09-01-56 migrated accounts | ||
10-00 to 10-79 | Previously used for government banking and BoE employee accounts[5] | |
11 | For Halifax (since 1990), earlier used by Martins Bank (1962-1969) | |
12-00 to 12-69 | For Sainsbury's Bank | |
13 | ||
14 | ||
15 | Formerly Williams & Glyn's Bank (1985), itself formerly Glyn, Mills & Company (1970) | |
15-80 | For Child & Company private bank, part of The Royal Bank of Scotland (1923) | |
15-98 to 15-99 | For C. Hoare & Co, independent private bank | |
16 | Formerly Williams & Glyn's Bank (1985), itself formerly Williams Deacon's Bank (1970) 16-00-38 for Drummonds Bank, part of The Royal Bank of Scotland16-52-21 for the Cumberland Building Society16-57-10 for Cater Allen Private Bank, part of Santander Group | |
17 | Formerly Williams & Glyn's Bank (1985), itself formerly The National Bank (1970) | |
18 | For Coutts, a subsidiary of NatWest (1920) | |
19 | ||
20 to 29 | 20-11-47 for HMRC23-00-88 for VFX Financial23-05-05 for Stripe23-05-80 for Metro Bank23-14-70 for Wise23-22-21 for Fire Financial Services23-32-72 for Pockit 23-59-54 for Newcastle Building Society23-69-72 for Prepay Technologies23-73-24 for Loot Financial Services | |
30 to 39 | Formerly Lloyds TSB (2013) and earlier for Lloyds Bank (1995) 30-00-66for Arbuthnot Latham Private Bank30-00-83for Al Rayan Bank30-02-48for FinecoBank UK | |
40 to 49 | Formerly Midland Bank (1992)49-99-79 to 49-99-99 for Deutsche Bank40-12-50 to 40-12-55 for M&S Bank40-47-58 to 40-47-87 for First Direct40-51-78 for Jyske Bank Gibraltar40-51-98 for Turkish Bank UK40-60-80 for CashFlows40-63-01 for the Coventry Building Society40-63-77 for Cynergy Bank Limited 40-64-05 to 40-64-16 for Tesco Bank40-64-25 for Virgin Money40-64-37 for Marcus | |
50 to 59 | Formerly National Provincial Bank (1968) | |
60 to 66 | Formerly Westminster Bank (1968)
| |
70 | Used by various international banks for their UK business: no longer issued. | Banks including the Bank of Baroda, the National Bank of Pakistan as well as Close Brothers Group and Bank Hapoalim |
71 | National Savings Bank | |
72 | Formerly Alliance & Leicester (2010), itself formerly Girobank (1985) | |
77-00 to 77-44 | Formerly Lloyds TSB (2013) and earlier for Trustee Savings Bank (1995) | |
77-46 to 77-99 | ||
Separately operated by the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers until 1985.
| Range | Bank | Note |
|---|---|---|
80 to 81 | ||
82 | ||
83 | formerly National Commercial Bank of Scotland (1969), formerly Commercial Bank of Scotland (1959) | |
84 | formerly National Commercial Bank of Scotland (1969), formerly National Bank of Scotland (1959) | |
86 | ||
87 | formerly Lloyds TSB Scotland (2013) formerly TSB Scotland (1995) | |
89-00 to 89-29 | formerly Alliance & Leicester (2010) formerly Girobank (2003) | |
The clearing system in Northern Ireland was operated under the Belfast Clearing Rules which were agreed by the Belfast Bankers' Clearing Company (formerly the Belfast Bankers' Clearing Committee), until the introduction of the Image Clearing System managed by Pay.UK which was completed in August 2019.[6] Sort codes in the 90 range are managed by the Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO).
| Range | Bank | Note |
|---|---|---|
90 | ||
91 | trading as Danske Bank since 2012 formerly Belfast Bank (1970) | |
93 | for AIB (Northern Ireland) formerly First Trust Bank formerly TSB Northern Ireland (1991) | |
94 | ||
95 | trading as Danske Bank since 2012 former Midland Bank subsidiary (1965) | |
98 | subsidiary of NatWest (1917) | |
Sort codes are no longer directly used in the Republic of Ireland, although they still form part of the underlying structure of account numbers. As a part of the Eurozone, all aspects of the SEPA system are fully implemented and adhered to. This means that all domestic transactions, including Direct Debit and interbank transfers are processed using an IBAN through the SEPA system. The Irish electronic clearing systems, including those run by the Irish Retail Electronic Payments Clearing Company Ltd, which entered voluntary liquidation in late 2014, have been retired and replaced by SEPA. Domestic cheques continue to be processed by the Irish Paper Clearing Company CLG.[7]
Historically, the Irish banking system shared the sort code structure used in the UK, but operated as a separate system since the Irish pound broke the link with sterling in March 1979. Codes are issued by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI)[8] which replaced IPSO in 2014.[9]
The full list of sort codes used in Ireland is as follows:
Note: A large number of lower volume users and smaller banks share the 99 XX XX code and there are at least three users of the 93 XX XX codes assigned primarily to AIB.
| Range | Bank | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
90 | |||
92 | |||
93 | 93-09-03 for JP Morgan Bank Ireland plc93-90-21 for EBS d.a.c. | ||
95 | trading as Danske Bank | ||
98 | |||
99-06 to 99-07 | Permanent TSB |
| Range | Bank | Note |
|---|---|---|
99 | 99 is used by a large number of financial institutions, particularly those with smaller branch networks or a single branch. | |
99-00-51 to 99-00-52 | Citibank Europe plc | |
99-00-61 to 99-00-62 | Bank of America Realex Financial Services | |
99-02-04 | Royal Bank of Scotland | |
99-02-06 | BNP Paribas Ireland | |
99-02-12 | Barclays Bank Ireland | |
99-02-31 | HSBC Bank | |
99-02-40 | ING Bank | |
99-02-60 | Rabobank International | |
99-02-70 | KBC Bank Ireland | |
99-03-01 | An Post | |
99-03-20 | for Aareal Bank | |
99-03-25 | for CACEIS Bank | |
99-03-60 | for Revolut Bank UAB | |
99-04 | Bank of Scotland | |
99-10 | BNP Paribas Ireland for Irish Credit Unions | |
99-11-99 | Fire Financial Services | |
99-21 to 99-22 | Irish Credit Unions | |
| Central Bank of Ireland for the | Paymaster General of Ireland Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) |
Irish bank account numbers are now presented in the IBAN format as follows:
IE97 BANK 9799 9912 3456 78
This corresponds to the fictitious sort code: 97-99-99 and account: 12345678, prefixed by ISO Country code: IE, IBAN check digits 97 and Bank Identifier: BANK
Numbers starting with a '7' (after the 1960s, '70') were reserved for the large number of London offices of banks which were not members of the London Clearing. Individual sort codes were allocated on a one-off basis to the many London offices of private and foreign banks. Cheques drawn on these banks were colloquially known within the banking industry as 'walks' because they were cleared by being hand-delivered ("walked") to the drawee banks by messengers from the Clearing House.[10] By the 1990s, most of these banks had been issued with sort codes within the ranges of the various clearing banks which, from then on, acted as clearing agents for them; the practice of "walking" cheques was ended. For cheques drawn on banks that had not made such an arrangement, the cheques were posted to the drawee bank, who would settle them by a cheque drawn on a clearing bank.
Within the Eurozone, only IBAN numbers are required. Transfers to and from the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia and any other countries outside the Eurozone continue to use international networks and require a combination of IBAN (or a domestic account and sorting/routing code) alongside a BIC code to identify the institution sending and receiving payments. Characters 9 to 14 of British and Irish IBANs hold the bank account sort code.[11]
In some countries there is no direct equivalent of sort codes as the bank and branch codes are maintained separately from each other in those countries.[11] Other countries, however, have or had codes which are equivalent to sort codes, but with formats unique to the country concerned. Examples include:
The codes listed above for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden are incorporated into the IBANs for those countries.