Routing Number Validator (ABA, Transit, BSB)
Is this routing number well formed, and what do its digits say?
US: 9 digits · Canada: 0YYYXXXXX or XXXXX-YYY · Australia BSB: XXX-XXX. Spaces and dashes are ignored.
Type a routing number to check it.
| Part | Digits | Meaning |
|---|
A valid format does not prove that an account exists. Confirm bank details with the payee or the bank before you send money.
Up to 5,000 lines. With Auto, each line is read as the country its shape suggests.
| Line | Number | Country | Result |
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How this tool is checked
- Based on
- the method set out under ‘How a US routing number is built’.
- Sources
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This guide cites 9 sources, among them:
- Tests
- 12 automated tests check its results.
- Found an error?
- Report a problem or write to support@mysmartcopilot.com, with what you entered and the result you expected.
About the Routing Number Validator (ABA, Transit, BSB)
Type or paste a bank routing number and see at once whether it is well formed, and what each part of it means — every check written out. A US ABA routing number has nine digits: the first two give the Federal Reserve District (or a thrift institution in it), the first four are the Federal Reserve routing symbol, and the ninth is a check digit that catches most typing mistakes. A Canadian routing number is written two ways — 0YYYXXXXX for direct deposit and electronic payments, XXXXX-YYY on cheques — and the tool converts between them. An Australian BSB is checked for its six digits and written XXX-XXX.
A list mode checks thousands of numbers at once and downloads the results as CSV. Everything runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere. A valid format does not prove that an account exists, so confirm bank details with the payee or the bank before you send money.
How to use it
- Choose the country, or leave Auto to let the tool read it from the shape of the number (a nine-digit number starting with 0 can be American or Canadian, so it asks you to confirm).
- Type or paste the number. Spaces, dashes and dots are ignored.
- Read the steps: length, check digit, district and routing symbol for the US; the institution and branch numbers and both written forms for Canada; the BSB form for Australia.
- To check many numbers, choose A list, paste one number per line, and download the results as CSV.
Examples
Valid format · check digit: 3×0 + 7×1 + 1×1 + 3×0 + 7×0 + 1×0 + 3×0 + 7×1 + 1×5 = 20, a multiple of 10 · District 1 (Boston) · listed in Regulation CC as a Federal Reserve Bank routing number
Invalid: the total is 21; with these first eight digits the ninth would be 5
Institution 614, branch 00152 · cheque form 00152-614
Electronic form 061400152
BSB 062-000
Common uses
- Checking the routing number on a payment form, invoice or payroll file before money goes out.
- Turning the transit and institution numbers from a Canadian cheque into the nine-digit form a direct-deposit form asks for.
- Cleaning a supplier or employee list of routing numbers before a payment run.
How a US routing number is built
Regulation CC’s routing number guide explains the nine-digit form printed in magnetic ink at the bottom of a check: “The first four digits … form the ‘Federal Reserve routing symbol,’ and the first two digits … identify the Federal Reserve District in which the bank is located”; adding 2 to the first digit denotes a thrift institution, so 21 is a thrift in the First District (Boston) and 32 one in the Twelfth (San Francisco). Each bank is assigned its routing number by an agent of the American Bankers Association (12 CFR part 229, Appendix A). The twelve districts are numbered by the Federal Reserve from 01 Boston to 12 San Francisco. The IRS accepts only numbers whose first two digits are 01 through 12 or 21 through 32 for a refund by direct deposit (Form 1040 instructions).
The ninth digit is the check digit: multiply the nine digits by 3, 7, 1, 3, 7, 1, 3, 7, 1 and add the products; the total must be a multiple of 10. Every Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank routing number that Regulation CC lists passes this test.
Canada: two ways to write one number
A Canadian routing number is a 3-digit institution number and a 5-digit branch (transit) number. For electronic payments — direct deposit, pre-authorized debits, EFT — it is written as nine digits: a constant zero, the institution number, then the branch number (Payments Canada Standard 005, “Institutional Identification Number”). On a cheque’s magnetic-ink line the transit field holds the branch number, a dash and the institution number (Standard 006, “Transit Number Field”). So 00152-614 on a cheque is 061400152 on a direct-deposit form. Canadian numbers have no check digit; to see which institution a number belongs to, look it up in Payments Canada’s directory of members.
Australia: the BSB
Australian accounts are identified by a six-digit BSB (Bank-State-Branch) number and the account number. The BSB system is administered by AusPayNet, and its BSB search shows the institution and branch a BSB belongs to. BSB numbers have no check digit, so this tool checks their form only.
Why there is no list of banks here
The ABA states that it and its licensors own the routing number data it publishes, and the Federal Reserve’s E-Payments Routing Directory may not be sold, re-licensed or otherwise used for commercial gain; Payments Canada and AusPayNet limit reuse of their directories too. So this page checks numbers and explains them, and leaves the bank name to the bank itself: use the routing number printed on your checks or statements, your bank’s own website, or the ABA’s routing number lookup.
Limitations
- A valid format is not proof that a number is in use, belongs to the bank you expect, or that an account exists.
- US numbers outside the district and thrift ranges (01–12, 21–32) are flagged, not explained: ask the bank what they are for.
- Canadian and Australian numbers carry no check digit, so a mistyped digit in them cannot be caught here.
- Mexico’s CLABE is not checked: its check-digit rule and bank codes could not be confirmed against the central bank’s publications.
Privacy
On this device: nothing is sent
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find my routing number?
On a US check it is the nine-digit number printed in magnetic ink along the bottom, usually on the left; it is also in your online banking and on many statements. Banks can publish a different number for wire transfers than for ACH payments, so use the one your bank gives for the kind of payment.
What does a valid check digit prove?
Only that the nine digits are consistent: most single typing mistakes and many swapped digits break the check. A made-up number can still pass it, so it says nothing about whether the number is assigned or which bank uses it.
How do I turn a Canadian cheque number into a direct-deposit number?
Take the 5-digit transit (branch) number and the 3-digit institution number from the cheque (written XXXXX-YYY) and write 0, then the institution number, then the transit number: 00152-614 becomes 061400152. The tool does it for you.
Why does the tool ask which country a number is from?
A nine-digit number starting with 0 can be a US routing number of districts 1 to 9 or a Canadian number in its electronic form, and both shapes are valid. Choose the country if Auto guessed wrong.
Is this the same as an IBAN or a SWIFT code?
No. IBANs identify accounts in IBAN countries and BICs (SWIFT codes) identify banks for international payments. Check those with the IBAN Validator and the SWIFT / BIC Code Checker.