Free UK Sort Code Checker

What is a sort code?

A sort code is a 6-digit number that identifies a specific UK bank and branch, used on every domestic transfer within the United Kingdom. It works alongside an 8-digit account number to route Faster Payments, BACS, and CHAPS transactions to the correct destination. Every UK current account has one, and it's essential for receiving domestic payments, direct debits, and salary deposits.

Sort code format

A sort code is always exactly 6 digits, conventionally written and displayed as three pairs separated by hyphens — for example 60-16-13. There's no built-in checksum digit the way IBAN or ACH routing numbers have; Banqcheq validates the format and looks up which bank the prefix belongs to, but the ultimate confirmation that an account is real still comes from the receiving bank when a payment is actually submitted.

Which banks use which prefix

The first two digits of a sort code broadly indicate which bank issued it, though banks can hold multiple prefix ranges and some ranges are shared. Roughly: 10–19 is Barclays, 20–29 is HSBC or NatWest, 30–39 is Lloyds or Halifax, 40–49 is HSBC, 50–59 is NatWest or RBS, 60–69 is NatWest, 70–79 is Clydesdale, and 80–89 and 90–99 are Santander or TSB. Treat these ranges as a helpful indicator rather than a guarantee.

Faster Payments vs BACS vs CHAPS

UK sort codes work across three separate payment systems. Faster Payments is instant, available 24/7, and used for the vast majority of everyday transfers up to £250,000. BACS takes three business days and is mainly used for payroll and direct debits. CHAPS is a same-day, high-value system with no upper limit, typically used for property purchases and large business payments, and must be submitted before a 3pm cut-off. All three use the same sort code and account number format.

Getting your sort code right

The most common mistake is transposing two digits when typing a sort code by hand, or confusing it with the account number that follows it. Since sort codes carry no error-detecting checksum, a wrong sort code combined with a real account number at a different bank can occasionally still pass basic format checks — which is why double-checking the bank name Banqcheq returns against what you expect is worth the extra few seconds before you send a payment. It's also worth noting that some newer UK digital banks — Monzo, Starling, Revolut — issue sort codes that don't fall into the traditional prefix ranges above, since those ranges were allocated well before challenger banks existed.