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Sort Code

A Sort Code is a 6-digit clearing identifier used by British and Irish banks to route domestic transactions through local clearing systems such as BACS, CHAPS, and Faster Payments. The digits are grouped in pairs (e.g., 20-00-00) and represent the specific bank and branch handling the account.

Aliases: UK sort code, British sort code

Standards & Citations

  • 🌐 ISO 9362 / ISO 13616: International standards for financial identifiers (ISO OBP).
  • 🏢 SWIFT Registration Authority: Designated ISO registration authority (swift.com).
  • 📂 swiftbic.org Data Register: Provenance registry for bank code data (Data Sources).

Related terms

Clearing Code

A Clearing Code is a country-specific national bank routing identifier used to clear domestic payments within local cent...

CHAPS

The Clearing House Automated Payment System (CHAPS) is the UK's high-value, real-time gross settlement (RTGS) clearing s...

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