IFSC codes, and where to find one.
An IFSC code is the eleven-character code that identifies one bank branch in India, and it is required to pay money into an Indian bank account. It is printed on a chequebook and passbook and shown in every Indian banking app under account details.
What is an IFSC code?
An IFSC — Indian Financial System Code — is an eleven-character code that identifies a single bank branch in India. It routes an inbound payment to the right branch, and it is required alongside the account number for any transfer into an Indian bank account that is not going to a UPI ID.
The format is fixed: four letters for the bank, then a zero, then six characters identifying the branch — HDFC0001234, for example.
The fifth character is always the digit zero. It is reserved, and it is never the letter O. Reading it as an O is the most common transcription error in the whole code.
Where do I find my IFSC code?
It is printed on the recipient's chequebook and on the front pages of their passbook, and every Indian banking app shows it under account details. Each bank also publishes a branch locator. The code identifies the branch rather than the person, so everyone banking at that branch shares the same one.
Because it belongs to the branch, an IFSC changes when branches merge or are renumbered — which happens after bank mergers. If a transfer to a previously working code is rejected, re-check the code before re-checking anything else.
Do I need an IFSC code to send money to India?
Only if you are paying into a bank account. If the recipient gives you a UPI ID instead, you do not need their account number or their IFSC at all — the UPI ID already resolves to an account, and the routing happens on the Indian side.
What happens if the IFSC code is wrong?
A code that does not exist causes the payout to be rejected and the transfer to be returned. A valid code for the wrong branch is the dangerous case: if it does not match the account number the payment is rejected too, but the pairing is checked on the Indian side, so the failure is reported back rather than caught as you type.
If a transfer cannot be completed, the full amount debited from your funding source is returned. You can follow the status in the activity screen, and support can investigate any transfer that does not settle as expected.