What does each character in an IFSC code mean?

An IFSC is eleven characters long. The first four are letters identifying the bank — HDFC, SBIN, ICIC, AXIS, and so on. The fifth character is always the digit zero, reserved for future expansion. The final six characters are alphanumeric and identify the specific branch within that bank. So HDFC0000001 is HDFC Bank, branch identifier 000001, which is the Nariman Point flagship branch in Mumbai.

Is the IFSC the same as the MICR code?

No, they are different identifiers issued by the RBI for different rails. IFSC is used by electronic transfers — NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, UPI. MICR is a nine-digit numeric code printed in magnetic ink on cheques and used by the cheque truncation system. The same branch has both, and our lookup returns both in one result so you do not need to check twice.

What happens if I send money to a wrong IFSC?

The behaviour depends on whether the IFSC resolves to a live branch. If the code does not exist, the transfer is rejected and the money is credited back to your account, usually within a banking day. If the code resolves to a real branch but the wrong one, and the account number happens to match an existing account at that branch, the credit can go through to the wrong beneficiary. RBI guidelines treat this as the remitter’s responsibility, and recovery is voluntary on the receiving bank’s part. This is why verification before sending matters.

Why is my IFSC no longer working after a bank merger?

When public sector banks merge, the surviving bank reissues IFSC codes for the absorbed branches. Old codes are decommissioned, usually with a grace window of six to twelve months where transfers are auto-routed, after which they fail outright. If your lookup returns a 404 on a code printed on an older cheque book, contact your bank for the current code and request a new chequebook with the updated identifier.

Where does this lookup get its data?

The data is fetched live from a public RBI-derived IFSC dataset maintained by Razorpay at ifsc.razorpay.com. It is the same source used by the majority of Indian fintech apps for payment routing. The dataset is refreshed regularly so newly-issued or recently-decommissioned codes are reflected without delay.

Does the lookup store the IFSC codes I check?

No. The IFSC you type is sent directly from your browser to the public Razorpay endpoint and the response is rendered on this page. We do not log, store, or associate the codes you check with your visit. The page-level analytics only count pageviews, not the contents of any form on it.

Can I look up a branch by name instead of by code?

Reverse search — branch to IFSC — is on the roadmap but not in this first version. It needs a different data source and a fuzzy-search index over the 1,60,000+ Indian bank branches, which we are building separately. For now, lookup is one direction: paste a code, get a branch.

Is this tool free? Will it ever be paid?

The lookup itself will always be free for individual use. We may add bulk lookup, CSV export, and an API tier for accounting software and payment platforms behind the Samastam Pro subscription once that launches, but the single-code lookup on this page will remain free with no rate limit.

Lookup

IFSC Code Lookup

Look up any Indian bank IFSC code and get the full branch details — bank, branch, address, MICR, NEFT/RTGS/IMPS/UPI support. Free, no signup, no ads.

By the Samastam teamLast updated 2026-05-11

Enter IFSC code

Try:

Paste an eleven-character IFSC above. The branch details appear here automatically.

An IFSC code is the eleven-character identifier the Reserve Bank of India assigns to every bank branch on the NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS rails. Paste one below to see the bank, branch, full address, MICR, and which transfer methods it supports.

What this is and why it matters

The Indian Financial System Code is the address every electronic rupee transfer in India needs. When you fill a beneficiary form on your bank app, the IFSC tells the National Payments Corporation of India which branch should receive the credit. Without a valid IFSC, NEFT and RTGS transactions cannot be initiated at all, and IMPS transfers default to the slower MMID-based fallback. Even UPI payments, which feel addressless to the end user, are settled in the background using IFSC-keyed routing tables.

For Indian small businesses, vendors, and freelancers, the practical impact is sharper. Verifying a customer or supplier IFSC before a payout matters because a typo does not usually bounce back the way an invalid UPI handle does. RBI guidelines require banks to credit funds based on the account-number-and-IFSC pair the remitter provides; if both technically resolve to a real account, even the wrong one, the bank is not obliged to recover the money. The cost of a five-second verification is much smaller than the cost of chasing a recovery that may take 30 days or never close at all.

IFSC codes also change. Whenever banks merge, like the consolidation of Vijaya, Dena, Corporation, Andhra, Allahabad, Syndicate, Oriental Bank of Commerce, and United Bank of India between 2019 and 2020, the surviving banks reissue codes for the absorbed branches. Old invoices, old contracts, and old contact lists still carry the obsolete identifiers, and a fresh lookup against a live source is the only reliable way to confirm the current code before initiating a transfer.

Examples and use cases

Verifying a vendor IFSC before paying an invoice

A Mumbai-based design agency receives an invoice from a freelance illustrator in Pune with bank details for State Bank of India. Before initiating a 45,000 rupee RTGS transfer, the accountant pastes the IFSC into this tool. The result shows the correct branch in Aundh, Pune, matching the address on the freelancer’s GST registration. The transfer goes through cleanly. Five seconds of verification prevents a recovery process that, had the IFSC been wrong, would involve a written request to two banks and an indefinite wait.

Updating beneficiary records after a PSU bank merger

A Bengaluru proprietorship has a supplier in Hyderabad whose invoices still carry an old Andhra Bank IFSC. Andhra Bank merged into Union Bank of India in April 2020. Pasting the old code returns a 404 — the branch identifier is no longer live. The supplier is contacted, supplies the new Union Bank IFSC, and the verification on that one confirms the same branch address as before. The vendor master record is updated, future invoices route correctly, and the next RTGS clears the same day.

Choosing the right transfer method for a same-day deadline

A Chennai startup needs to pay a 2,18,000 rupee invoice before the supplier’s cutoff at 4 PM. The supplier’s IFSC lookup shows the branch supports IMPS but the netbanking RTGS window closes at 4:30. Since IMPS settles in under five minutes and runs 24x7, the founder picks IMPS instead and confirms credit before 4 PM. The lookup’s rail-support badges saved a routing decision that the bank app itself does not surface clearly.

Filling in TDS-deduction details for a Form 16A submission

A Delhi salaried professional is filing ITR and needs to add the bank account that received TDS refunds in the previous financial year. The IFSC printed on the cheque book is verified through this tool to confirm the branch is still active under the same code, ensuring the refund credit instructions on the ITR form match RBI’s live routing table.

Confirming branch details for a NRE/NRO account holder abroad

An NRI in Dubai needs to share their HDFC Nariman Point branch IFSC with an employer for salary remittance. The lookup also returns the SWIFT BIC for the branch, which the employer’s overseas bank needs for the inward wire. One lookup gives both the domestic identifier and the international one — useful when working across the two parallel banking systems.

Frequently asked questions

What does each character in an IFSC code mean?: An IFSC is eleven characters long. The first four are letters identifying the bank — HDFC, SBIN, ICIC, AXIS, and so on. The fifth character is always the digit zero, reserved for future expansion. The final six characters are alphanumeric and identify the specific branch within that bank. So HDFC0000001 is HDFC Bank, branch identifier 000001, which is the Nariman Point flagship branch in Mumbai.
Is the IFSC the same as the MICR code?: No, they are different identifiers issued by the RBI for different rails. IFSC is used by electronic transfers — NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, UPI. MICR is a nine-digit numeric code printed in magnetic ink on cheques and used by the cheque truncation system. The same branch has both, and our lookup returns both in one result so you do not need to check twice.
What happens if I send money to a wrong IFSC?: The behaviour depends on whether the IFSC resolves to a live branch. If the code does not exist, the transfer is rejected and the money is credited back to your account, usually within a banking day. If the code resolves to a real branch but the wrong one, and the account number happens to match an existing account at that branch, the credit can go through to the wrong beneficiary. RBI guidelines treat this as the remitter’s responsibility, and recovery is voluntary on the receiving bank’s part. This is why verification before sending matters.
Why is my IFSC no longer working after a bank merger?: When public sector banks merge, the surviving bank reissues IFSC codes for the absorbed branches. Old codes are decommissioned, usually with a grace window of six to twelve months where transfers are auto-routed, after which they fail outright. If your lookup returns a 404 on a code printed on an older cheque book, contact your bank for the current code and request a new chequebook with the updated identifier.
Where does this lookup get its data?: The data is fetched live from a public RBI-derived IFSC dataset maintained by Razorpay at ifsc.razorpay.com. It is the same source used by the majority of Indian fintech apps for payment routing. The dataset is refreshed regularly so newly-issued or recently-decommissioned codes are reflected without delay.
Does the lookup store the IFSC codes I check?: No. The IFSC you type is sent directly from your browser to the public Razorpay endpoint and the response is rendered on this page. We do not log, store, or associate the codes you check with your visit. The page-level analytics only count pageviews, not the contents of any form on it.
Can I look up a branch by name instead of by code?: Reverse search — branch to IFSC — is on the roadmap but not in this first version. It needs a different data source and a fuzzy-search index over the 1,60,000+ Indian bank branches, which we are building separately. For now, lookup is one direction: paste a code, get a branch.
Is this tool free? Will it ever be paid?: The lookup itself will always be free for individual use. We may add bulk lookup, CSV export, and an API tier for accounting software and payment platforms behind the Samastam Pro subscription once that launches, but the single-code lookup on this page will remain free with no rate limit.