Federal Reserve Bank — routing numbers and ABA codes

Using the right Federal Reserve Bank routing number

The routing numbers above identify Federal Reserve Bank within the US payments system. They are nine-digit codes assigned by the Federal Reserve and the American Bankers Association, and they tell other banks where to send money on your behalf. For most personal accounts, the number on this page is everything a payroll department, billing service, or another bank needs to move funds into or out of your account.

However, Federal Reserve Bank may use slightly different numbers depending on the type of payment:

• Direct deposit and ACH credits — use the routing number tied to the state where you opened the account. If you opened your account in California and later moved, your routing number does not change with you.
• ACH debits and bill-pay — same routing number as direct deposit.
• Domestic wire transfers — many large banks publish a separate "wire routing number" that consolidates wires for the entire institution. Confirm with Federal Reserve Bank directly before sending a wire; the published wire RTN is sometimes one of the numbers above and sometimes a separate national code.
• International (SWIFT) transfers — incoming international wires need a SWIFT/BIC code, not just an ABA routing number. Your bank can supply both.

Verifying a payment before you send

If you are about to make a large payment — closing on a property, paying a tax bill, or wiring tuition — call Federal Reserve Bank and read the routing number back to a banker over the phone. The Federal Reserve does not penalize banks for accepting a misrouted payment, so the cost of fixing a mistake falls almost entirely on the sender. A two-minute phone call can save weeks of trace requests.

You can also verify the number against your most recent paper check (the leftmost set of numbers along the bottom edge), the routing number printed inside your online banking dashboard, or the W-9 or W-8 form your bank issues for tax purposes. All three should match the entry shown above.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Federal Reserve Bank have so many routing numbers?

National and regional banks typically inherit routing numbers from each acquired institution. Even after a corporate merger, the Federal Reserve preserves the legacy ABA numbers for years to avoid disrupting payroll and bill-pay setups for customers in those legacy regions. That is why a single bank can appear with dozens of distinct routing numbers across the country.

Will my routing number ever change?

It can. After a merger, the surviving institution may consolidate numbers over a multi-year window, and customers usually receive a written notice 60–90 days before their account converts to a new routing number. If you stop receiving expected ACH credits and your bank has recently been acquired, that's a good first thing to investigate.

Is this the same as a SWIFT or BIC code?

No. SWIFT (also called BIC) codes are an international identifier used to route payments between banks in different countries. ABA routing numbers are a US-only identifier used inside the domestic ACH and Fedwire networks. International wires into a US account often need both: the SWIFT code to find the bank, and the ABA number plus account number to credit the right customer.