What is an IFSC code?

IFSC stands for Indian Financial System Code — the eleven characters that tell the banking system exactly which branch to credit.

The eleven characters, decoded

An IFSC code is written as four letters, a zero, then six characters — for example HDFC0000123. The first four letters are the bank code assigned by the RBI (HDFC, SBIN, ICIC). The fifth character is always the digit zero; it is reserved so that older and newer code formats stay distinguishable. The last six characters identify the branch, and banks use them differently: some number branches sequentially (000123), others encode the branch type or a town abbreviation.

Where to find it

The IFSC code is printed on the first page of a cheque book, on passbooks, and on bank account statements. It also appears in the beneficiary details of every net-banking screen, and the bank's own website usually lists branch codes. If you only know the branch name and city, search this site instead — the branch page shows the code, MICR number, address and the transfer rails the branch supports.

Why the zero in the middle matters

Before 2004 the fifth character had no fixed meaning. The RBI then reserved it as zero so that any code could be validated structurally: four alphabetic characters, a zero, six alphanumeric characters. That is why every IFSC code you will ever see has a 0 in position five, and why a code with any other character there is simply invalid.

Checking a code before you send money

Two checks catch almost every mistake. First, does the code start with the right bank prefix? Second, does the branch page show the city and branch name you expect? IFSC codes are not secret — sharing yours is safe and necessary for receiving money. What you must never share is your account number together with an OTP, or any PIN.