Routing number (Canada)


A routing number is the term for bank codes in Canada. Routing numbers consist of eight numerical digits with a dash between the fifth and sixth digit for paper financial documents encoded with magnetic ink character recognition and nine numerical digits without dashes for electronic funds transfers. Routing numbers are regulated by Payments Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Payments Association, to allow easy identification of the branch location and financial institution associated with an account.

Format

A routing number consists of a five digit transit number identifying the branch where an account is held and a three digit financial institution number corresponding to the financial institution. The number is given as one of the following forms, where XXXXX is the transit number and YYY is the financial institution number:
A leading zero is used when formatting a routing number for electronic payments.

Routing symbol

The symbol that delimits a routing number on MICR-encoded paper documents is the E-13B transit character : ⑆

Transit numbers

Each branch in a financial institution is assigned a unique transit number for identification. The final digit of the transit number indicates the geographical location of the branch. The association is as follows:
Therefore, a number would indicate that the associated account is held at a branch of the Toronto-Dominion Bank located in eastern Ontario.

Financial institution numbers

A selection of institution numbers for major Canadian financial institutions is below.

Directories of routing numbers

maintains the Financial Institutions File, an electronic directory of routing numbers for all financial institutions in Canada. The FIF is updated weekly and is operated as a fee-based subscription service to member institutions of Payments Canada.
A companion free-of-charge directory, the Financial Institutions Branch Directory, is also operated by Payments Canada for occasional referencing by the general public. The FIBD is only available in PDF format and cannot be imported into business applications.