So you need to figure out what your bank account number is.
Whether it’s for an incoming transfer, a new job or car insurance, we’ll walk you through exactly how to find your account number – either through online banking, account statements or a cheque.
Each account that you have will have its own unique bank account number.
To put things simply, if you have a chequing account and a savings account, both will have different bank account numbers.
Some numbers may be similar, but they won’t be identical.
There are three components to your overall account number: your bank account number, your branch transit number and your institution number.
Your account number is a set of unique digits that will vary in length based on which financial institution it was opened with but won’t be more than 12 digits long.
Your branch transit number is usually 5 digits, and it serves as an indicator to the specific branch where your account was opened, sometimes referred to as your “home branch”.
Even if your branch transit number is less than 5-digits, you should always enter 5 digits as your transit number.
For example, if your transit number is 102, you should enter 00102.
The institution number is 3 digits in length.
Each financial institution in Canada has its own unique institution number.
In case you’re curious, here are some common institution numbers in Canada:
BMO: 001
TD Canada Trust: 004
Scotiabank: 002
RBC: 003
HSBC: 016
CIBC: 010
National Bank: 006
Tangerine: 614
Desjardins: 815
Laurentian Bank: 039
1. Online Banking
If you have access to online banking, you’ll have direct access to most (if not all) of your account information, including your bank account number.
All you need to do is log into your online banking portal the way you usually do, whether it’s on your computer, your phone, or your tablet.
It might take you straight to your account summary page, or you may have to click into that page.
You should find the account number listed right there.
There may be a dash separating the numbers – the first part is usually the transit number, and the second is the account number.
If the entire account number isn’t there, you can click into the account and request a ‘Direct Deposit Form’.
This form will have your entire account number in print and will clearly state each part of the account number, making it a great option if you’re a bit confused by all the numbers.
2. Account Statements
Another way to find your bank account number is by looking at account statements.
If you get your bank account statements in the mail, your bank account number is usually printed somewhere near the top of the statement and labelled ‘Account number’.
Don’t Forget
Hackers will email, text or even call you pretending to be trusted financial institutions. Their main goal is to get you to give them your bank account number or other account information so they can steal your funds. Don’t fall for these scams! Always ignore unsolicited forms of contact and call your bank or the CRA directly to see if the request was legitimate to prevent getting scammed.
3. Cheque
You can find your entire bank account number on the bottom of a cheque.
The 5-digit branch transit number and the 3-digit institution number, respectively, will usually be found to the left of the account number.
The account number itself can be up to 12-digits long.
Ignore all the symbols and dashes – they are only used to separate the components of your full bank account number.
Keep in mind that at the bottom of a cheque, the first set of 3-or-so digits may be the cheque number.
So, when looking for the bank account number, make sure you’re correctly identifying the 5-digit branch transit number first and going from there.
