Commonwealth Bank of Australia SWIFT/BIC code

What CTBAUS33 means for a payment to Commonwealth Bank of Australia

CTBAUS33 and CTBAUS33XXX are two ways of writing the same bank identifier, and both point to Commonwealth Bank of Australia in New York,ny. Banks worldwide use BIC codes to route payments between countries to the correct institution. You will need it mostly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

On this page we explain how the code is put together, when you need it and what else a transfer to or from Commonwealth Bank of Australia requires. The SWIFT code alone cannot identify a personal account; that is what the IBAN or account number is for.

Which of the 4 codes of Commonwealth Bank of Australia do you need?

With 4 codes, Commonwealth Bank of Australia belongs to the banks that use individual codes for branches and departments. The head office code is CTBAUS33XXX.

For most payments to a private or business account, the head office code CTBAUS33XXX is what you need. A branch code only makes sense when the recipient’s bank explicitly mentions it, which is more common for business accounts and trade services.

Unsure which code to use? Ask the recipient, or look at a recent statement from Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Fraudsters often send fake invoices with new bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. A correct SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account – scammers simply use real codes.

Do not rely on contact details from the same email that contains the new account. Urgency or secrecy are warning signs. Already paid? Call your bank straight away and ask them to start a recall and report the fraud.

Scams also work the other way. Someone sends more than agreed and wants you to return the extra. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing.

Getting paid from abroad into a Commonwealth Bank of Australia account

To receive an international payment into your account at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the person paying you needs not just the SWIFT code. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC CTBAUS33XXX and your address.

Some banks want the bank’s address, so keep it at hand. A mistake in your account number is harder to fix than it looks.

Money from abroad does not always arrive for the full amount. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the currency changes, a markup on the rate comes on top. On invoices, you can state who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Paying into Commonwealth Bank of Australia in USD

United States uses the US Dollar, code USD. A payment in a foreign currency will be converted into USD on its way to Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. There is rarely a separate line for the conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, as rates and margins differ per bank. Sending the money already in USD usually avoids an extra conversion at the receiving end.

The rate for USD fluctuates constantly. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over a year.

8 or 11 characters: CTBAUS33 versus CTBAUS33XXX

Each SWIFT/BIC code has an 8-character core: a four-letter bank code, a two-letter country code and two characters for the location. The result is CTBAUS33 for Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

XXX at the end of CTBAUS33XXX is not a missing value or a mistake: it stands for the main office of Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, in which case you simply enter XXX behind CTBAUS33.

Enter the code in one piece, in capitals and without spaces, exactly as shown here. Watch for O versus 0 and I versus 1.

When will the money arrive at Commonwealth Bank of Australia?

There is no fixed answer for every transfer: some land within a day. Bank holidays in the sending or receiving country add a day or more. Compliance checks by one of the banks may also cause a delay.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Each payment gets a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Specialist transfer services often show a status in their app so you can see how far the money has got.

If the money does not arrive after a few business days, the person who paid needs to contact the bank that sent it. On the receiving end, it helps to look at your statements to see a slightly lower amount.

What a transfer from Commonwealth Bank of Australia abroad really costs

What you pay for an international transfer is made up of more than one component, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup when the money is converted.

The markup on the rate is often the largest cost because it is hidden in the rate. Compare their rate against the mid-market rate. The difference is your real conversion cost.

Money transfer services often offer a rate near the mid-market rate and lower fees. GoldexPay lists these services next to each other, showing the amount the recipient gets before you commit. Using a transfer service does not require leaving Commonwealth Bank of Australia – you pay the provider from your own account.

How to check CTBAUS33 before you pay

The safest source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. Compare it against CTBAUS33 on this page and ask if anything does not match.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code are annoying rather than disastrous: often the payment comes back, minus fees. An error in the IBAN or account number is more serious, because the money may be credited to someone else.

A validity check by your bank merely confirms that the code exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. More and more banks compare the payee name with the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. When you pay someone new, some people start with a small test amount before sending the rest.

About this information

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and update them from time to time. Institutions merge, change names and retire codes. Counts and locations come from our directory and may differ from what Commonwealth Bank of Australia publishes.

Before any payment of any size, check the code with Commonwealth Bank of Australia or the recipient. We are a comparison site and not affiliated with Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note.