Swift SWIFT/BIC code

SWHQUS3N – the SWIFT/BIC code of Swift

SWHQUS3N and SWHQUS3NXXX are two spellings of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to Swift in New York,ny. A SWIFT code shows every bank in the chain exactly which bank should receive the money, much like a postcode for banks. It comes up mainly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

Further down you will find the practical questions: receiving money at Swift, paying someone in another country and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. A SWIFT code identifies an institution, never a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

A note on our data

The codes here are taken from publicly available data which we refresh regularly. Even so, banks merge or retire codes. Counts and locations are from our own dataset and may differ from what Swift publishes.

See our directory on this page as a helpful check. GoldexPay has no connection to Swift; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Found outdated information? Tell us via our contact form so we can correct it.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Swift

How quickly a payment reaches Swift depends on a few things: which currency you send, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and time zones. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add a day or more to the journey. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments may also add some delay.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Each payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Save your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms.

The bank that sent the money can request a trace or a recall; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. Request from the sender the payment receipt including the reference; that often settles the question quickly.

Watch out for payment fraud

Stay alert when a contact unexpectedly wants you to send money to another account abroad. A correct SWIFT code says nothing about whether the request is genuine – scammers simply use real codes.

Never trust contact details from the same email that announces the new account. Urgency and secrecy tend to be red flags; a genuine business can wait for you to check. If a payment has already gone to the wrong account, call your bank right away – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Scams can also work the other way: someone sends too much and wants you to refund the extra. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof; only your own account shows what has arrived.

8 or 11 characters: SWHQUS3N versus SWHQUS3NXXX

Every SWIFT/BIC code has an 8-character core: a four-letter bank code, a two-letter country code and two characters for the location. That gives you SWHQUS3N for Swift.

XXX at the end of SWHQUS3NXXX does not stand for a placeholder or a mistake: it stands for the head office of Swift. Some banking apps insist on 11 characters, and then you can add XXX after SWHQUS3N.

Leave out spaces, dots when you enter SWHQUS3N or SWHQUS3NXXX. A wrong letter can send the money to another bank.

Sending USD to Swift

The local currency in United States is the US Dollar (USD). If you send another currency gets converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or Swift itself. You rarely see a separate line for that conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Who does the conversion affects how much arrives, as rates and margins differ per bank. Sending the money already in USD often avoids a second conversion.

The USD rate fluctuates throughout the day and quotes are often valid only for a short time. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

What to give a sender who pays you at Swift

When you expect money from abroad, give the sender a complete set of details. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code SWHQUS3NXXX and your address, which some banks require.

The sender’s bank might also ask for the bank address of Swift; the head office in New York,ny is usually fine. A mistake in your account number can be harder to fix than you might think.

Expect that the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank – the price list of Swift tells you what applies. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs.

How to check SWHQUS3N before you pay

Have the recipient copy the bank details straight from a recent statement. Compare that code with SWHQUS3N here; if they differ, ask before you pay.

A wrong SWIFT code can cause a delay, a payment being sent back or additional charges for investigation. A mistake in the IBAN or account number can be more serious; check it just as carefully.

A format check by your bank merely confirms that the code is valid – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Where available, a name check on the recipient adds an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, many people start with a small amount first.

Paying someone abroad from your Swift account

The price of an international transfer is made up of several parts, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. You pay the transfer fee, sometimes charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate if the currency changes.

The markup on the rate is often the biggest item because it is hidden in the rate. Check the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate. Before your next transfer, it is worth comparing what arrives on GoldexPay. Using a transfer service does not mean leaving Swift.

Swift: head office code versus branch codes

With 2 codes in 1 cities, Swift belongs to the banks that register separate codes for parts of the organisation and departments. The head office code is SWHQUS3NXXX.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with SWHQUS3NXXX or its short form SWHQUS3N. Only use a branch code when the recipient explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

The best way is to take the code straight from the recipient’s statement. Codes are sometimes changed or retired over time.