IFCS stands for Indian Financial System Code. It is the biggest system of code to represent all the banks across the whole country, India. IFS is a unique code to represent all the banks. If anyone wants to send money from one account to another account, then he must have the IFS code of sending bank and the IFS code of receiving bank. It is compulsory for any online transaction in India.
What is IFSC Full Form?
IFSC is the Indian Financial System Code. The code represents all the banks in India, in every city, district, or state by this unique code. IFS code is a combination of alphanumeric. It has a sequence that we will describe later. IFSC is also known as IFS Code. Each branch of each bank has its own unique IFSC. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues these codes to each bank and its branches. RBI has complete control over these codes, no bank can update or change them.
How to find IFSC of any Bank?
Do you want to send money from one account to another account in India? Or do you want to pay your bills online in India? Or if you want to know the division of IFS code then you must read this article till the end. This article has all the details about the IFS code you need. First, we will discuss the method of finding the IFSC of any bank. There are a few ways to find the IFSC of any bank. The following are the methods given to find the IFSC of any bank:
- You can see the IFS code on the passbook of each account holder. Each branch has its own passbook which has a unique code printed on it, IFS Code.
- Another way of finding the IFS code is through a checkbook. Each account holder can have their own checkbook from their branch. IFS Code is printed on each page of the checkbook.
- If you do not have the upper two sources, then you can find the IFSC of any branch on different websites available on the Internet. You must put the information about the bank as bank name and location. In return, it will give you the IFS code of that branch.
What is the format/structure of IFSC?
We know that IFSC is a code, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) generates a unique code for each branch of every bank, known as the Indian Financial System Code (IFSC). If this code covers all the banks of India, then it must have a structure. Yes, it has a unique structure that tells the bank and its branch. Now we will discuss the format of IFSC by dividing it into parts.
IFSC is a code of 11 characters. And a complete code is divided into two parts, the first four characters define Bank Name, and the last six characters define the branch code. The first four characters, bank name slots are always alphabets whereas the last six characters can be alphabets or Numerics both. But there is one part missing, we have discussed the first four and last six characters, which are ten characters, there is one character missing (5h character). Until now there has been no functionality of 5th character but, it is an empty slot for future use. It is possible later that it will be used with branch code.
So, in total we have 11 characters, the first 5 represent Bank name, the last 6 represent branch code, and the middle one, the 5th character is still unused. It has no use; it is always 0.
What is the need of IFSC?
Whenever we talk about IFSC, there is always a question of why we need such code? What is the use of IFSC? Is IFSC important to make transactions? Yes, IFSC is important to make any transactions. Whenever you want to make a transaction, you must know from which branch you are transferring, and to which branch you are transferring any amount. Sometimes, a single account holder has more than one account, so it is compulsory to make sure from which branch and which account you are transferring.
Apart from Account holders, there is also a credit that which branch of the bank has more accounts or money. The banks and their branches are rated based on the amount they have in their banks. So, it must be cleared from where you are transferring, and to which account you are transferring.
Who issues IFSC to each Bank?
A lot of people think that every bank can generate its own IFSC. They can issue or change the code at any time. But no, banks cannot generate their own IFSC, they must consult RBI to get their IFSC issued to their branches. Whenever a bank branch registers itself, RBI issues an IFSC to that branch after testing. If a bank wants to replace or update its IFSC, then it must consult RBI. They cannot do it on their own, if they do, then this is a serious crime.
Do two branches of any bank have the same IFSC?
No, each branch has its own unique IFSC. There is no chance that two branches can have the same IFS Code. Well, two branches cannot have the same IFSC, but one account holder can have more than one account in the same IFS code branch. If an account holder has two accounts in a single branch, then he will have to passbook with the same IFSC.
Common Error
Most people write IFSC in the wrong method. IFSC stands for Indian Financial System Code. There are two ways of writing it IFSC or IFS Code. If you want to write Code completely, then you must continue it with IFS. Or write IFSC only. Writing the “IFSC Code” is the wrong way of writing it.
Summary
IFSC is the Indian Financial System Code, is the banking code system describes all the banks across the country. Each bank branch has its own IFSC, everyone must use IFSC during online transactions. RBI issues IFSC to each bank branch. Each branch has its own unique IFSC, which cannot be duplicated. IFSC is an 11-character code, the first 4 represent the bank name, the last 6 represent branch code, and the 5th character has no use yet.
