Format of Canadian MICR Number and Routing Number
Canadian MICR Number or transit numbers are regulated by the Canadian Payments Association and has the following form:
XXXXX-YYY
where XXXXX is a Branch Number, and YYY is an Institution Number. The dash between the branch number and the institution number is an integral part of the transit number. This format is only valid for paper-type transactions such as cheques.
For Electronic Fund Transactions (EFT) the current format is a leading zero, the institution number, then the branch number all with no dashes.
For example if a cheque reads XXXXX-YYY , the corresponding EFT code would be 0YYYXXXXX.
As a general rule, Bank institution numbers start with 0, 2, 3, or 6, Credit Union and Caisse Populaire institution numbers start with 8, and Trust Company institution numbers with 5.
Examples
| MICR Number | Bank or Institutions |
|---|---|
| XXXXX-001 | Bank of Montreal |
| XXXXX-002 | Bank of Nova Scotia |
| XXXXX-003 | Royal Bank of Canada |
| XXXXX-004 | Toronto-Dominion Bank (which is the legal name for the bank |
| XXXXX-006 | National Bank of Canada |
| XXXXX-010 | Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (includes President’s Choice Financial) |
| XXXXX-016 | HSBC Canada |
| XXXXX-030 | Canadian Western Bank |
| XXXXX-039 | Laurentian Bank of Canada |
| XXXXX-117 | Government of Canada (Not listed as a member of the Canadian Payments Association) |
| XXXXX-127 | Canada Post (money orders) |
| XXXXX-177 | Bank of Canada (Canadian central bank) |
| XXXXX-219 | ATB Financial |
| XXXXX-260 | Citibank Canada |
| XXXXX-290 | UBS Bank (Canada) |
| XXXXX-308 | Bank of China (Canada) |
| XXXXX-309 | Citizens Bank of Canada (Canada) |
| XXXXX-326 | President’s Choice Financial (no longer assigned |
| XXXXX-338 | Canadian Tire Bank |
| XXXXX-340 | ICICI Bank Canada |
| XXXXX-509 | Canada Trust (prior to the merger of TD & Canada Trust) |
| XXXXX-540 | Manulife Bank |
| XXXXX-614 | ING Direct Canada |
| XXXXX-809 | [Central 1 [Credit Union] – BC Region] |
| XXXXX-815 | Caisses Desjardins du Québec |
| XXXXX-819 | Caisses populaires Desjardins du Manitoba |
| XXXXX-828 | [Central 1 [Credit Union] – ON Region] |
| XXXXX-829 | Caisses populaires Desjardins de l’Ontario |
| XXXXX-837 | Meridian Credit Union (formerly Hepco) |
| XXXXX-839 | Credit Union Heritage (Nova Scotia) |
| XXXXX-865 | Caisses populaires Desjardins acadiennes |
| XXXXX-879 | Credit Union Central of Manitoba |
| XXXXX-889 | Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan |
| XXXXX-899 | Credit Union Central Alberta |
| XXXXX-900 | ? |
In a Canadian bank transit number, the last digit of the branch number, with few exceptions, indicates the geographical location of the branch.
Branch numbers ending with:
0 are located in British Columbia and Yukon
1 are located in Western Québec including Montreal and surrounding areas
2 are located in Ontario including Toronto and surrounding area
3 are located in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland excluding Labrador
4 are located in New Brunswick
5 are located in Eastern Québec including Labrador
6 are located in Eastern Ontario including Ottawa and surrounding area
7 are located in Manitoba and North-Western Ontario
8 are located in Saskatchewan
9 are located in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Looking for a code for international bank transfer? Refer to SWIFT Codes table.