A US client asks for your ABA number before paying an invoice.
If you have an Indian bank account, should you send your IFSC? Your SWIFT code? Or is there another number you need?
The answer depends on how the client is paying you.
An ABA routing number belongs to the US banking system. It identifies a US financial institution on payment rails such as ACH and domestic wires. It does not identify an Indian bank account.
If you have an Indian bank account, should you send your IFSC? Your SWIFT code? Or is there another number you need?
The answer depends on how the client is paying you.
An ABA routing number belongs to the US banking system. It identifies a US financial institution on payment rails such as ACH and domestic wires. It does not identify an Indian bank account.
TL;DR
- ABA stands for American Bankers Association. An ABA routing number is a nine-digit US bank identifier, also called a Routing Transit Number (RTN).
- Do not assume one routing number works for every payment type. A bank can publish different numbers for ACH, checks and wire transfers.
- For a direct international wire to India, an Indian recipient usually shares beneficiary details and the bank's SWIFT/BIC, not an ABA number.
- If an Indian business receives through local US collection details, the provider may give it a US routing number and account number so the client can pay through domestic US rails.
Decode the payment form before entering anything
A US payment form may ask for several identifiers that do different jobs.
| Field | What it identifies | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ABA routing number | US financial institution/routing endpoint | ACH, checks, domestic US wires |
| Account number | Specific customer account | Credits/debits to that account |
| SWIFT/BIC | Bank or financial institution internationally | Cross-border bank messaging |
| IFSC | Indian bank branch | Domestic Indian payment systems |
What exactly is an ABA routing number?
ABA stands for American Bankers Association.
An ABA routing number is a nine-digit routing number used in the United States. The American Bankers Association maintains the official routing-number system through its registrar.
On a US check, the ABA routing number is generally the left-most number printed along the bottom, followed by the account number and check number.
The most important rule: ask whether the payment is ACH or wire
A bank can use different routing numbers for different transaction types.
For example, Bank of America explicitly distinguishes between:
- check routing numbers
- ACH routing numbers
- wire-transfer ABA numbers
So if your client says, "Send me your routing number," first ask what rail they are using.
For ACH
ACH payments use a routing number that is eligible for ACH transactions plus the receiving account number.
For a domestic US wire
The sender needs the receiving bank's wire routing number and the beneficiary account information.
A routing number that works for ACH is not automatically the correct wire-routing instruction.
What if a US client is wiring money directly to India?
Suppose an Indian software company invoices a US client and asks the client to wire USD directly to its Indian bank account.
The Indian beneficiary does not have an ABA routing number.
The payment instructions will generally include information such as:
- beneficiary name
- Indian bank account number
- beneficiary bank details
- SWIFT/BIC
- any correspondent/intermediary instructions supplied by the bank
The sender's bank may use ABA routing information on the US side, but the Indian beneficiary account itself is not ABA-routed.
ABA vs SWIFT: the practical difference
The easiest distinction is geographic.
ABA routing number: routes payments within the US banking infrastructure.
SWIFT/BIC: identifies financial institutions for cross-border banking communication.
For example:
US sender → US bank/routing infrastructure → cross-border bank messaging → Indian beneficiary bank
Do not substitute one identifier for the other.
When would an Indian exporter actually share an ABA number?
An Indian business can be given local US collection details by a cross-border payment provider.
In that setup, the business is not claiming that its Indian bank has an ABA number. Instead, the provider gives the merchant US receiving details that can be used on domestic US payment rails.
A US client can then pay those local details rather than initiating a traditional international SWIFT wire.
This can be useful for:
- US client invoices
- marketplace payouts
- freelance/platform receipts
- repeat B2B collections
What should you verify before sharing US payment details?
Use this checklist:
- Payment rail: ACH or wire?
- Routing number: is it specifically valid for that rail?
- Account number: have you copied the beneficiary account correctly?
- Beneficiary name: does it match the receiving-account instructions?
- Currency: is the account intended to receive USD?
- Payment purpose/invoice: can the receipt be matched correctly after it reaches India?
Use the routing instructions supplied by the bank or receiving provider.
How PayGlocal simplifies USD collection
PayGlocal's Multi-Currency Accounts let Indian businesses collect international payments through local bank rails, including USD collections from US clients.
PayGlocal currently supports:
- local collection across 120+ global currencies
- payments from 180+ countries
- local collection in major currencies including USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD
- INR settlement within 24 hours
- automated FIRA
- transaction-level tracking
For a US customer, the practical benefit is simpler payment instructions: the customer can pay through supported local rails instead of being asked to navigate a traditional SWIFT transfer to India.
