NZ bank account numbers. All you need to know.

Roberto Efflandrin

05.12.22

3 minute read

Bank account numbers are as unique as each banking customer. They are also as unique as the bank offering the account attached with the number. Whether you are sending money domestically in your home country, or abroad, each country will have their own unique format for a local bank account number.

New Zealand bank account numbers are no exception. This article has all you need to know about the NZ bank account number, including the format, features, and a bit about the NZ payments system in general.

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The New Zealand bank account number format

A New Zealand bank account number is 16 digits long. The number is broken up into 4 distinct sections which highlight different features about the bank, branch and account details.

This is what the format of a NZ bank account number looks like without any dedicated account numbers inputted¹:

12-1234-1234567-123

Below we’ll go through what each of the number sections indicate and why they are important.¹

What is a NZ bank number or prefix?

The first two numbers indicate the bank number or prefix. Each bank in New Zealand has their own allocated two digit number that identifies which bank a customer holds an account with.

12-1234-1234567-123

What is a NZ bank branch number?

The second block of numbers will indicate the bank branch number for where the account is located in NZ. Each bank can have several branch locations where customers can open an account. This number changes as per branch location.

12-1234-1234567-123

What is the account number?

The third block consists of a seven digit account number which will be unique to each customer and to your own bank account.

12-1234-1234567-123

What is the NZ bank account suffix?

The last block of numbers consists of three numbers that indicates the type of bank account held. If a customer has several accounts with the same bank, this suffix suffix number will change for each account held.

12-1234-1234567-123

Sometimes banks will have a 2 number suffix number. If this is the case, a zero may be used as the first number in the suffix sequence.¹

Does New Zealand use the IBAN?

The IBAN, short for International Bank Account Number, is a commonly adopted numbering standard that identifies banks from around the world.

New Zealand has not adopted this standard for their banks, so the IBAN is not used for transfers.²

Who governs New Zealand’s core payment systems?

Payments New Zealand is the governing organisation for the NZ core payments systems. The payment clearing houses that Payments NZ govern include:

Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS),
Consumer Electronic Clearing System (CECS),
High Value Clearing System (HVCS)

The core payments systems facilitate different methods of transfers between participating member banks. Many of the big and small banks in NZ are participating banks which helps make possible effective and standardised transfer services.³

List of popular NZ bank codes

Here are some of the bank prefixes and branch ranges for the top 5 banks in NZ.⁴

Bank	Bank code/prefix	Branch range
Bank of New Zealand	02 or 08	0018 - 6599
ANZ	01, 04, 06, 11 or 25	0001 - 8999
Kiwibank¹	38	9000 - 9499
Westpac	03, 13, 14, 16 -23, 27	0031 - 7355
ASB Bank	12 or 24	3001 - 4340

The branch number ranges given is not a reflection of the actual number of branches each bank has. Instead, you will find that a number between these ranges will be allocated for your given bank.

Wise Account and send money

If you are on the market for a new NZ account, you should check out what Wise has to offer. Wise is not a bank but a great alternative to traditional bank accounts. When you sign up to the Wise Account, you can get your own NZD local account details and also get account details in other world currencies. You can also order the Wise debit card that links directly with your account.

This means you’ll be able to spend in NZ and abroad, while being able to make local transfers just like you would with any of NZ popular banks.

If you need to send money abroad, Wise has you covered, with upfront pricing and conversions using the mid market rate on all overseas NZD transfers.

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Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Sources:

Sources checked on: 29th November 2022

This publication is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to cover every aspect of the topics with which it deals. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content in this publication. The information in this publication does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its affiliates. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.