Where to find your routing number and account number

Two numbers do most of the work when money moves in or out of a US bank account: a routing number and an account number. A new employer asks for them to set up direct deposit. So does a payroll app, a landlord collecting rent automatically, or a form for a tax refund.

They are not secret the way a password is secret. You hand them over regularly, and every check you write carries them. But they are not public either, and that difference is worth understanding.

Here is what each number means, where to find both with a check and without one, and the few places where people commonly copy down the wrong number.

What each number identifies

A routing number identifies the bank or credit union, not you. It is always nine digits. You may also see it called an ABA number, a routing transit number, or an RTN. Those are all the same thing.

An account number identifies your particular account at that institution. Lengths vary a great deal from bank to bank, and even between account types at the same bank, so there is no length you can check it against. Zeros at the front are usually part of the number, so copy it exactly as your bank shows it rather than trimming them. Some banks pad an account number out to a fixed length, so if a form rejects the number, your bank can tell you which digits are actually yours.

Together they work like an address and a name on a door. The routing number gets a payment to the right institution; the account number gets it to the right account inside it. Neither one alone is enough to move money.

Finding both numbers on a check

Along the bottom of a check runs a line of numbers, printed so that machines can read them. That line holds three pieces of information: the routing number, your account number, and the number of that individual check.

Reading the line from left to right, the first group of nine digits is the routing number. Another group of digits is your account number. It may be longer or shorter than the routing number, because there is no set length. The check number is in there too, and it is the same check number you see on the check itself. Comparing the two is the simplest way to tell the check number apart from the account number, because banks do not all put them in the same order.

Small symbols separate the groups. They are markers for the machines, not part of any number. When you write the numbers down or type them into a form, copy digits only: no symbols, no spaces, no dashes.

Finding them without a check

You do not need a checkbook to find them. Any of these will get you the numbers.

If someone asks specifically for a voided check, meaning a check with VOID written across it as proof the account is yours, what counts as an acceptable substitute varies by employer. Some accept a bank letter or the app's How to get a voided check, with or without a checkbook">direct deposit form instead, and our guide on voided checks covers the options. If you would rather hand over an actual voided check, Print A Checks has a free page at free voided check page that makes one in your browser.

• Online banking. Sign in, open the account, and look for account details. The routing number is usually shown outright; the account number is often partly hidden until you click to reveal it.
• The bank's mobile app. Same idea, usually under account details or a direct deposit section. Some apps will also produce a prefilled direct deposit form you can send straight to an employer.
• A statement. Statements normally show the account number, sometimes with the first digits masked. Some show the routing number and some do not.
• Ask the bank. Phone, secure message, or a branch. They will verify who you are first. This is the slowest route and the most certain one.

Why the numbers can differ depending on where you look

Two things catch people out.

Deposit slips. Some banks print a different routing number on deposit slips than on checks, because the slip is handled inside the bank rather than sent through the payment system. The routing number is the part to watch, and it is why a deposit slip is not a reliable source for a direct deposit form. Take the numbers from a check, from online banking, or from a form the bank itself produced.

More than one routing number. A bank can have several. Large banks that grew through mergers often keep regional numbers, and the one that applies to you usually depends on the state or branch where the account was opened rather than where you live now. Banks may also use one routing number for direct deposits and automatic payments and a different one for wire transfers. Money arriving from another country usually needs a code that identifies the bank across borders as well, often called a SWIFT or BIC code, sometimes instead of the routing number and often alongside it. Banks publish the exact set of details they want for incoming international wires, so use that list. When a form asks for a routing number, notice what kind of transfer it is for.

Quick ways to check you have the right numbers

None of this takes more than a minute, and it is cheaper than chasing a payment afterwards.

A wrong routing number normally means the payment is rejected and comes back, which is irritating but recoverable. A valid routing number paired with a wrong account number is the one to be careful about. Where the money ends up then depends on the receiving bank, and sorting it out can take time.

• Count the routing number. Nine digits, always. Eight or ten means a digit was dropped or added somewhere.
• Digits only, in both numbers. No letters, spaces or dashes, even if your bank displays them in groups on screen.
• Copy the account number exactly as your bank shows it, including any zeros at the front.
• Confirm the routing number belongs to your bank using a public routing directory. That confirms the institution only. Nothing outside your bank can confirm your account number.
• Read the numbers back off the completed form and compare them to the source, rather than checking from memory.

Who should get these numbers

Your routing and account number together are enough for someone to attempt an ACH debit, meaning a pull from your account over the automated clearing house network, the same system behind direct deposits and automatic bill payments. That is precisely why you give them to an employer, a utility, or an insurer you have chosen to deal with.

So the sensible rule is about who, not about secrecy. Give them to a party you approached, through a channel you started: the employer's HR portal, the utility's own site, your bank's app. Be careful when the request arrives unprompted, particularly by email or text, and particularly with urgency attached.

A few everyday habits help as well. Avoid posting photographs of checks publicly, since the numbers are right there to read. Shred old checks and deposit slips rather than dropping them in the bin. And look at your account regularly. If a debit shows up that you did not authorize, your bank is the place to start. Time limits apply to disputes: on a personal account, federal rules set a period that runs from the date the statement showing the debit was sent rather than from the day you noticed it, while a business account is governed by its account agreement and the period there is normally shorter. Your bank can tell you which applies to your account.

Last updated 2026-09-16. General information about how checks and US bank payments usually work — not legal, tax or financial advice.