What Is a Bank Transit Number in Canada? How to Locate Yours Quickly

If you’ve ever set up direct deposit, connected a new payment service, or transferred money between accounts, you’ve likely been asked for your bank transit number in Canada. This short numerical code plays a key role in making sure your funds end up in the right place. In this guide, we break down what a Canadian bank transit number actually means and show you the easiest ways to find your own—whether you're checking online banking, a paper cheque, or using a transit number lookup tool.

What is a Bank Transit Number?

A bank transit number in Canada is a five-digit unique number that identifies your bank branch. The transit number is used by financial institutions to route money and process payments.

In Canada, banks and other financial institutions give their branches unique transit numbers. The bank transit number’s goal is to identify the bank name, branch, and relevant data about a specific bank account. 

Most people will have their bank transit number printed on their cheques, or they can find it by logging into their online banking account. If you’re not sure what your bank transit number is, read on!

In Canada, there are three primary components of an account information number:

• Transit Number: The first five digits are the transit number, and it indicates the branch details. (It is different from the IBAN or account number).

• Institution Number: The institution number is the following three numbers, which indicate the bank details.

• Account Number: The unique account number is the last seven to twelve digits. (If you only have six digits and require a 7-digit number, add an extra “0” in front of it.) 

For example, if your transit number is 12345 and your bank’s institution number is 123, at the bottom of your cheque, you would see numbers that look like this: 12345 123 00000000.

All of these numbers are assigned to you when you create a bank account in Canada.

The final digit of the transit number typically indicates the branch’s geographical location. The following is the order of association:

• YYYY0 – British Columbia and Yukon
• YYYY1 – Western Quebec, including Montreal and its neighbouring area
• YYYY2 – Southern Ontario, including Toronto and its neighbouring area
• YYYY3 – Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland
• YYYY4 – New Brunswick
• YYYY5 – Labrador and Eastern Quebec
• YYYY6 – Eastern Ontario, including Ottawa and neighbouring area
• YYYY7 – North-western Ontario and Manitoba
• YYYY8 – Saskatchewan
• YYYY9 – Alberta, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories

Transit numbers are an important part of the banking system, and if you’re ever asked for one, it’s important that you provide the correct information.

Getting the transit number wrong can result in payments being delayed or even lost, so it’s worth taking a few minutes to double-check before you send anything off.