Which sort code numbers belong to which bank

UK Bank Sort Codes by Range

UK sort codes are not random – the first two digits were historically allocated to a specific clearing bank, and that pattern still shows through today even after decades of bank mergers, rebrands and new digital-only banks entering the market. This page lists the main number ranges and the bank or building society each one belongs to, the same reference table the sort code group lookup on the sort code checker uses.

Main sort code ranges (England and Wales)

The table below shows the first two digits of a sort code and the bank group that range is (or was) allocated to. Where a range has changed hands through a merger or acquisition, the current owner is shown, with the earlier name noted. This table is a general-purpose public reference, not the official Extended Industry Sorting Code Directory (EISCD) that banks use internally – for anything payment-critical, always confirm directly with the bank rather than relying on a range lookup alone.

Range	Bank / building society	Note
00	Reserved for IBAN use only	Not a real payee sort code
01	NatWest	Formerly District Bank
04	Newer banks & fintechs	Issued to many newer payment-scheme participants, e.g. Monzo and Starling sub-ranges; not usable for cheques
05	Nationwide Building Society	–
07-00 to 07-49	Nationwide Building Society	–
08	The Co-operative Bank	Sub-ranges also used for Citibank and UK government banking
09-00 to 09-19	Santander UK	Formerly Abbey National
10-00 to 10-79	Bank of England	–
11	Bank of Scotland	Used for Halifax accounts since 1990
12-00 to 12-69	Sainsbury's Bank	–
13-14	Barclays	–
15-16	Royal Bank of Scotland	Formerly Williams & Glyn's Bank
18	Coutts	A subsidiary of NatWest
20-29	Barclays	–
30-39	Lloyds Bank and TSB	Formerly Lloyds TSB
40-49	HSBC UK	Formerly Midland Bank; sub-ranges for First Direct, M&S Bank, Tesco Bank and others
50-59	NatWest	Formerly National Provincial Bank
60-66	NatWest group / challenger banks	Formerly Westminster Bank; several challenger banks (e.g. Starling Bank, Atom Bank) use sub-ranges here
70	Various international banks	No longer issued
71	Bank of England	National Savings Bank
72	Santander UK	Formerly Alliance & Leicester
77	Lloyds Bank and TSB	Formerly Trustee Savings Bank

Why sort code ranges don't map cleanly to one bank anymore

The UK banking sector has consolidated heavily since sort codes were introduced in the 1950s. Building societies demutualised and were bought by larger banks, standalone banks merged (Lloyds Bank and TSB, for example, now share several ranges after their 2013 merger), and newer digital-only banks were issued sort codes in the general-purpose 04 range set aside for new payment-scheme participants rather than a dedicated range of their own. This is why a single two-digit prefix can legitimately cover more than one brand today, and why the group lookup on the sort code checker shows the current owning group rather than trying to guess a specific sub-brand from the prefix alone.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own historical sort code ranges, separate from the England and Wales table above – for example 80 to 81 is a Bank of Scotland range specific to Scotland, distinct from Bank of Scotland's 11 range used for Halifax accounts across the rest of the UK. This page focuses on the England and Wales ranges most searches are looking for; if you have a sort code starting 80-99 and it is not in the table above, it is worth checking directly with the bank named on your card or statement rather than assuming it matches an England and Wales range.

How to use this table with the sort code checker

The fastest way to use this reference is the other direction: paste a sort code into the sort code checker and it will look up the range automatically, along with checking the format and, if you add an account number, running a modulus check. This table is here for the cases where you already know roughly which bank you're dealing with and want to sanity-check that a sort code you were given actually falls in a range that bank uses – useful when comparing an old paper statement against a newer digital one, or double-checking a sort code before setting up a recurring payment. If you want to see exactly how the modulus arithmetic works once you add an account number, how modulus checking works walks through the calculation step by step, and the privacy page explains why none of this data ever leaves your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Where does this sort code range data come from?

It's compiled from publicly documented UK sort code range information (Wikipedia's "Sort code" reference page, itself sourced from Pay.UK's published clearing code rules). It is a general public reference, not the official, paid Extended Industry Sorting Code Directory (EISCD) banks use internally for exact branch-level detail.

My sort code isn't in this table, what does that mean?

It likely falls in a narrower sub-range, a Scotland/Northern Ireland-specific range, or a range this general reference table doesn't cover in detail. It doesn't necessarily mean the sort code is invalid – check its format on the sort code checker, and confirm the bank directly with your card or statement if you need certainty.

Can two different banks have the same sort code?

No, each individual six-digit sort code belongs to exactly one bank or branch at a time. What can overlap is the two-digit range: because of decades of mergers, a range like 30-39 is now shared between Lloyds Bank and TSB, which are part of the same group.

Does a sort code tell me the exact branch?

The full six digits historically did map to a specific branch, and often still do for older accounts. For newer digital banks and centralised account structures, a sort code more often maps to an internal division rather than a physical branch you can visit.

Want to check a specific sort code?

Validate the format, run a modulus check, and see the bank instantly.

Go to the sort code checker

Free. No sign-up.