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Bank Validation verifies bank account numbers and sort codes to reduce failed payments and fraud.

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Coverage

  • UK accounts: Full validation including account number and sort code verification
  • International accounts: IBAN validation for EMEA regions (excluding US)

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Available Endpoints

Bank Validation provides four API endpoints:

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UK Validation

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International Validation

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Getting Started

  1. Create an API key if you don’t have one
  2. Choose the appropriate endpoint for your use case
  3. Make your first request using the endpoint documentation above
Here’s a simple example request for the Individual Validate endpoint: 
curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.addressy.com/BankAccountValidation/Interactive/Validate/v2.00/json6.ws

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What Bank Validation Returns

Bank Validation confirms:
  • Whether the account number matches the sort code
  • Bank and branch information for the sort code
Response should be in the following format: 
{
  "Items": [
    {
      "IsCorrect": "False",
      "IsDirectDebitCapable": "False",
      "StatusInformation": "UnknownSortCode",
      "CorrectedSortCode": "",
      "CorrectedAccountNumber": "",
      "IBAN": "",
      "Bank": "",
      "BankBIC": "",
      "Branch": "",
      "BranchBIC": "",
      "ContactAddressLine1": "",
      "ContactAddressLine2": "",
      "ContactPostTown": "",
      "ContactPostcode": "",
      "ContactPhone": "",
      "ContactFax": "",
      "FasterPaymentsSupported": "",
      "CHAPSSupported": ""
    }
  ]
}
And you can use this information below to interpret the response fields:

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Validation Results

FieldTypeDescription
IsCorrectbooleanWhether the account number and sort code are valid
IsDirectDebitCapablebooleanWhether the branch can accept direct debits
StatusInformationstringDetails about the validation outcome. DetailsChanged means check corrected fields for BACS submission. CautiousOK indicates the sort code exists but has no validation rules (rare)

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Corrected Details

FieldTypeDescription
CorrectedSortCodestringThe correct sort code (6 digits, no hyphens). May differ from the original
CorrectedAccountNumberstringThe correct account number (8 digits, BACS format)
IBANstringCorrectly formatted IBAN for the account

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Bank Information

FieldTypeDescription
BankstringName of the banking institution
BankBICstringBanking institution’s BIC (SWIFT BIC)
BranchstringName of the account holding branch
BranchBICstringBranch’s BIC

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Contact Information

FieldTypeDescription
ContactAddressLine1stringLine 1 of branch contact address (may be contact centre for BACS enquiries, not physical branch)
ContactAddressLine2stringLine 2 of branch contact address
ContactPostTownstringBranch contact post town
ContactPostcodestringBranch contact postcode
ContactPhonestringBranch contact phone number
ContactFaxstringBranch contact fax number

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Payment Services

FieldTypeDescription
FasterPaymentsSupportedbooleanWhether the account supports Faster Payments
CHAPSSupportedbooleanWhether the account supports CHAPS
When an error occurs, the API returns an error response with the following structure:
FieldTypeDescription
ErrorstringThe error ID
DescriptionstringA description of the error
CausestringThe cause of the error
ResolutionstringActions to resolve the error

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Common Error Codes

Status CodeMeaningCommon Causes
400Bad RequestInvalid parameters, malformed request, missing required fields
401UnauthorizedInvalid or missing API key
403ForbiddenAPI key doesn’t have permission for this service, or daily limit exceeded
500Internal Server ErrorServer-side issue, temporary service disruption
Tip: Check the Resolution field for specific steps to fix the error. For more details on error responses, see Individual Bank Validation in API documentation.
Note: Bank Validation does not return information about account holders. Only sort code and account number validity are verified.

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Try Bank Validation

Test Bank Validation using the Individual Validate Playground to make your first request.

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FAQ

Many banks use central processing depots for BACS and other transactions. A sort code may return the bank’s central depot address rather than the specific branch location.
Most Bank Validation services are UK-only. The International Validate endpoint covers EMEA regions (excluding US).