SEPA Transfer Time Calculator
Find the latest day your SEPA payment must reach the recipient's bank, allowing for weekends, closing days and your bank's cut-off time.
A standard SEPA transfer must reach the recipient's bank by the end of the next banking business day after your bank receives your order. A payment sent after your bank's cut-off time, or on a weekend or a T2 closing day such as Good Friday, counts as received on the next banking business day. A SEPA Instant payment takes seconds, on any day, if both banks offer it. The calculator below applies these rules to the day and time you send.
Calculate the arrival day
Use the day and time as your bank shows them, in your local time.
Your bank sets the cut-off time and must tell you what it is. Leave it empty if you do not know it and the result shows both cases. Add local holidays if your bank is closed on them.
Examples of a Standard SEPA Transfer
These examples assume a cut-off time of 15:00, only to show how the rules work. Your bank's cut-off may be different.
| You send | Received by your bank | Latest credit to the payee's bank |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 21 September 2026, 10:00 | Monday 21 September 2026 | Tuesday 22 September 2026 |
| Monday 21 September 2026, 17:30 | Tuesday 22 September 2026 after the cut-off | Wednesday 23 September 2026 |
| Friday 18 September 2026, 10:00 | Friday 18 September 2026 | Monday 21 September 2026 |
| Friday 18 September 2026, 17:00 | Monday 21 September 2026 after the cut-off | Tuesday 22 September 2026 |
| Saturday 19 September 2026, 10:00 | Monday 21 September 2026 closed day | Tuesday 22 September 2026 |
| Thursday 2 April 2026, 10:00 (before Easter) | Thursday 2 April 2026 | Tuesday 7 April 2026 |
| Thursday 24 December 2026, 10:00 | Thursday 24 December 2026 | Monday 28 December 2026 |
| Thursday 31 December 2026, 10:00 | Thursday 31 December 2026 | Monday 4 January 2027 |
T2 Closing Days: 2026 to 2028
On these days, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays, a standard SEPA transfer does not move. A payment sent on one of them is treated as received on the next banking business day.
| Day | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan | Sat 1 Jan |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar | Fri 14 Apr |
| Easter Monday | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar | Mon 17 Apr |
| Labour Day (1 May) | Fri 1 May | Sat 1 May | Mon 1 May |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 25 Dec | Mon 25 Dec |
| 26 December | Sat 26 Dec | Sun 26 Dec | Tue 26 Dec |
Go Deeper
The Rule for a Standard SEPA Transfer
Three rules decide when a standard SEPA Credit Transfer arrives. They come from the EU's Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and the EPC's SEPA Credit Transfer rulebook.
- Receipt. Your order counts as received when your bank receives it. If that is not on a business day, or it is after your bank's cut-off time, it counts as received on the next business day (PSD2, Article 78).
- Credit to the payee's bank. Your bank must credit the payee's bank by the end of the following business day (PSD2, Article 83, and section 4.2.3 of the rulebook).
- Availability. The payee's bank must put the money at the payee's disposal immediately after it is credited to that bank (PSD2, Article 87).
So the payee often has the money sooner than the latest day, but the rules only promise the latest day.
Which Days Count
The EPC rulebook says a "Banking Business Day" equals a T2 day. T2 is the euro system that banks use to settle payments between them. The European Central Bank closes it on Saturdays and Sundays, and on New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, 25 December and 26 December. The calculator uses these days. Your bank may also close on national or local holidays, such as Ascension Day or Whit Monday in some countries, and you can add those days to the calculator.
Cut-Off Times
The rulebook says your bank must advise you of its cut-off time, and it leaves the time itself outside the rulebook. Cut-off times differ between banks, which is why this page gives no table of typical cut-off times by country. Find yours in your bank's terms or app. If you do not know it, send your payment early in the day.
SEPA Instant
An instant payment has no cut-off time and can be sent on any day, at any hour, apart from short planned maintenance. The EPC's 2025 rulebook sets a target of 5 seconds, and EU law requires the money to be made available within 10 seconds. Both banks must offer SEPA Instant. If the recipient's bank does not, your bank either refuses the payment or offers a standard transfer, and then the rules above apply. Use our SEPA Instant checker to see whether a bank is listed.
If Your Payment Is Late
The rulebook says the execution time can be interrupted, stopped or affected by the application of laws, for example when a bank has to check a payment. A payment sent in a currency other than euro, or to an account outside SEPA, is not a SEPA payment, and these rules do not apply to it. If the latest day has passed and the money has not arrived, contact your bank first, and give it the payment's reference.
What This Page Uses
The rules are from Directive (EU) 2015/2366 (PSD2), Articles 78, 83 and 87, and the EPC's 2025 SEPA Credit Transfer rulebook, version 1.1, sections 4.2.1 to 4.2.3 and the definition of Banking Business Day. The closing days are from the European Central Bank's decision on TARGET closing days. The instant rules are from the EPC's 2025 SEPA Instant Credit Transfer rulebook. Easter dates are calculated, and we checked the calculation against known Easter dates. We last checked on 19 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a SEPA transfer take?
A standard SEPA transfer must reach the recipient's bank by the end of the next banking business day after your bank receives your order. The recipient's bank must then make the money available immediately. A SEPA Instant transfer takes seconds, at any time, if both banks offer it.
What counts as a banking business day for SEPA?
The EPC's rulebook says a Banking Business Day equals a T2 day. T2 is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, 25 December and 26 December. Your own bank may also be closed on other days.
Do SEPA transfers work at the weekend?
Standard transfers do not move. An order sent on a Saturday or Sunday counts as received on the next banking business day, so it must reach the recipient's bank by the end of the business day after that. SEPA Instant works on weekends.
What is the cut-off time for SEPA transfers?
It is the time after which your bank treats a payment order as received on the next business day. Your bank sets it and must tell you what it is. The EPC rulebook leaves the time itself outside the rulebook, so there is no single cut-off time for SEPA.
Why does the calculator not know my bank's cut-off time?
Because no complete public list exists, and the times differ between banks. Enter yours if you know it. If you leave it empty, the calculator shows what happens if you send before the cut-off and after it.
When does the money reach the recipient, not just their bank?
The recipient's bank must put the money at their disposal immediately after it is credited to the bank's account, under Article 87 of the Payment Services Directive. So the recipient may have it before the latest day, but the rules promise only the latest day.
What happens if I send a SEPA payment on Good Friday?
Good Friday is a T2 closing day, so a standard transfer sent that day counts as received on the next banking business day. In 2026 it is 3 April and Easter Monday is 6 April, so a transfer sent on Good Friday is treated as received on Tuesday 7 April 2026 and must reach the recipient's bank by the end of Wednesday 8 April 2026.
Are Ascension Day and Whit Monday closing days?
Not for T2. The six T2 closing days are the only ones the calculator counts. Some banks close on other national or local holidays, and you can add those days to the calculator.
How fast is SEPA Instant?
The EPC's 2025 rulebook sets a target of 5 seconds, and EU law requires the money to be made available within 10 seconds. It works at any hour on any day, apart from short planned maintenance, and has no cut-off time.
What if the recipient's bank does not offer SEPA Instant?
Your bank either refuses the instant payment or offers a standard transfer instead, depending on the bank. If it becomes a standard transfer, the standard rules and the cut-off time apply. You can check a bank with the SEPA Instant checker on this site.
Does a payment in pounds or dollars follow these rules?
No. SEPA schemes handle euro payments between accounts in SEPA countries. A payment in another currency, or to an account outside SEPA, is not a SEPA payment and can take longer.
Why is my SEPA transfer late?
First check that the latest day the rules allow has passed. Then check your bank's cut-off time, whether a bank holiday fell in between, and whether the payment shows as pending. The rulebook says the execution time can be affected by the application of laws, for example when a bank has to check a payment. Contact your bank with the payment reference.
Can I schedule a SEPA payment for a future day?
Yes. If you and your bank agree that execution starts on a chosen day, that day counts as the day of receipt, and if it is not a business day it moves to the next one (PSD2, Article 78). To see the result, enter that day and a time before the cut-off in the calculator.
Where do the rules come from and how current are they?
From Articles 78, 83 and 87 of Directive (EU) 2015/2366, the EPC's 2025 SEPA Credit Transfer rulebook (version 1.1, issued 5 October 2025), and the European Central Bank's decision on TARGET closing days. We last checked on 19 September 2026. The rules can change, so check the sources if it matters.
Is anything I type stored or sent?
No. The calculation runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server or saved by this page.
