NUBAN Validator
Check whether a 10-digit Nigerian account number passes the CBN check-digit test for your bank, see the working, and find which banks it fits.
A NUBAN is valid for a bank when its last digit equals a check digit worked out from the bank's 3-digit code and the first nine digits of the account number. This tool runs that test in your browser. A pass means the number is correctly formed. It does not prove the account exists or tell you whose it is.
Validator
Go Deeper
What a NUBAN Is
NUBAN stands for Nigeria Uniform Bank Account Number. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced it so that every bank numbers its accounts the same way, because many failed electronic payments came from wrong beneficiary account numbers. A NUBAN has 10 digits: a 9-digit account serial number followed by one check digit. The CBN's own description of the format is ABC-DEFGHIJKL-M, where ABC is the bank's 3-digit code, DEFGHIJKL is the serial number and M is the check digit (CBN NUBAN proposals, version 0.4).
How the Check Digit Is Calculated
The CBN's algorithm uses the 3-digit bank code followed by the first nine digits of the account number, twelve digits in all:
- Multiply the twelve digits by the weights
3 7 3 3 7 3 3 7 3 3 7 3, in order, and add the results. - Find the remainder when the total is divided by 10.
- Subtract that remainder from 10. If the answer is 10, use 0.
- The result is the check digit. It should equal the tenth digit of the account number.
The CBN's worked example
For First Bank (code 011) and a serial number of 000001457, the weighted sum is 81. The remainder after dividing by 10 is 1, and 10 − 1 = 9. So the account number is 0000014579. Use the "Try the CBN's own example" button to see this worked through above.
What a Pass Does and Does Not Mean
- A pass: the number is correctly formed for that bank. A typo, a swapped pair of digits or a missing digit will usually fail the test.
- Not proof of an account: many numbers pass the test but belong to no account. Only the bank can say an account exists.
- Not a name check: the test cannot tell you who owns the account. Most Nigerian banking apps show the account name once you enter the number and choose the bank, so read it before you confirm.
- Several banks can fit one number: the check digit is a single digit, so a random number passes for roughly one bank in ten. If you leave the bank on "Not sure", several matches are normal and do not identify the bank.
Bank Codes Used by This Tool
These are the 3-digit CBN bank codes the tool tests against. The "Basis" column says where each code comes from, and the tool marks the less certain ones in its results.
| Bank | Code | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Access Bank | 044 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Access Bank (former Diamond Bank) | 063 | CBN table, listed as Diamond Bank |
| Citibank Nigeria | 023 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Ecobank Nigeria | 050 | CBN NUBAN table |
| FCMB | 214 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Fidelity Bank | 070 | CBN NUBAN table |
| First Bank of Nigeria | 011 | CBN NUBAN table |
| GTBank | 058 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Heritage Bank | 030 | Public bank-code lists |
| Jaiz Bank | 301 | Public bank-code lists |
| Keystone Bank | 082 | CBN table, listed as Bank PHB |
| Lotus Bank | 303 | Public bank-code lists |
| Parallex Bank | 526 | Public bank-code lists |
| Polaris Bank | 076 | CBN table, listed as Skye Bank |
| Providus Bank | 101 | Public bank-code lists |
| Stanbic IBTC Bank | 221 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Standard Chartered Bank | 068 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Sterling Bank | 232 | CBN NUBAN table |
| SunTrust Bank | 100 | Public bank-code lists |
| UBA | 033 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Union Bank of Nigeria | 032 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Unity Bank | 215 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Wema Bank | 035 | CBN NUBAN table |
| Zenith Bank | 057 | CBN NUBAN table |
The 3-digit CBN bank code is not the same as the 6-digit institution code used for interbank transfers (for example 000013 for GTBank) or a bank's USSD code. See our Nigeria banks USSD codes page for USSD.
Receiving an International Transfer
A sender usually needs your full name as it appears on the account, the 10-digit account number, the bank's name and its SWIFT/BIC code. Use our Nigeria SWIFT code finder for the code. Ask your own bank whether the account can receive foreign currency, and confirm the details it wants the sender to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a NUBAN?
NUBAN stands for Nigeria Uniform Bank Account Number. It is the 10-digit account number format the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced so that all banks number accounts the same way. The first nine digits are the account serial number and the tenth is a check digit.
How do I validate a NUBAN?
Enter the 10-digit account number and choose the bank. The tool multiplies the bank's 3-digit code and the first nine account digits by the weights 3 7 3 3 7 3 3 7 3 3 7 3, adds them up, and works out the check digit from the remainder after dividing by 10. If that digit equals the tenth digit of the account number, the number passes.
Can I tell which bank an account number belongs to?
No. The bank code is used in the calculation but is not part of the 10 digits, so the first digits of an account number do not name the bank. Because a random number passes the test for roughly one bank in ten, leaving the bank on "Not sure" lists several banks that fit, and that does not identify the bank.
Does a pass mean the account exists?
No. A pass means the number is correctly formed for that bank. Many valid-looking numbers belong to no account, and the test cannot tell you who owns an account. Read the account name on your bank's transfer screen before you confirm a payment.
Why does my account number fit more than one bank?
The check digit is a single digit from 0 to 9, so any number has about a one in ten chance of passing for a given bank by coincidence. With around two dozen banks tested, two or three matches are normal. Choose your own bank to get a meaningful result.
My account number fails for my bank. What should I check?
Check for a typo, a missing digit or two swapped digits, and check that you chose the right bank. If the account came from a bank that merged with another, or from a bank that has changed its code, ask the bank which code applies to your account.
Where do the bank codes come from?
Fifteen come from the table printed in the CBN's own NUBAN proposals document. Three more (Polaris, Keystone and the former Diamond Bank accounts at Access) come from that table under their predecessor banks. The rest come from public bank-code lists that agree with each other but are not in the CBN table we could read, and the tool marks them as less certain.
Why is my microfinance bank or digital bank not listed?
The CBN revised the NUBAN standard in 2020 to extend it to other financial institutions, with longer institution codes, and some of these institutions number accounts differently. This tool tests only banks that use the 3-digit codes. If you know a bank's 3-digit code, you can use the "Other bank" option, but we cannot confirm codes you enter yourself.
Is my account number stored or sent anywhere?
No. The check runs in your browser. The account number you type is not sent to a server and is not saved by this page.
Is the 3-digit bank code the same as the code used for transfers or USSD?
No. The 3-digit CBN bank code used in the NUBAN calculation is different from the 6-digit institution code used in interbank transfers and from a bank's USSD code. Our Nigeria banks USSD codes page lists the USSD codes.
