SEPA Transfer Time Calculator
Find out exactly when your SEPA payment will arrive. Accounts for cut-off times, weekends, and public bank holidays across all SEPA countries.
Transfer Type
Arrives in under 10 seconds
SEPA Instant works 24/7/365 including weekends and public holidays. No cut-off times. No waiting for next business day.
Speed
Under 10s
Availability
24/7/365
Max amount
EUR 100,000
Both sending and receiving bank must be enrolled in SCT Inst. Check if your bank supports SEPA Instant.
Central European Time (UTC+1, or UTC+2 in summer)
Is your bank SEPA Instant enabled?
Want transfers that always arrive the same day? Wise uses SEPA Instant rails for most EUR payments:
SEPA Cut-Off Times by Country
Send before the cut-off on a business day and your transfer processes the same day, arriving the next business day. Send after the cut-off and processing shifts to the following business day.
| Country | Typical Cut-off (CET) |
|---|
How Long Does a SEPA Transfer Take?
A standard SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) must reach the beneficiary's account by the end of the next business day (D+1) after the payment order is received by the sending bank. In practice, "next business day" depends on when you submit the transfer relative to your bank's cut-off time and whether there are any weekends or public holidays in between.
If you submit a SEPA transfer at 9am on a Monday, it will typically arrive in the recipient's account by close of business on Tuesday. If you submit at 17:30 on a Monday (after most cut-off times), it will not start processing until Tuesday morning, so it will arrive by end of business on Wednesday. If you submit on a Friday afternoon, the earliest arrival is typically end of business on Monday.
SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) operates on a completely different timescale. Instant transfers must settle in under 10 seconds, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. No cut-off times, no weekends, no holiday delays. The only constraint is that both the sending and receiving bank must be enrolled in SCT Inst.
SEPA Cut-Off Times: Why Timing Matters
SEPA cut-off times are the deadlines by which your bank must receive and process your payment order to include it in that day's clearing cycle. Most banks submit payments to the clearing system (either STEP2 for batch or TIPS/RT1 for instant) at specific times throughout the day. After the final cut-off of the day, no more payments are submitted until the next business day.
Cut-off times vary by bank and country. Most German banks cut off between 16:00 and 17:00 CET. French banks often cut off at 16:30 CET. Some banks have multiple cut-off times during the day and process payments in batches. Internet banking cut-offs may differ from branch cut-offs. Always check your bank's specific published cut-off time. The times in this calculator reflect typical industry norms, not your specific bank's policy.
Weekends and Bank Holidays: The Complete Guide
For standard SEPA Credit Transfer, neither weekends nor public bank holidays are counted as processing days. The SEPA clearing infrastructure (STEP2 operated by EBA Clearing) does not process on Saturdays, Sundays, or TARGET2 closing days (which include ECB public holidays).
The practical impact depends on when you send. A transfer submitted on Thursday before cut-off arrives Friday (D+1). Submitted Thursday after cut-off: arrives Monday (D+1 from Friday). Submitted Friday before cut-off: arrives Monday. Submitted Friday after cut-off or on Saturday: arrives Tuesday. This is why corporate treasurers pay close attention to cut-off times when managing end-of-quarter or payroll payments.
For SEPA Instant, none of this applies. Instant transfers process 24/7 including Christmas, New Year, and Easter.
Check if a specific bank supports SEPA Instant with our SEPA Instant Checker. Check if a country is in SEPA with our SEPA Eligibility Checker. Validate IBANs with our IBAN Validator.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Standard SEPA Credit Transfer takes up to one business day (D+1) if sent before the cut-off. After cut-off or on weekends/holidays, it effectively takes two business days. SEPA Instant arrives in under 10 seconds, 24/7.
Most German banks cut off at 17:00 CET. French banks often cut off at 16:30 CET. Netherlands at 17:00 CET. After the cut-off, the payment shifts to next-business-day processing, adding one extra business day to the arrival time.
Standard SEPA does not process on weekends. A Saturday transfer won't process until Monday, arriving Tuesday. SEPA Instant is available 24/7 including weekends and public holidays.
Under 10 seconds, 24/7/365. In practice most settle in 2 to 5 seconds. Maximum EUR 100,000. Both banks must be enrolled in SCT Inst.
Common reasons: sent after cut-off time, bank holiday in either country, bank's own internal processing queue, compliance checks on large or unusual transfers, or first-time transfer to a new recipient triggering extra verification.
Yes. SEPA Instant operates 24/7/365 including public bank holidays in all SEPA countries. A transfer on Christmas Day arrives in under 10 seconds. Standard SEPA does not process on bank holidays.
Standard SEPA takes up to one business day, only on banking days. SEPA Instant takes under 10 seconds, 24/7. Instant is capped at EUR 100,000. Both banks must support instant. Standard SEPA has no practical maximum.