If money is transferred but not received, the sender should contact the bank or service used to initiate the transfer to track the transaction. They can also contact the recipient's bank to inquire if the funds have been received.
While most banks will process funds within 24 hours, it could be a day or two before they arrive in the recipient's account. Most banks will advise 24 to 72 hours before funds land and are available.
The receiving bank is still processing the money
But some banks are slower than others — they might take up to 1 working day for them to release the money. So your money's safely on its way, but the recipient bank is still processing it. Your recipient can ask their bank to speed this up.
Usually, banks can only reverse wire transfers if the wire transfer it was an error from the bank, and they sent it to the wrong account number. However, if the sender gives incorrect information, there is no chance of recourse.
It's stressful to figure out what to do if a wire transfer is lost. But the good news is that wire transfers are usually not lost – just delayed or misdirected. Most "lost" transfers are eventually found and completed, but it's important to get in touch with your bank right away if you suspect there's an issue.
Contact the party that wired the funds to you. Ask them to notify their bank or any third party (such as Western Union) that they may have used to wire the funds.
If you have set up a payment but the recipient has not received it or you think it may have gone to the wrong account: You would firstly need to identify where the payment has gone to. If you know the recipient you can contact them and arrange to have the funds returned.
Utilise online banking: If you have online banking access, log in to your account and navigate to the section for wire transfers. Check for any tracking features or options available. Some banks provide real-time tracking updates for international wire transfers.
If money has debited from your account but the merchant says they didn't receive the credit or refund, contact your bank to file a chargeback. You can file a chargeback on the bank's official website or by visiting the physical bank branch.
Domestic transfers can take less than 24 hours, but international transfers can take up to 5 days, depending on things like weekends, bank holidays, cut-off times, and the method you use.
While domestic wire transfers can be completed within one business day, international transfers typically take one to five business days, and they can take longer depending on a variety of factors. In rare cases, a perfectly executed transfer can reach the recipient within a single business day.
You can request a trace on the transfer, and your bank will be able to tell you whether the money has been deposited into the recipient's account².
Occasionally, there are delays. If the bank sending the funds makes a mistake, a wire transfer may take longer than expected. Holidays can also disrupt wire transfers. Prepare for delays if you're receiving money from a slow-to-pay country such as Afghanistan or Cuba.
If the bank initiated the transfer, notify the bank immediately so that it can investigate your claim. If you first contact the bank by phone, it is a good practice to follow up in writing. If you wired the funds through a third party (e.g., Western Union), contact that party to find out what their procedures are.
While in the Not Processed state, credit card transactions will show a Gateway Result of Successful Transaction and direct debit transactions will show a Gateway Result of On Hold. Cardholders may see a pending transaction on their bank statement, but this will fall off when the transaction fails to settle.
Most banks will generally provide tracking information within 24 hours of initiating the wire transfer. If your bank has taken more than 24 hours to provide tracking information, you can call them and ask why there has been a delay.
If the payment or transfer you have made left your account immediately you will see the transaction in your list of most recent transactions. If you have scheduled a payment or transfer for a date in the future you will be able to check online that it has been created successfully.
Wire transfers are used to send money electronically from one bank account to another. Sending money this way is like sending cash in that, once sent, the wire transfer typically cannot be reversed. Wired funds are considered the property of the recipient and wire transfers may be final.
Unfortunately, the money isn't yours unless you made the deposit or if someone else made the deposit on your behalf. The only time you can keep money that is deposited into your account is when the deposit was intended to be made into your account. So, if the deposit was a mistake, you can't keep the money.
If your credit card payment does not go through, your card issuer will typically charge you a returned payment fee. They could even add on a late payment fee, depending on the terms of your card agreement. Not only that, but your bank may also assess you for a “non-sufficient funds” fee.
New rules now mean that most victims of bank transfer scams – also known as “Authorised Push Payment” fraud should now get a refund in five working days from their bank or payment provider.
If you want to know the status of your wire transfer you can get in touch with the bank that sent the wire transfer. You can ask them to trace your wire transfer with the Federal Reference number. A large number of banks will do this for you. You may have to pay an additional fee to track your wire transfer.
Banks can only cancel a wire transfer when they're the ones who made the mistake — for instance, if they sent it twice. That's valid for bank-to-bank, interbank, and international wires.