How Long Does a Wire Transfer Take: A Guide to U.S. and International Transfers

‍Quick answer: Domestic wire transfers typically process the same day they’re sent, as long as you conduct the transaction before your bank’s cutoff time. International wire transfers will take 1-5 days. Transfers to countries like the UK and Canada, which have strong financial ties to the US, might settle in 1-2 days, while wires to small countries in Africa might take 5 days.

Whether you’ve just sent a wire transfer or are waiting on one to be delivered, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll break down the question of how long does a wire transfer take and give you all the information you need to answer for your specific situation. We’ll cover:

Factors that influence payment speed:

• Whether the recipient is domestic or international (international takes longer)
• The specific destination country—those with strong U.S. financial ties receive payments faster
• Bank cutoff times, which determine if your transfer processes the same day
• Compliance checks on large payments, which can cause delays

What this guide covers:

• How long domestic and international wire payments take to process
• Bank-specific cutoff times
• Transfer costs
• Security infrastructure
• Step-by-step process for sending a wire transfer

Did you know? In many cases you can send large payments without needing to use a wire transfer. Nickel Pro, supports ACH transfers of up to $1 million. A monthly subscription fee of $45 ($35/month if paying annually) allows you to send and receive unlimited ACH payments up to $1m per payment for free. Transfers will settle in two business days.

Platform users who don’t want to pay a monthly fee can make unlimited $0 ACH transfers of up to $25,000 per payment. That allows you to save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year that you’d be unnecessarily spending on wire transfer fees.

What Is a Wire Transfer?

A wire transfer is an electronic payment sent directly from one bank account to another through secure banking networks. Domestic wire transfers in the United States travel through Fedwire, which is operated by the Federal Reserve. International wire transfers use the SWIFT network, a global messaging system that connects over 11,000 financial institutions worldwide.

Wire transfers are the fastest way to move large sums of money, allowing funds to arrive at your destination in less than 24 hours. These transfers are trusted by businesses for their speed and security. 

Businesses typically use wire transfers for large one-time purchases like real estate down payments or equipment acquisitions, urgent payments when a supplier has a delivery deadline, and international transactions to overseas vendors or foreign subsidiaries.

Wire transfers have four key characteristics that set them apart from other payment methods:

Speed: Domestic wires typically arrive the same business day if they’re sent before a bank cutoff time (we’ll explain this in more detail below), while international wires take 1-5 business days depending on the destination.

Security: Wire transfers use encrypted banking networks with bank-level security protocols, regulated by the Federal Reserve for domestic transfers and SWIFT for international ones.

Cost: Each wire transfer costs $25-$50 when you factor in both outgoing and incoming fees—significantly more expensive than free or low-cost ACH transfers.

Finality: Once a wire transfer is received, it cannot be reversed. This is different from credit card payments or ACH transfers, which have dispute and reversal mechanisms.

How Long Do Domestic Wire Transfers Take?

Same Business Day Delivery

When you send a domestic wire transfer before your bank's cut-off time, the funds typically arrive the same business day.

Next Business Day Delivery

If you miss the cut-off time, your wire transfer gets queued for the next business day's morning processing batch. A wire sent at 3:30pm when your bank's cut-off was 3pm won't be processed until the next business day.

Bank-Specific Cut-Off Times (2025)

Each major bank sets its own wire transfer cut-off time. If you don’t initiate the transaction until after your bank’s cutoff, your transfer won’t process until the next business day. Below, you can find the transaction cutoff times for some major U.S. banks.

Cut-off times can vary based on your account type (business vs personal), the wire amount (large wires may have earlier cut-offs to enable compliance reviews), whether it's domestic or international, and whether you're initiating online or in-branch. Make sure to check the time zone of your bank’s cutoff time, as it may be posted in Eastern Time.

Domestic Wire Fees by Major Bank (2025)

Wire transfer fees add up quickly, especially if you send multiple wires per month. Both the sender and recipient of a transaction may accrue a fee. Here's what the major banks listed above charge per electronic transfer:

How Long Do International Wire Transfers Take?

Cross-border payments typically process in 1-5 days. These transactions take longer than domestic ones due to the complexity of moving money between countries.

Banks in international destinations often use systems that work differently than domestic financial institutions. The SWIFT network connects global banking institutions and allows them to conduct transactions, but the added complications add time to the process.

The variation in banking hours, currency conversions and compliance checks can all add time to the transaction.

The timeline depends largely on the destination. Some international routes are faster than others due to strong banking relationships and high transaction volumes. Below, we’ve listed some guidelines on how long a transfer might take.

• US to UK: 1-2 business days (strong banking ties)
• US to Canada: 1-2 business days (close financial integration)
• US to EU (Eurozone): 1-2 business days (major trading partners)
• US to Asia: 2-3 business days (timezone delays)
• US to Latin America: 2-4 business days (varying banking infrastructure)
• US to Africa/Middle East: 3-5 business days (more intermediary banks, stricter compliance)

Hidden Costs of International Wires

Beyond the obvious wire fees, international transfers come with hidden costs that can significantly increase your total expense.

Currency conversion markup: Banks don't transparently show you their exchange rate markup—they simply give you a rate. If the mid-market rate is 1.2500 USD/EUR but your bank offers 1.2750 USD/EUR, you're paying a hidden $250 fee on a €10,000 payment.

Intermediary bank fees: These get deducted directly from your wire amount as it passes through the banking chain. You might send $10,000, but after Intermediary Bank 1 deducts $15 and Intermediary Bank 2 deducts another $15, your recipient only receives $9,970. Some banks offer an "OUR" wire option where you pay all intermediary fees upfront ($50-$80 extra) so the recipient gets the full amount.

Timing costs: A 3-5 day international wire means $25,000 of your capital is tied up and unavailable. 

Wire Transfer Cost Comparison

As noted above, wire transfers often cost you more than just the base price you see listed by your bank as the base transaction fee. Here’s a breakdown of what you might actually pay.

Factors That Delay Wire Transfers

Even when you do everything right, several factors can delay your wire transfer.

Weekends and Bank Holidays

Wire transfers only process on business days. A wire sent Friday after the cut-off time won't arrive until Monday—or Tuesday if Monday is a bank holiday. For international wires, you need to account for holidays in both the US and the recipient's country.

Incorrect Information

Providing wrong information is one of the most common causes of wire delays:

• Wrong routing number, account number, or SWIFT code: The wire gets rejected or held for 1-3 days while your bank investigates
• Name mismatch: Banks may hold wires when the recipient name doesn't exactly match the account name on file
• Missing information: Incomplete beneficiary details trigger manual review, adding 4-24 hours to processing

Large Amount Compliance Checks

Wire transfers over $10,000 trigger additional AML screening and require your bank to file a Currency Transaction Report with the IRS. This usually adds 2-4 hours to same-day processing but typically doesn't push the wire to the next day.

Wires over $100,000 may require additional bank approval, adding 30-60 minutes to the process.

Intermediary Bank Delays

For international wires, each intermediary bank in the chain can add time. Some hold funds overnight before forwarding them. Each step adds processing time, and each intermediary may charge $10-$20.

How to Send a Wire Transfer (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Gather Required Information

Before initiating a wire transfer, collect all the necessary details. Missing or incorrect information is the most common cause of wire delays and rejections.

For domestic wires, you'll need:

• Recipient's full legal name (exactly as it appears on their bank account)
• Recipient's bank name and address
• Recipient's account number
• Bank routing number (9-digit ABA number) — See Nickel’s guide to routing numbers
• Wire amount

For international wires, you'll also need:

• Recipient's SWIFT/BIC code (8-11 character code identifying their bank)
• Recipient's IBAN (required for many transfers, such as those to the EU)
• Intermediary bank information (if your bank requires it)
• Recipient's complete bank address (street, city, country)

Step 2: Initiate the Wire Through Your Bank

You have three options for initiating a wire transfer:

• Online banking
• Phone initiation 
• Visiting a branch in person

Step 3: Verify Details and Authorize

Before finalizing your wire, double-check every piece of information. Wire transfers are irreversible—one wrong digit in an account number means your funds go to the wrong account, and recovery is difficult if not impossible.

Step 4: Track and Confirm Your Wire

Immediately after sending:

Get your wire confirmation number, also called a Federal Reference Number or IMAD/OMAD number for transfers sent through Fedwire. Save this number—it's your only way to trace the wire if something goes wrong.

How to track your wire transfer:

1. Check your online banking portal. Most banks show wire status (pending, processing, completed) in your transaction history. Look for the wire in "pending transactions" or "wire transfer history."
2. Call your bank's wire department. Provide your confirmation number and ask for the current status and expected arrival time. For domestic wires, banks can usually confirm delivery within minutes.
3. Request a wire trace if delayed. If a domestic wire hasn't arrived after 24 hours, request a formal wire trace from your bank. For international wires, wait 3-5 business days before requesting a trace. Traces take 1-3 business days to complete, and your bank may charge $25-$50 for this service (though some waive the fee).
4. Contact the recipient. Ask the recipient to check with their bank using your confirmation number. Their bank can confirm whether the wire is pending or has been credited.

For international wires, ask your bank which intermediary banks the wire will pass through. This helps diagnose delays—often the wire is sitting at an intermediary bank waiting for the next processing window.

Wire Transfer Security and Fraud Prevention

Wire Fraud Is a Real Threat

Business email compromise (BEC) is one of the most costly forms of wire fraud. Hackers pose as vendors making a legitimate request. They send fake wire instructions via email, often timing their attack to coincide with a legitimate payment to one of your known business partners.

According to 2024 FBI data, businesses lost $2.77 billion to BEC scams last year. The most common tactic is an "urgent" email claiming "Our bank account changed—please send payment to this new account" with a fraudulent routing number.

Key warning signs of wire fraud:

• Last-minute changes to wire instructions, especially via email
• Pressure to send a wire "immediately" without time for verification
• Email addresses that look similar to your vendor's real address but have subtle differences
• Requests to wire funds to an individual account instead of a business account

How to Protect Your Business

Always verify wire instructions by phone. Call your vendor at a phone number you already have on file—not a number provided in the email requesting the wire. Ask them to verbally confirm the routing number and account number. If they say "We didn't send that email," you've just avoided a fraud attempt.

Use multi-person approval for wires over $10,000. Require CFO or controller approval before sending, and maintain separation of duties so one person requests the wire while another approves it.

Confirm receipt with the recipient after sending. Call the recipient 4 hours after sending a domestic wire (or the next day for international) to confirm the funds arrived in the correct account.

Be suspicious of "urgent" wire requests via email. Real vendors rarely change bank accounts overnight. Legitimate account changes come with formal notice on company letterhead with official forms.

Train employees on wire fraud tactics. Conduct regular security awareness training for anyone who initiates or approves wires. Share real-world examples of BEC scams and create a culture where employees feel comfortable questioning suspicious requests.

Establish daily wire limits. Set maximum daily and weekly wire limits at your bank. Require additional authorization for wires exceeding normal thresholds, and review these limits quarterly based on your business needs.

Payment Method Comparison: Which Should You Use?

Wire transfers are good for domestic payments when you need to complete a transaction quickly. But the irreversibility and cost of the payments mean that there are often better options. 

The Reality: Most B2B Payments Don't Need Wire Speed

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to wire transfer, consider Nickel. Nickel allows businesses to send and receive payments up to $1M via ACH on the Nickel Pro plan which costs about as much as a single wire transfer ($45/month or $35 paid annually).

Offering a full suite of features and rated the easiest-to-use platform on G2, click here to create a free account and get started with Nickel today.