Bank transfer sent to the wrong person: can you get it back?

Contact your bank as soon as you spot the mistake.

The answer in 2 lines. If you sent money to the wrong person, contact your bank immediately through its app or usual telephone number. Ask it to try to recover the transfer and confirm the request in writing. UK domestic transfers normally use a sort code and account number, rather than an IBAN. If you supplied the wrong details, your bank must make reasonable recovery efforts, but that does not guarantee repayment. Explain clearly if the bank made the error or someone tricked you: those situations need different handling.

What to do straight away

Contact your bank securely. Use the app or contact details you already trust. Say that a transfer went to an unintended recipient and ask for recovery.
Gather the payment details. Save the amount, date, reference, recipient details entered and payment confirmation. Explain what the correct details should have been.
Get a record. Ask for a case reference, what action the bank is taking and how it will update you. Follow up through a secure written channel.

Stop: danger

Do not send another payment to unlock a refund. A supposed recovery fee requested by an unexpected caller could be a further scam.
Do not assume a transfer can be reversed like a card payment. Ask the bank to check its status and explain the available recovery process.
If someone supplied false payment details, say so. Do not describe a possible scam as a typing mistake.

Work out which situation applies

You entered incorrect details: the bank must make reasonable efforts to recover the funds. Successful recovery is not guaranteed.
You selected the wrong saved recipient: explain exactly what happened and request recovery immediately.
The bank sent a different amount from your instruction: ask it to correct its error and refund resulting charges or interest.
You were deceived: report a scam immediately and ask the bank to consider the applicable fraud protections.

Use the FCA's payment guidance to compare your situation with its sections on incorrect accounts and amounts. For deception, read the separate FCA fraudulent-payments guidance.

What recovery involves

Your bank contacts the receiving bank through the recovery process. The receiving bank must co-operate. This is different from your bank automatically replacing money that you instructed it to send to incorrect account details.

Ask whether any recovery charge applies and where it appears in your account agreement. Under the official rules on incorrect payment identifiers, a recovery charge may be made if agreed in the framework contract. Read the recovery and written-information provisions to understand what to request. Do not accept a promised recovery date as a guarantee that the recipient will return the funds.

What not to do

Waiting to see whether the intended recipient receives the money after you have spotted incorrect account details.
Deleting a saved recipient before recording the details used for the disputed transfer.
Ignoring a name-check warning when setting up the replacement payment.
Sharing your banking password or security codes with anyone offering to recover the transfer.

If the money cannot be recovered

Ask your bank in writing for all available relevant information needed to claim repayment from the recipient. Explain that its recovery attempt has failed and that you need the information for a repayment claim. The official rules linked above provide for this written request.

Keep the bank's response with your payment evidence. Before pursuing legal action against the recipient, obtain legal advice about the evidence, likely costs and appropriate procedure in England. Recovery through a bank and a claim against the recipient are separate routes. Neither should be presented as certain to succeed.

If you are unhappy with your bank

Make a formal complaint through the bank's complaints channel. State when you reported the transfer, what recovery action you requested and what you believe it failed to do. Keep its final response.

Use the Financial Ombudsman Service complaints guide to check when you can refer the case and start a complaint. Prepare your payment evidence, correspondence and final response. Its consumer service is free. Check the referral deadline shown in the response and on the official guide.

Good to know

For a new recipient, use the name check in your banking service and investigate a mismatch before paying. The official Confirmation of Payee explanation describes what the check compares.
For an international transfer, give your bank the IBAN or other details actually used and ask which recovery arrangements apply.
The banking framework is UK-wide. This guide addresses readers in England; court procedures differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Illustrative example: in Birmingham, Daniel selects an old saved recipient instead of his landlord. He immediately contacts his bank, saves the payment confirmation and requests recovery in writing. He also tells his landlord what happened. He keeps track of the rent separately while the bank investigates the mistaken transfer.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 5 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the duty to attempt recovery, contractual recovery charges and the written-information request; medium for the outcome of an individual recovery or subsequent legal claim. No fixed recovery time or guaranteed refund is stated.