Banking & Payments
What is an IFSC Code and How to Look It Up
Decode the 11-character IFSC, and learn how to turn one into bank, branch and address details with a single API call.
An IFSC (Indian Financial System Code) is the 11-character code that uniquely identifies a specific bank branch for electronic transfers like NEFT, RTGS and IMPS. Every time you collect or verify bank details, resolving the IFSC lets you confirm the branch exists and auto-fill the bank and location for your user.
How an IFSC is structured
The first four characters are the bank code (letters), the fifth is always 0 (reserved), and the last six identify the branch. For example, in HDFC0001234, "HDFC" is the bank and "001234" is the branch.
Looking up an IFSC via API
POST https://api.bilapi.com/v1/ifsc-code-verification
X-Bilapi-Api-Key: <your_api_key>
Content-Type: application/json
{
"ifsc": "HDFC0001234"
}{
"status_code": 200,
"success": true,
"data": {
"bank": "HDFC BANK",
"branch": "ANDHERI WEST",
"city": "MUMBAI",
"state": "MAHARASHTRA",
"micr": "400240015"
}
}Where IFSC lookup helps
- Auto-filling the bank and branch when a user enters their IFSC, reducing errors.
- Validating that an IFSC is real before attempting a transfer.
- Displaying the correct branch for confidence during payouts and onboarding.
The IFSC Verification API resolves any Indian IFSC to its bank, branch, city, state and MICR — pair it with penny-drop to verify the full account.