How to Send Money From Australia to the UK

Money heading from Australia to the UK is often personal: helping a student in London, paying a bill back home, or moving savings ahead of a relocation. The money ends in a UK bank account, so the job comes down to getting the account details right and not losing too much in the conversion from dollars to pounds.

This guide covers the ways to send, the details you need, what affects the cost and how long it takes. We checked every figure on this page on 29 October 2026.

RemitHome.net.au is an independent guide run by Dominet BV. We're not a bank or a money transfer business, we don't send money for anyone, and we're not registered with AUSTRAC because we don't provide remittance services. No link on this site is an affiliate link right now. If that changes, we'll say so in our affiliate disclosure, and it won't change what we write. This is general information, not financial or tax advice. Providers named on this page are examples we checked, not recommendations.

The details you need

Sort code and account number

Pay.UK, which runs the UK's main retail payment systems, says a payer needs the recipient's sort code and account number to make a Faster Payment. Those two numbers identify a UK bank account. Ask your recipient to copy them from their banking app or a bank statement.

If you send through your Australian bank's international transfer service, the bank will tell you exactly which details it needs. This can include the account's IBAN, the receiving bank's SWIFT or BIC code and the recipient's address. Western Union, for example, asks for the recipient's bank branch name, account number and full address.

Name checks

The UK introduced Confirmation of Payee in 2020. It checks that the name a payer enters matches the name on the account. Pay.UK describes it as a service for UK domestic payments. A transfer started in Australia may not get that check, so a typo in the account number can send money to the wrong person. Read the details back to the recipient before you press send.

Ways to send money to the UK

Moneysmart, run by ASIC, describes two main routes from Australia: your bank, or a money transfer business. You can usually start either online, in an app or in person.

Bank transfer from your Australian bank

Your bank sends the money through the SWIFT network. You may be able to choose whether to send AUD or GBP. If AUD arrives, the UK bank converts it at its own rate and may charge a fee to receive it, and a bank in between can also take a fee. Ask your bank for its exchange rate, its fee and what the recipient will actually get.

Online money transfer providers

Online providers take AUD from you and pay GBP into the UK account. Check that the provider shows the amount in pounds before you confirm, so you can compare like for like. As listed on 29 October 2026, Western Union pays to UK bank accounts and to participating locations for cash pickup.

Cash pickup

Western Union also lists cash pickup for the UK. The recipient collects at an agent with ID. It costs nothing to ask the provider whether it charges more for cash pickup than for a bank deposit.

Mobile wallets

The providers we checked don't list a UK mobile wallet as a payout option for transfers from Australia. Plan on a bank deposit.

What affects the cost

Moneysmart says providers set their own exchange rates and charge fees, and the total cost depends on how much you send, where to and how. For the UK, look at:

1. The exchange rate margin. The gap between the provider's AUD to GBP rate and the mid-market rate is often the biggest cost, and it grows with the amount.
2. The transfer fee, flat, a percentage or both.
3. Receiving and intermediary fees on bank SWIFT transfers, especially if AUD arrives and is converted in the UK.
4. How you pay. Card payments can cost more than paying by bank transfer or PayID.
5. Rate guarantees. Moneysmart suggests checking whether the rate is guaranteed until the money arrives.

The Reserve Bank of Australia publishes daily AUD exchange rates against major currencies, including the pound. The RBA says its data shouldn't be relied on for regulatory or commercial purposes, but they're a fair yardstick. The World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide also includes transfers from Australia. Our fees and exchange rate margins guide shows the arithmetic with worked examples.

How long it takes

Moneysmart says international transfers can arrive instantly or take up to five business days. As at 29 October 2026, Western Union says bank transfers to the UK can take from minutes up to one banking day.

When the final leg inside the UK travels as a Faster Payment, Pay.UK says the money usually arrives almost immediately and sometimes takes up to two hours. Some payments can take until the end of the next business day. Pay.UK also says a Faster Payment can't be cancelled once it's sent, and fewer than 0.1% of UK accounts can't receive them.

UK bank holidays differ from Australian ones, so a transfer sent just before a long weekend in either country can take longer.

Moving your own money when you relocate

If you're moving to the UK, you can send your own savings through a bank or money transfer business. AUSTRAC says you don't have to declare money moved that way. If you carry or mail physical cash, or bearer negotiable instruments, worth $10,000 or more out of Australia, you must declare it.

Providers may ask about the source of funds for large transfers. AUSTRAC says businesses may ask about source of funds or source of wealth, even for long-standing customers, and that the information is protected by the Privacy Act 1988. Western Union's page says it may ask about source of funds and occupation for large transfers. Tax rules for money arriving in the UK are outside this guide; ask a UK tax adviser if you're moving a large amount.

Check the provider and watch for scams

Money transfer businesses operating in Australia must be registered with AUSTRAC. Check the Remittance Sector Register before using one, and see our AUSTRAC guide for what else to check.

Payment redirection scams usually involve a message, seemingly from a landlord, letting agent or solicitor, saying the account details have changed. Moneysmart, citing the National Anti-Scam Centre, says Australians lost more than $166 million to payment redirection scams in 2025. Call the person on a number you already have before paying any new account.

For other countries and the basics that apply to every transfer, see our guides home page.

Frequently asked questions

What details do I need to send money to a UK bank account?

The recipient's full name, sort code and account number. Your Australian bank may also ask for the IBAN, the receiving bank's SWIFT or BIC code and the recipient's address.

How long does it take to send money from Australia to the UK?

From minutes to a few business days. Western Union says up to one banking day to UK accounts, while a bank SWIFT transfer can take longer.

Does the UK name check work on payments from Australia?

Don't count on it. Pay.UK describes Confirmation of Payee as a service for UK domestic payments, so check the sort code and account number yourself.

Can I cancel a transfer once it's sent?

Ask your provider straight away. If the final payment in the UK has gone through as a Faster Payment, Pay.UK says it can't be cancelled, so recovery may depend on the receiving bank.

Do I need to declare money I send to the UK?

Not when you send it through a bank or money transfer business. You only declare physical cash or bearer negotiable instruments of $10,000 or more that you carry, mail or ship across the border.