Why another bank can appear in the route
A cross-border payment may use correspondent or intermediary institutions between the sending and receiving banks. Charges depend on the services and agreements involved. A route diagram explains possible roles; it cannot reveal the fees on a particular transfer.
The charge option and the bank’s service terms affect who bears those costs. Read OUR, SHA and BEN for allocation. This guide focuses on reconciling a deduction already observed.
Separate four amounts
- The sender’s total account debit.
- The instructed payment amount and currency.
- The amount delivered to the receiving bank, if confirmed.
- The final beneficiary credit and any separately booked fee.
Subtract only amounts expressed in the same currency and on a comparable basis. If currency changed, obtain the rate and conversion amount before treating the difference as a fee.
Work through a short credit
Imagine an instruction for 2,000 currency units and a credit of 1,975 in the same currency. The difference is 25, but that arithmetic does not identify the charging institution. It might represent one charge, several charges or a receiving-bank entry.
If the sender’s account was debited 2,015, the extra 15 is a separate part of the reconciliation. Do not count it again as part of the 25 shortfall. These numbers are illustrative and are not fee estimates.
Request a traceable breakdown
Ask the sending bank to confirm the charge instruction, known deductions and relevant payment references. Ask the receiving bank what it received, converted, credited and charged separately. Request the currency, amount and explanation for each entry.
If a deduction was unexpected under the quoted service, provide the original quote and ask the bank to review the discrepancy. Some routes treat charge instructions differently; HSBC Egypt’s published tariff notes provide a route-specific example. They are not a tariff for your own bank.
Resolve the invoice separately from the bank enquiry
Agree with the counterparty whether the invoice is still short, who bears the deduction under your agreement and whether a top-up is necessary. A bank’s fee allocation and the commercial contract answer different questions.
For recurring payments, compare actual credits with the original quote before selecting a different service. For bookkeeping, use the business reconciliation checklist. UETR.io’s recorded amount is not a bank fee statement or a guaranteed net credit.