If you need to pay someone straight away or transfer a large amount of money, CHAPS transfers allow you to make same-day, high-value electronic payments.
You might use CHAPS if you were paying the money for a house purchase, for example. A business may use CHAPS transfers to pay their suppliers or their taxes.
CHAPS stands for Clearing House Automated Payment System.
The Bank of England has been responsible for the CHAPS system since 2017, so transfers must be made in pounds sterling.
You can send a CHAPS payment over the phone, in a branch or by post.
To make a CHAPS payment in a branch, you'll need to bring valid ID and the details of the person you want to pay. Or you can make the payment with phone banking using your Telephone Security Number or Voice ID.
From 4 November 2025 we won't charge a fee for sending a payment via CHAPS.
As CHAPS is operated by the Bank of England, it’s considered a safe and secure way to transfer funds. A bank or building society must meet strict technical criteria to use CHAPS, such as access to the SWIFT network (a secure financial messaging service).
We have a range of payment security measures in place to protect customers, including our physical Secure Key and mobile banking PIN.
CHAPS payments can’t be reversed. If you’re worried about a payment from an HSBC account, get in touch with us straight away so we can look into it.
