Send money to the United States
See today's live rates — and exactly what your recipient receives, after every fee.
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Today's best rates to the United States
As of 5 August 2026, sending £1,000 to the United States, your recipient gets the most with Instarem: 1,345.00 USD, the best of 7 providers compared.
| Provider | Rate | Fee | Recipient gets | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.3450 0.17% better | £0 | 1,345.00 USD | Within 2 days | Send | |
1.3446 0.14% better | £0 | 1,344.60 USD | 1–3 days | Send | |
1.3446 0.14% better | £0 | 1,344.60 USD | 1–3 days | Send | |
1.3434 0.05% better | £0 | 1,343.43 USD | Within 2 days | Send | |
1.3398 0.22% worse | £0 | 1,339.80 USD | 1–2 days | Send | |
1.3455 0.21% better | £4.67 | 1,339.22 USD | Within 2 days | Send | |
1.3096 2.46% worse | £0 | 1,309.62 USD | Up to 4 days | Send |
The United States draws UK money for every reason — a Florida holiday home, a job relocation to New York or California, family support, freelancers billing US clients, and tuition. Whatever the reason, how many dollars actually arrive depends far more on which provider you use than most people expect: between a UK high-street bank and a currency specialist the gap is routinely 2–4% of the whole transfer. On £10,000 that's the difference between losing around £50 and losing £350+ to the exchange rate alone, before a single dollar of fee. The US doesn't use the European IBAN — it runs on a routing number and account number — but the payment is simple; the cost is where the decisions get made.
How to send money to the United States from the UK
Three practical routes move money from a UK account to a US one. They nearly all arrive — the difference that matters is how many dollars are left once the exchange rate has taken its share.
Bank transfer
The familiar option, and usually the most expensive. UK banks build a margin of 1.5–4% above the mid-market rate into the conversion, add a fee, and send by SWIFT — an intermediary bank may skim £12–£20 more. On £10,000, a 3.5% margin alone is about £350.
Money-transfer provider
Specialists — Wise, Currencies Direct, OFX, TorFX, Moneycorp — undercut the banks on the rate. Margins run 0.3–0.8%, or effectively zero on Wise's model. On £10,000 the all-in cost is often around £50 rather than several hundred.
App, card or PayPal
Apps such as Wise and Revolut are competitive for smaller transfers and double as spending tools. Beware PayPal, though — a currency spread of 3–4% plus fees makes it one of the priciest ways to move a large sum to a US account.
What you need to send money to the United States
US bank details (no IBAN)
The US doesn't use the European IBAN system. To pay into a US account you need the recipient's full name, their routing number — a 9-digit ABA code identifying the bank (sometimes called an RTN) — and their account number (usually 10–12 digits). For an international transfer you'll also give the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC code. Check every digit against something the recipient sent in writing — a wrong routing or account number is a common cause of a delayed or returned transfer.
ID checks and verification
Before processing a payment, a UK provider must confirm who you are (Know Your Customer, under the Money Laundering Regulations). For a first or modest transfer, expect to give your name, address and date of birth, plus a photo ID and proof of address. Above roughly £5,000–£10,000 expect a source-of-funds check too. In the US, banks report incoming transfers over $10,000 to FinCEN.
How long does it take to send money to the United States?
The US isn't on Europe's SEPA network, so a UK-to-US transfer crosses currencies and, usually, the SWIFT network. How fast it lands depends far more on the provider than on the distance.
Delays usually come down to one of: missing the provider's daily cut-off, a first-time identity check, the UK–US time difference and weekends, or an incorrect routing or account number.
Fees and exchange rates for UK to the United States
Fees range from £0 (many specialists on a standard transfer) to £25+ (a bank wire, plus a possible intermediary-bank fee). A flat fee is easy to compare; the exchange-rate margin usually isn't — which is exactly why it costs you more. Here's where the money leaks.
The exchange-rate margin
The real cost of most transfers. Banks: 1.5–4% above the mid-market rate. Specialists: often 0.3–0.8%, tighter still on larger amounts. On £10,000+ the gap is routinely £150–£350.
Correspondent-bank fees
A SWIFT wire can pass through intermediary banks, each taking a cut (often £12–£20), so the recipient gets less than the screen promised. Specialists paying by local USD rails usually avoid this entirely.
Card, PayPal & weekend markups
Watch for ~3% foreign-transaction fees on UK debit and credit cards, PayPal's 3–4% conversion spread, and weekend markups on some apps. Judge an offer by the dollars that arrive, not the headline fee.
Sending money to the United States to buy property
Good news if you're buying: unlike Australia or Canada, the US has no foreign-buyer ban and no extra purchase surcharge for overseas buyers. Britons bought around 3,100 US homes in the year to March 2025, and Florida takes roughly 45% of them (Orlando, Davenport, Kissimmee), followed by California, Texas, New York and Arizona. The process runs through a neutral escrow/title company, with money moving in two stages.
Offer & escrow
Once your written offer is accepted it becomes a binding Purchase and Sale Agreement, and it's sent to a neutral title or escrow company that holds the funds and manages the closing.
Earnest money
You wire a deposit — "earnest money", typically 1–3% — into the escrow account, and the title company runs a title search and issues title insurance.
Closing
Before closing day (often 30–60 days out) you wire the balance to escrow; the deed is signed and then recorded at the county office, transferring ownership.
You'll need an ITIN (an IRS taxpayer number — apply early, it can take months) for tax reporting, and money goes into the escrow account, never direct to the seller. Budget 2–5% in closing costs (transfer tax, title insurance, escrow and recording fees). Note two things for later: annual local property taxes, and FIRPTA — when a non-resident sells, the IRS withholds 15% of the sale price against any tax due (reclaimable via a US return). Buying grants no US residency.
Lock in today's rate with a forward contract
The 30–60 days between an accepted offer and closing — often longer from first agreeing a price — is plenty of time for GBP/USD to move several percent, changing the sterling cost of a US home by thousands. A forward contract lets you fix today's rate now and pay for the dollars later, usually against a small deposit; many buyers lock the rate for the full amount, then draw down the earnest money first and the balance at closing.
So once your offer is accepted and escrow is open, ask about a forward contract before you convert.
Is it safe to send money to the United States?
Any UK company that handles money transfers must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and must keep customer money in accounts fully segregated from its own ("safeguarding"). Checking an unfamiliar provider on the FCA Register takes about thirty seconds. On a large payment — a property closing, tuition, a business transfer — these are the traps worth knowing.
Closing-day wire fraud
Rule: the FBI warns heavily about this — criminals hack escrow/agent emails and send last-minute "updated wiring instructions" before closing. Confirm the escrow account by phone on a number you already held, never one from the email.
Invoice / business-email fraud
Rule: for freelance or supplier payments, a "we've changed banks" email may be a fraudster. Verify any new routing and account number verbally before you send.
"Better rate" cold-call / clone firm
Rule: a firm that rings out of the blue with an unbeatable rate may be a clone of a real one. Look it up on the FCA Register and call back on the number listed there, not the one you were given.
Check the firm is regulated
Rule: FCA-authorised firms must keep your money separate from their own, so it's protected if the firm fails. Look the firm up on register.fca.org.uk before you commit a penny.
Report fraud: Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at actionfraud.police.uk (in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101). In the US, the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov.
Tax on money sent to the United States
Moving your own money
Sending your own, already-taxed money from the UK to the US is not a UK taxable event — there's no tax simply for moving it. There's no fixed reporting threshold for a personal transfer, but a larger one commonly triggers a source-of-funds check, and US banks report incoming transfers over $10,000 to FinCEN. Keep the paperwork that shows where the money came from.
Watch-out: gifts and US taxes
If it's a gift, it can affect UK Inheritance Tax on your estate if you die within seven years. If you own US property, rental income must be reported to the IRS (the US–UK tax treaty prevents double taxation), and FIRPTA withholds 15% on sale — separate from the transfer itself. If you're buying, take professional advice.
How do most people move money to the United States?
For most buyers, families and freelancers, the cheapest route is a specialist currency company paying dollars straight into a US bank account (or an escrow account) — not a high-street bank on a SWIFT wire, and not PayPal. For a one-off move a spot deal is fine; for a property closing or another known future payment, a forward contract to lock the rate is what sets the specialists apart. Whatever you pick, judge it on the dollars that actually arrive — and confirm the receiving account by phone before you send.
Frequently asked questions about sending money to the United States
Almost all of the cost is the exchange-rate margin, not the flat fee. A UK bank typically takes 1.5–4% of your transfer in a worse rate; a specialist typically takes 0.3–0.8%. On £10,000 that's roughly £150–£400 with a bank versus around £50 with a specialist provider.
A specialist money-transfer provider using or close to the mid-market rate and paying by local USD rails, rather than a UK high-street bank on a SWIFT wire (and avoid PayPal for large sums). Compare the total cost — fee plus exchange-rate margin — for your exact amount using the table above.
No — the US doesn't use IBANs. You need the recipient's routing number (a 9-digit ABA code) and account number, plus the bank's SWIFT/BIC code for an international transfer. Always check these against details the recipient sent you in writing.
Often the same or next business day with a specialist paying by local rails, and minutes for some card-funded app transfers. A high-street bank wire over SWIFT typically takes 1–3 business days. The time difference and weekends can add a day.
Yes, freely — there's no foreign-buyer ban and no extra purchase surcharge for overseas buyers (Florida is the top choice for Britons). Money goes through a neutral escrow/title company, you'll need an ITIN for tax, and a forward contract is worth considering to lock your rate to closing. Note FIRPTA withholds 15% when a non-resident later sells. Buying doesn't grant residency.
Not for sending your own money — that isn't a taxable event in the UK. Gifting can have UK Inheritance Tax implications. US property taxes — local property tax, income tax on rent, and FIRPTA withholding on sale — apply to what you own there, not the transfer.
Our sources & how we keep this current
Last updated: July 2026. The live rates above refresh automatically, and we review the rest of this guide every month — updating it whenever the rules on payments, tax or regulation change.