If a SWIFT payment was sent but is not in the recipient account, first establish whether it is genuinely outside its expected window. Then have both banks check the same payment details before the sender asks for a formal trace.
1. Check whether it is actually overdue
Start with the sent date, the sending bank’s cut-off time, the currencies and the banking holidays in the relevant countries. A payment sent late on Friday, for example, may not start its next processing step until Monday or later. Use realistic SWIFT transfer timing ranges before treating a one- or two-day wait as a missing payment.
2. Confirm the beneficiary details
The sender should compare the submitted beneficiary name, account number or IBAN, BIC/SWIFT code, bank name and payment amount with the recipient’s confirmed instructions. A mismatch may require a repair, a manual review or a return rather than an immediate credit.
3. Ask the sending bank for the right evidence
Ask for the transaction reference, date sent, amount, currency and status. If the bank can provide an MT103 customer copy, share it only through an appropriate secure channel with the recipient or their bank. For a SWIFT gpi payment, the bank may also hold a UETR that it can use in an investigation.
4. Have the recipient check with their bank
The recipient should ask the beneficiary bank whether it can find an incoming payment, a payment held for review, or a credit posted under a reference that differs from the sender’s app status. The recipient’s bank may need the amount, currency, value date, sender name and transaction reference to search effectively.
5. Account for correspondent-bank delays
A cross-border payment may travel through correspondent or intermediary banks when the sending and receiving banks do not settle directly. Neither customer normally gets an exact live view of that path. A delay at this stage can be normal; an overdue payment with no recipient-bank record is the point to ask the sender’s bank for a trace.
6. Escalate through the sending bank
The sender—not the recipient—is normally best placed to request a trace because the sender’s bank originated the payment instruction. Ask whether the bank can investigate the payment reference and whether it needs supporting documents. Do not assume a trace gives instant location data; it can require responses from several banks.
For the document itself, read how an MT103 helps a bank trace a SWIFT payment. If the status still says pending rather than sent or completed, start with why a SWIFT transfer is pending.
How TrackMyWire fits into the investigation
TrackMyWire cannot access SWIFT, query a UETR, or tell you the payment’s live location. It can provide timing, route and fee context that helps you judge whether the wait is still plausible and prepare a clearer conversation with the bank.
Related guide for non-SWIFT wording
If your bank describes the payment simply as an international wire, see wire transfer sent but not received. That guide covers the broader bank-transfer scenario without assuming the payment used SWIFT.
Frequently asked questions
My bank says the SWIFT payment was sent. Why has it not arrived?
The sending bank may have released its instruction while the payment is still at an intermediary, in review, being converted, or waiting for the beneficiary bank to credit it.
Is an MT103 proof that the recipient received the money?
No. An MT103 can help identify the payment instruction, but it is not by itself proof that the beneficiary account has been credited.
When should I request a SWIFT trace?
Ask the sending bank when the normal window for the route has passed, the recipient bank cannot locate the payment, and the sender has confirmed the beneficiary details.