Fx
Cross-border charge options (OUR / BEN / SHA)
Decide who pays the correspondent-bank fees on an international payment — and what the beneficiary receives.
The three options
On a SWIFT payment, tag :71A sets who bears the charges of the banks in the chain. Choosing the right one avoids surprises for both you and the beneficiary.
- OUR — you pay all charges, including correspondent fees. The beneficiary receives the full amount you sent. Use it for supplier and contractual payments where the amount received must be exact.
- BEN — the beneficiary pays all charges; each bank in the chain deducts its fee, so the beneficiary receives less than you sent.
- SHA (shared) — you pay your own bank's charge; correspondent banks deduct theirs from the amount. The common default, but the beneficiary may still receive slightly less.
Choosing
| If you want... | Choose | Beneficiary receives |
|---|---|---|
| The beneficiary to get the exact amount | OUR | Full amount sent |
| To split costs the standard way | SHA | Sent amount minus correspondent fees |
| The beneficiary to bear all cost | BEN | Sent amount minus all fees |
Why a beneficiary got less
Good to know
If a beneficiary complains they received less than the invoice under SHA, that is intermediary banks deducting fees, not an error. Resend future payments as OUR, or add an estimate for correspondent charges, so the net lands as intended.
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About this guide
- Topic
- FX & cross-border
- Reading time
- 3 min
- Views
- 3,721
- Found helpful
- 97% (198/204)
- Updated
- 07 Jul 2026
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