NEFT stands for National Electronic Funds Transfer. Started in November 2005, NEFT is an electronic funds transfer system set up and managed by the Reserve Bank of India. NEFT allows the online transfer of funds from one NEFT-enabled bank account to another.
Features
The National Electronic Funds Transfer system is one of the various methods of online money transfer. It is regulated by the RBI and hence, works as per the guidelines laid down by RBI.
- NEFT is a one-to-one payment facility
- NEFT transactions can be processed only between the banks that offer NEFt-enabled services
- Transactions made through NEFT do not take place in real-time; implying that it takes a few days for NEFT transactions to complete
- Before December 2019, RBI had fixed timings during which NEFT transactions can be processed. Any NEFT transaction will be processed only between 8:00 AM and 6:30 PM from Monday to Friday, and 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturdays. However, from 2020, NEFT transactions can be performed 24*7
- To transfer funds through NEFT, you must add beneficiaries on the internet banking portal of your required bank
- There are no limits on the amount of NEFT transactions
- There is a fee applicable on all NEFT transactions; the amount varies from Rs. 2.5 to Rs. 25, depending on the amount being transferred
- As per RBI guidelines, the payments made via NEFT are processed and settled in batches of half-hour
Advantages
Among all the other methods of online money transfer, here’s why you can opt for NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer)-
- NEFT makes the transfer of funds easy, convenient and feasible
- All NEFT transactions take place online; hence, there is no involvement of a third party
- Owing to the involvement of RBI, NEFT transactions are completely safe and secure
- The receiver and sender of the funds gets notified instantly upon completion of the transaction
- NEFT does not require cheques or demand drafts while transferring money; hence, it is economical
- Any account holder, whether an individual, firm or corporate can carry out NEFT transactions. The only required condition is that the banks of both the parties must be NEFT-enabled
- Apart from transferring money, you can also use NEFT to pay your loan installments, credit card dues, EMIs, etc.
Read More: NEFT vs RTGS: What's the Difference?
How NEFT Works?
Transfer of funds via NEFT is simple and convenient. Here’s what you need to do-
- Log in to the your internet banking account
- On the main page, click on ‘Fund transfer’
- From the drop down menu that appears, select ‘NEFT’
- Note that you need to ‘Add beneficiary’ to the list of beneficiaries in your account if you haven’t done so already
- To add a new beneficiary, you need to click on ‘Add beneficiary’ option on the page
- Enter the beneficiary’s required information such as his/her name, bank account number, IFSC, etc.
- Click on ‘Confirm’ or ‘Add’
- To authenticate this step, you will be asked to enter the OTP sent to your registered mobile number
- After doing so, your action would be processed. It will take around 24 hours to add a beneficiary
- Once the beneficiary is added to your account, you need to select the beneficiary details (to whom you need to send the money) from your list of beneficiaries
- Enter the amount that needs to be transferred and confirm your transaction
- Click on ‘Confirm’ and the amount will be transferred from your bank account to the other’s
Charges Applicable on NEFT Transactions
NEFT transactions involve the following additional charges as money transfer fee-
Transaction Amount | Fee Amount |
Less than or equal to Rs. 10,000 | Rs. 2.5 |
Between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 1 Lakh | Rs. 5 |
Between Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 2 Lakh | Rs. 15 |
Equal to or more than Rs. 2 Lakh | Rs. 25 |