My Bank Won't Let Me Send That Much Overseas — What Are the Actual Limits?

NAB

NAB's own help page states: 'The default daily limit for an international transfer through NAB Internet Banking or NAB app is $5,000 while the minimum limit that can be set is $1,000. The maximum limit for an international transfer through NAB Internet Banking is $300,000, and $20,000 through [the] NAB App.' (nab.com.au, as at September 2026.)

To change the limit, NAB's page directs personal customers to call 13 22 65 or use NAB Messaging, and business customers to call 13 10 12.

Westpac

Westpac's own FAQ states: 'A Security Device is required for international payments of any value. The maximum cumulative value of international transfers personal customers can make is AUD$2,000,000 equivalent per day.' It adds that a separate User Daily Payment Limit also applies on top of that ceiling, and that this limit is shared across all users on a personal banking network. (westpac.com.au, as at September 2026.)

For business customers, the same page states a Security Device is required above AUD$5,000 equivalent per day, with the same AUD$2,000,000-equivalent maximum applying per transaction rather than per day.

ANZ

ANZ's own international-payments page sets different ceilings depending on which channel you use (anz.com.au, as at September 2026):

1. ANZ Plus app — up to $30,000 per day by default; a temporary increase above that is available, applying only until 11:59pm AEST/AEDT on the day it is set.
2. ANZ Internet Banking — a 'Pay Anyone' limit that can be set between $1,000 and $10,000; downloading the ANZ Shield app allows this to be increased to $25,000.
3. ANZ Business Internet Banking — a maximum daily limit of $150,000 for an ANZ International Money Transfer, regardless of what the account's general daily limit is set to.
4. ANZ Phone Banking — ANZ's own page states there is no maximum limit on transactions made this way, though a credit card cannot be used for an ANZ International Money Transfer through this channel.

Suncorp — the direction of the cap matters

Suncorp's own page sets out a limit structure that runs in the opposite direction to what a quick read suggests, so get the direction right (suncorpbank.com.au, as at September 2026): 'Internet Banking: Up to $50,000 per day and AUD $100,000 within a 48 hour period. $20,000 limit applies for single online Telegraphic Transfer between 6.00pm and 8.00am AEST Monday to Friday (with exception to public holiday closures).' In plain terms, $20,000 is Suncorp's OVERNIGHT cap (6pm to 8am on weekdays) — the $50,000-a-day and $100,000-within-48-hours ceilings apply the rest of the time, not the other way around.

Suncorp also publishes its own negotiated-rate option: 'If you have over AUD $20,000 to transfer and would like a negotiated exchange rate, visit your local branch.' Branch transfers at Suncorp carry no published limit at all.

CommBank

CommBank sets its limit inside NetBank and the app rather than publishing a single figure: 'If you bank with us, we set the limit at $0 for security reasons. Before you make your first IMT, you need to set your IMT limit by either: Logging on to NetBank > Settings > Online banking limits; or Logging on to the CommBank app > Settings > Payment limits' (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026). As a general rule, raising an International Money Transfer limit beyond what's available online means contacting CommBank directly or visiting a branch, which also has its own $5,000 branch minimum per transfer.

Why these limits exist at all

Every bank's daily international transfer limit is a fraud-prevention control, separate from any anti-money-laundering reporting obligation (see our AUSTRAC explainer for that distinction). The limit caps how much can move out of an account in a single day even with valid login credentials, which is why raising it generally requires an extra security step — a security device, an app-based confirmation, or a phone call — rather than simply typing in a bigger number.

This is also why the limit is sometimes lower than you might expect even on a well-established account: it is set as a security ceiling, not as a reflection of what the bank thinks you can afford to send.

What changes with a specialist FX provider instead

A bank's daily limit is specific to that bank's online banking platform — it says nothing about how much a specialist foreign exchange provider will let you send. OFX's own FAQ, for example, states: 'When you choose OFX to transfer money, you can send as much currency as you need to. We do not enforce maximum transfer limits. Bank daily transfer limits may apply, please check with your banking partner.' (ofx.com, as at September 2026.)

That last sentence matters: moving to a specialist provider does not remove your own bank's daily limit on the payment you make to fund the transfer — it removes the specialist provider's own ceiling on the transfer itself. If your bank's limit is what is actually blocking a large one-off payment, funding the transfer over more than one day, or through a payment method your bank does not cap the same way, may be the more direct fix; either way, this is a genuine, mechanism-based difference between a bank and a specialist provider, not a marketing claim.

Which bank has the highest published international transfer limit?

Of the limits published, Westpac's stated AUD$2,000,000-equivalent-per-day cumulative limit for personal customers is the highest. CommBank does not publish a single figure on its own site, so it is not included in this ranking-by-figure.

Can I raise my bank's limit permanently, or only for one transfer?

This varies by bank and channel. ANZ's own page, for example, distinguishes a temporary increase on the ANZ Plus app (which reverts at the end of the day it is set) from a higher permanent Internet Banking limit unlocked via the ANZ Shield app. Check your specific bank's page for how its increase is structured.

Does raising my bank's transfer limit require a branch visit?

Not always. NAB's own page directs customers to a phone number or messaging rather than a branch. Others may require additional app-based security steps. This depends on the specific bank and is worth checking on its own current help page.

If my bank's limit is $10,000 a day, can I still send $50,000 in one go through a specialist provider?

The specialist provider's own limit (or lack of one, in OFX's case) does not override your bank's daily limit on the payment you make to fund the transfer. You would still need to either raise your bank's own limit or spread the funding payment across more than one day.

Is there a maximum amount for an international money transfer?

No single legal maximum applies to an international transfer sent through a bank or a specialist provider. What limits you is your own bank's daily ceiling (the figures above), or, with a provider such as OFX that does not enforce a fixed maximum, your bank's own limit on the payment that funds the transfer.

Is there a limit on how much I can send overseas at once?

Only the ceiling your own bank or provider sets — there is no separate government-imposed cap on how much you personally can send overseas in one transfer. What does apply, at any amount, is reporting: providers report international transfers to AUSTRAC as International Funds Transfer Instructions (IFTIs) regardless of size. That is a reporting obligation on the provider, not a limit on the amount you can send.

Does a $10,000 wire transfer get reported to the government?

It will be reported by the provider either way — but not because of the AUD 10,000 figure people usually quote. That threshold is AUSTRAC's Threshold Transaction Report (TTR) rule for physical cash and cash-equivalent transactions. An ordinary bank or app-based international transfer is reported separately as an International Funds Transfer Instruction (IFTI) at any amount, with no $10,000 trigger point, and you don't file anything yourself either way — the obligation sits with the bank or provider.