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Banking
Term 789 of 1038
1 min readTwo voicesBanking

Remittance.

A remittance is money you send to someone in another country, usually through a bank or transfer service, often to support family.
Verified June 2026 · Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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Remittance
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In plain English

A remittance is a transfer of money from a person in one country to a recipient in another, typically through a bank, money transfer company, or app. Most remittances are everyday support payments, like a worker sending part of a paycheck home to family. In the United States, these transfers are protected by the CFPB remittance rule (part of Regulation E), which means the company must show you the exchange rate, the fees, and the exact amount the recipient will get before you pay. You also generally get a short window to cancel a transfer and a process to fix errors.

Most useful ages
18 to 70

01Why it matters

Remittance fees and exchange spreads can eat a real slice of money that a family is counting on, so knowing your right to see the full cost upfront helps you compare services and avoid overpaying.

02The math, step by step

You send 200 dollars to a relative abroad. Before you pay, the service must disclose the fee (say 8 dollars, shown here only as an illustration since fees vary by service), the exchange rate, and the final amount your relative will receive. You can generally cancel within 30 minutes of sending if the money has not yet been picked up or deposited, and if you spot an error you have up to 180 days to report it for the company to investigate.

03What this is NOT

Do not confuse with A domestic bank transfer

A remittance crosses international borders and triggers the CFPB remittance rule's disclosure and cancellation protections. A transfer between two US accounts does not carry those specific cross-border remittance protections.

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The Decoderby ClearMoneySchool

Plain-English answers from our glossary. Receipts included. Never advice.

Educational tool. Answers come only from ClearMoneySchool's published glossary and are not advice. Why we never give advice

Last reviewed June 11, 2026 · Reviewer Joseph Citizen, Founder