diff --git a/framework/include/base/MooseObject.h b/framework/include/base/MooseObject.h
index 5f9456daf637..442fa9c7a5b0 100644
--- a/framework/include/base/MooseObject.h
+++ b/framework/include/base/MooseObject.h
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ class MooseObject : public ConsoleStreamInterface, public libMesh::ParallelObjec
    * back to the normal behavior of mooseError - only printing a message using the given args.
    */
   template <typename... Args>
-  [[noreturn]] void paramError(const std::string & param, Args... args)
+  [[noreturn]] void paramError(const std::string & param, Args... args) const
   {
     auto prefix = param + ": ";
     if (!_pars.inputLocation(param).empty())
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class MooseObject : public ConsoleStreamInterface, public libMesh::ParallelObjec
    * back to the normal behavior of mooseWarning - only printing a message using the given args.
    */
   template <typename... Args>
-  void paramWarning(const std::string & param, Args... args)
+  void paramWarning(const std::string & param, Args... args) const
   {
     auto prefix = param + ": ";
     if (!_pars.inputLocation(param).empty())
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ class MooseObject : public ConsoleStreamInterface, public libMesh::ParallelObjec
    * the given args.
    */
   template <typename... Args>
-  void paramInfo(const std::string & param, Args... args)
+  void paramInfo(const std::string & param, Args... args) const
   {
     auto prefix = param + ": ";
     if (!_pars.inputLocation(param).empty())
diff --git a/framework/include/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.h b/framework/include/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.h
index 336469154def..9d7751ce2bb5 100644
--- a/framework/include/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.h
+++ b/framework/include/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.h
@@ -119,4 +119,16 @@ class MultiAppTransfer : public Transfer
    * see StochasticToolsTransfer for an example.
    */
   void checkMultiAppExecuteOn();
+
+  /**
+   * Helper for checking a problem for a variable.
+   *
+   * @param fe_problem The problem that should contain the variable
+   * @parem var_name The name of the variable that should exist within the problem
+   * @param param_name (optional) The input file parameter name for throwing paramError, if not
+   *                   provided a mooseError is thrown.
+   */
+  void checkVariable(const FEProblemBase & fe_problem,
+                     const VariableName & var_name,
+                     const std::string & param_name = "") const;
 };
diff --git a/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppCopyTransfer.C b/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppCopyTransfer.C
index e047db489efc..c414ee75f311 100644
--- a/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppCopyTransfer.C
+++ b/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppCopyTransfer.C
@@ -66,11 +66,8 @@ void
 MultiAppCopyTransfer::transfer(FEProblemBase & to_problem, FEProblemBase & from_problem)
 {
   // Perform error checking
-  if (!to_problem.hasVariable(_to_var_name))
-    paramError("variable", "The variable '", _to_var_name, "' does not exist.");
-
-  if (!from_problem.hasVariable(_from_var_name))
-    paramError("source_variable", "The variable '", _from_var_name, "' does not exist.");
+  checkVariable(to_problem, _to_var_name, "variable");
+  checkVariable(from_problem, _from_var_name, "source_variable");
 
   // Populate the to/from variables needed to perform the transfer
   MooseVariableFEBase & to_var = to_problem.getVariable(
diff --git a/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.C b/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.C
index 35e3ad4a6090..160ddfe0af9b 100644
--- a/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.C
+++ b/framework/src/transfers/MultiAppTransfer.C
@@ -264,3 +264,17 @@ MultiAppTransfer::getTransferVector(unsigned int i_local, std::string var_name)
 
   return _multi_app->appTransferVector(_local2global_map[i_local], var_name);
 }
+
+void
+MultiAppTransfer::checkVariable(const FEProblemBase & fe_problem,
+                                const VariableName & var_name,
+                                const std::string & param_name) const
+{
+  if (!fe_problem.hasVariable(var_name))
+  {
+    if (param_name.empty())
+      mooseError("The variable '", var_name, "' does not exist.");
+    else
+      paramError(param_name, "The variable '", var_name, "' does not exist.");
+  }
+}