Money comes into and goes out of your bank account every week, and each transaction belongs in the accounts: a credit settles an invoice, a debit pays a supplier, a fee becomes an expense. This matching is called bank reconciliation. By hand, it is laborious clerical work; with camt files, it becomes a checking task. This guide shows what a camt file contains, how bank reconciliation with camt files works in practice and where it can fail.
What happens during bank reconciliation
Bank reconciliation compares two worlds: the bank statement and your open items, meaning invoices not yet paid. Each account transaction then falls into one of three categories:
- Invoice payment: The credit belongs to a customer invoice, the debit to a supplier invoice. The open item is settled.
- Direct posting: Fees, interest, rent or cash withdrawals have no invoice on file. Post them to an account in the chart of accounts.
- Exception: The transaction is unclear, private or relates to another account. It is deferred or deliberately omitted.
The bank file saves retyping and avoids transposed digits. The real benefit: it carries the information a program needs for matching, above all the invoice reference.
Overview of camt messages
“camt” stands for “cash management”, a message type in the international ISO 20022 standard. Swiss banks provide it according to SIX’s Swiss Payment Standards. The corresponding Implementation Guidelines describe three messages (ch. 1.3):
| Message | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| camt.052 | Account Report | Account transactions during the day (intraday) |
| camt.053 | Statement | End-of-day account statement, relevant for posting |
| camt.054 | Debit/Credit Notification | Individual debit or credit notification, also detailed breakdown of batch entries |
Two matter most for bank reconciliation:
- camt.053 is the account statement. It contains the day’s entries and opening and closing balances, supplying only booked transactions (ch. 2.1, 4.1.4). According to the guidelines, it is the most frequently used message in Switzerland (ch. 4.1.1).
- camt.054 reports individual credits and debits, generally continuously with each incoming or outgoing payment (ch. 2.2). It also provides detailed breakdowns of batch entries (ch. 2.3).
Not every bank offers everything: the guidelines expressly state that not all institutions offer the intraday message camt.052 or batch breakdowns and debit/credit notifications in camt.054 (ch. 1.3). Ask your bank which files your account provides.
Versions: The version currently published by SIX is SPS 2026, version 2.3 dated 20 February 2026; it applies from 14 November 2026. Until then, version 2.2 (SPS 2025, valid since 22 November 2025) is in force. Both are based on version .08 camt schemas (ISO release 2019).
What an entry in the file contains
A camt.053 file consists of balances and entries. Two balances are mandatory: opening balance (code OPBD) and closing balance (code CLBD) (ch. 4.1.3). Between them, each posting appears as an “Entry” containing, among other things (ch. 4.1.4):
- Amount and currency of the entry.
- Debit or credit: CRDT indicates a credit, DBIT a debit.
- Status: camt.053 supplies only BOOK (booked) status. camt.052 and camt.054 can also contain PDNG (pending).
- Booking date and value date.
- Bank reference: Each entry carries a unique reference assigned by the account-servicing institution. It links the same entry across different messages and is suitable for duplicate checking (ch. 3.8.1, 4.1.4).
- Reversal indicator: A reversal by the bank is marked as such. A credit with a reversal indicator means the original entry was a debit, and vice versa (ch. 4.1.4).
Below each entry come the details per payment: counterparty name and IBAN, the originator’s end-to-end ID, free-text message and structured reference (ch. 3.8.1, 4.1.7). A statement split across several files carries a page number and “last page” indicator (ch. 3.11).
The reference as the key to the invoice
The most reliable route from credit to invoice is the structured reference. It originates with the invoice issuer and travels with the payment through the banking system: the payer transfers it from the QR-bill payment section into the payment order, and the recipient’s bank reports it back in the camt file (ch. 3.8.4). In the standard, this is “Creditor Reference Information”, containing either the QR reference or ISO Creditor Reference (ch. 3.8.1).
The QR-bill guidelines describe both types:
- QR reference: 26 digits plus a check digit in the 27th position (recursive Modulo 10), to be used only with a QR-IBAN. Under version 2.4 of the guidelines (valid from 14 November 2026), it is intended for invoices in CHF (ch. 2.12.1).
- Creditor Reference: 5 to 25 alphanumeric characters, starting with “RF”, check digits in the 3rd and 4th positions (Modulo 97-10), to be used with a regular IBAN for invoices in CHF and EUR (version 2.4, ch. 2.12.2).
Both enable the recipient to reconcile invoices and incoming payments automatically (QR-bill IG, ch. 2.12 and 4.3.2). Create a QR-bill explains how to issue such an invoice.
Batch entries, partial payments and payments without a reference
In practice, not every payment is straightforward. Five cases occur regularly:
- Batch entry: The bank combines several payments into a single credit. Depending on the service, camt.053 or camt.054 breaks it into individual items; without this breakdown, you see only the total (ch. 3.9).
- Partial payment: Your customer transfers less than the invoice total. The reference matches, the amount does not; the remainder stays open.
- Overpayment: More arrives than requested. Decide whether to retain it as credit or refund it.
- Payment without a reference: The customer transferred manually. Invoice number in the message, IBAN, name and amount provide clues.
- File imported twice: No posting may be created twice. Each entry’s bank reference is the key.
Practical example: Alpina Schreinerei GmbH
Alpina Schreinerei GmbH is a fictional business with twelve employees. On Monday, 5 October 2026, the bookkeeper imports the business account’s camt.053 statement. The opening balance is CHF 18’450.20. The file contains five entries:
| No. | Counterparty | Type | Amount CHF | Information in the file | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gemeinde Seeblick | Credit | 4’320.00 | QR reference | Reference and amount match: invoice paid |
| 2 | Küchenbau Frei AG | Credit | 3’000.00 | Creditor Reference | Reference matches, invoice for 6’800.00: partial payment, remaining 3’800.00 stays open |
| 3 | Familie Meier | Credit | 1’250.00 | No reference, message “Invoice 2026-0420” | Suggestion based on invoice number, bookkeeper confirms |
| 4 | Holzhandel Berger AG | Debit | 2’890.50 | Own payment from payment run | Supplier invoice paid |
| 5 | Bank | Debit | 15.00 | Text “Account maintenance” | Bank rule posts to bank charges account |
Credits total CHF 4’320.00 + 3’000.00 + 1’250.00 = CHF 8’570.00; debits total CHF 2’890.50 + 15.00 = CHF 2’905.50. The closing balance must therefore be CHF 18’450.20 + 8’570.00 − 2’905.50 = CHF 24’114.70. Comparing balances is only a plausibility check: missing credits and debits can cancel out, while incorrect allocations can leave the balance unchanged. Also check all transactions, pages and import exclusions against the complete bank statement. Differences can also result from incorrect or duplicate postings.
If an invoice remains open after reconciliation, such as the CHF 3’800.00 from Küchenbau Frei AG, the reminder process takes over: see Write a payment reminder for the procedure.
Step by step: how to reconcile
- Obtain the bank file. Download camt.053 (account statement) or camt.054 (credit notification) as an XML file in e-banking. Make sure it belongs to the correct account.
- Import the file. The software reads the file and imports each importable transaction only once.
- Check clear matches. Payments with matching references and amounts settle the invoice automatically. Check the feedback.
- Assess suggestions. For transactions without a clear match, review and confirm the suggestion or choose manually.
- Create rules. Record recurring debits (fees, rent, subscriptions) as a rule once.
- Check balances. Compare the file’s opening and closing balances with your bank balance in the accounts.
- Clarify exceptions. Review reversals and unclear transactions carefully; ignore only with a reason.
Checklist
- camt.053 or camt.054 received from the bank as an XML file, correct account number
- Import feedback checked (new, already imported, automatically reconciled)
- Payments with references matched to invoices
- Partial payments: remaining amount stays open and is noted
- Transactions without references reviewed with suggestions, no allocation confirmed blindly
- Recurring debits posted through rules with contra account and VAT code where appropriate
- File opening and closing balances match the accounts
- Bank reversals and returned entries reviewed
- Outstanding invoices passed to dunning after reconciliation
How KMU | base helps
Finance | base has two entry points to the same import logic: bank reconciliation under “Purchasing and bank” for importable transactions, and “Payments received” in Sales for sales invoices. Notes and links on both pages lead to the other.
1. Import the bank file. Open Finance › Purchasing and bank and the Bank tab. Choose the bank account, upload the camt.053 or camt.054 file and click Import. Each importable transaction is imported only once, even if you upload the same file again. Feedback remains above the list and states how many transactions are new, already imported and automatically reconciled. Maintain bank accounts in invoicing settings.
Import limit: Reversal entries with RvslInd=true and entries with an explicit status other than BOOK are skipped and absent from the review list. A missing status alone does not exclude an entry. Check excluded transactions separately against the complete bank statement and post entries manually where needed.
2. Check suggestions. Finance suggests allocations for open transactions using reference, document number, IBAN, name and amount, including partial and batch payments, with confidence as a percentage. The suggestion shows document, partner and amount. Matching reference and amount trigger automatic reconciliation. Select the contra account for a direct posting from the chart of accounts; for a manual posting with VAT, also choose the appropriate VAT code.
3. Bank rules. Under Rules, determine what happens for a particular posting text: direction (credit, debit or both), amount limit, contra account and VAT code, optionally posted automatically. Post individual transactions manually or ignore them. Every rule can later be changed in all fields or switched off; the list shows how many open transactions it matches.
4. Change status. In bank reconciliation, switch between Open, Reconciled (with posting number) and Ignored. Use Reopen to return an ignored transaction to reconciliation with a log entry, ensuring nothing disappears without a route back.
5. Payments. Under Finance › Sales › Payments received, also upload the bank file (camt.054 or camt.053). Credits with a QR or RF reference match the sales invoice automatically; the same file and bank entry are never imported twice. Credits without a matching reference appear as unallocated, and you select the invoice yourself.
To try it yourself, view the demo or open a trial account. Further steps are in the Finance | base guide. For questions, use our Contact page.
Sources
- SIX: Swiss Payment Standards, Swiss Implementation Guidelines for Bank-to-Customer Messages (Reports), camt.052/camt.053/camt.054, SPS 2026 version 2.3 dated 20 February 2026, valid from 14 November 2026, ch. 1.3, 2.1–2.4, 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 4.1.1, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.7: PDF (in German), accessed on 26.10.2026. Until 13 November 2026, version 2.2 applies (SPS 2025, 24 February 2025, valid from 22 November 2025): PDF (in German), accessed on 26.10.2026; chapter numbers are the same in both versions.
- SIX: Swiss Implementation Guidelines QR-bill, version 2.3 dated 20 November 2023, ch. 2.12 (customer references) and 4.3.2: PDF (in German); also version 2.4 dated 24 February 2026, valid from 14 November 2026, ch. 2.12 and 4.3.2 “Customer references for QR-bills”: PDF (in German); both accessed on 26.10.2026.
- SIX: ISO 20022 – Payment standards, overview and currently valid versions (in German), accessed on 26.10.2026.
This guide does not replace legal or tax advice. Information as at 26 October 2026.