Import camt.053 and camt.052 into bexio with importly
camt is the cross-bank XML standard based on ISO 20022. Practically every Swiss bank offers it – and because the format is structured the same everywhere, the import works no matter which bank you are with. If your bank has no CSV export or it is incomplete, camt is the better way.
Which files importly reads
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| camt.053 | The electronic account statement – the usual case for posting |
| camt.052 | The interim balance report, for intraday transactions |
| camt.054 | The debit and credit notification, common with QR-bills |
The versions .001.02, .001.04 and .001.08 are supported; importly also reads newer
files based on .001.10. The Swiss variant according to the Swiss Payment Standards is
taken into account.
Step 1: Get the camt file from your bank
- Log in to your bank’s E-Banking.
- Look for camt.053 or ISO 20022 in the account statements or documents section.
- Choose the desired period and download the XML file.
Some banks deliver camt files only on request or as part of a business customer subscription. If you can’t find where to get the file, your bank’s customer service can help.
Step 2: Import the file into importly
- Open the entries table in importly.
- Drag the XML file anywhere onto the page. The import opens automatically.
- importly recognizes camt files by their content – the file name doesn’t matter.
- Select your bank account from the chart of accounts, for example 1020.
- Check the preview and click Import.
What importly reads from a camt file
| Information in the camt file | Field in importly |
|---|---|
| Booking date | Date |
| Booking text and payment purpose | Description |
| Amount with debit-credit indicator | Amount, resolved into debit and credit |
| Currency | Currency |
| Name of the counterparty | can be inserted via the pattern fields |
| IBAN of the counterparty | can be inserted via the pattern fields |
| Reference, including QR reference | can be used as document number |
| Opening and closing balance | for checking, not imported |
The debit-credit indicator comes directly from the file: when money comes in, your bank account is in Debit; when money goes out, in Credit. importly leaves the contra account empty.
Collective entries
The big advantage of camt over CSV: collective entries are fully itemized. An incoming payment that covers twenty individual QR-bills contains all twenty individual positions in the camt file, each with its own reference.
During the import you choose what you want:
- Individual payments – one entry row per position, each with its own reference. This is the normal case when you want to settle accounts receivable.
- Collective entry – a single row for the total amount.
Adjusting document number and description
The two pattern fields in the import window let you decide what ends up in the description and document number. This is especially worthwhile with camt: the QR reference as the document number makes matching against your open items much easier.
If something doesn’t work
importly doesn’t recognize the file Check that it really is an XML file. Some banks deliver camt files in a ZIP archive – you have to unpack it first. If the archive contains several statements, import them one by one.
Duplicate rows appear Most likely the collective entry and the individual positions were both imported. In the import window, choose either individual payments or collective entry, not both.
The reference is missing Not every entry carries a structured reference. For payments without a QR reference, the bank often delivers only free text – in that case the field stays empty.
Rows are missing An import can contain at most 5,000 rows. With itemized collective entries, this limit is reached sooner than the file size suggests.