Introducing customer statement payment references

Customer statement payment references let you print a structured payment reference (for example, a FIK code) on customer statements sent from Business Central. When customers use the printed reference for payment, Continia Banking can automatically match the imported bank transaction to the correct open customer ledger entries.

Customer statement payment references are useful when a payment covers multiple invoices or when bank remittance information is limited. The unique payment reference identifies the entries included on the customer statement, enabling accurate automatic matching during bank statement import.

The functionality builds on the same payment-reference framework used for sales documents (See Setting up payment references on sales documents).

The feature works with both Bank Account Reconciliation and Payment Reconciliation Journal.

Before you start

To work with the Customer Statement Payment Reference feature, you must enable it in Continia Feature Management.

The functionality builds on the same payment reference framework used for sales documents. For more information, see Setting up payment references on sales documents.

Before you can use customer statement payment references:

• Enable Customer Statement Payment Reference in Continia Feature Management.
• Create a Payment Reference Template. For more information, see Setting up payment references on sales documents.
• Use the default payment reference rule, or modify it if necessary, to identify payment references in imported bank transactions.
• Run the Standard Statement report using a Continia Banking layout that includes payment references.
• Instruct customers to include the printed payment reference when making payments.

For the steps involved in setting up customer statement payment references, see Working with customer statement payment references.

How it works

When you run the Standard Statement report with a Continia Banking layout:

• A unique payment reference is generated using the selected Payment Reference Template.
• The reference is printed on the customer statement.
• The reference and related customer ledger entries are stored for later matching.
• If the statement is reprinted, existing references for that statement are replaced.
• For email statements, the payment reference is also included in the payment instructions.

When a bank statement is imported:

• Continia Banking extracts the payment reference using the configured Payment Reference Rule.
• The reference is matched against stored customer statement references.
• If a match is found, payment application proposals are created for the related customer ledger entries.
• The proposal is marked as Found by: Payment Reference Rule for review.

If no match is found, standard matching methods continue as normal.

For example, a statement includes three open invoices and payment reference REF-20250601-00042. The customer uses this reference when paying. When the bank statement is imported, Continia Banking matches the payment to all three invoices and creates application proposals automatically.