CFONB 120 is the French bank statement format, defined by the Comité français d'organisation et de normalisation bancaires. A file is plain text in fixed-width records of exactly 120 characters: the old balance, each movement with its dates and label, optional extra lines, and the new balance. French banks deliver it to accounting software and accountants. The account is identified by bank, branch and account number rather than IBAN.
What is in a CFONB 120 file?
| Record | Holds |
|---|---|
| 01 | old balance: bank, branch, account, currency, date, amount |
| 04 | a movement: operation code, booking and value dates, label, amount, reference |
| 05 | additional information on the movement before it, such as the counterparty or remittance details |
| 07 | new balance |
The CFONB specification defines the records and fields (CFONB, in French). Amounts are signed with a letter code in the last digit, and the number of decimals is stated in each record. The character set is restricted to capitals, digits and a few symbols.
When is CFONB 120 used?
To load French bank transactions into accounting software that does not connect to the bank directly, or when an accountant asks for the bank's own file. Its XML counterpart is CAMT.053; in Belgium the national format is CODA.
What can Klarbon do with CFONB 120?
Reading CFONB 120 files and writing CFONB 120 from supported structured bank files are in beta. Reading PDF statements is not available yet. Check the balance difference and transactions against the original; a zero difference does not prove every entry is right. Accents and lower case do not survive in CFONB 120, so labels are folded to capitals. If your importer accepts it, CAMT.053 has more structured fields.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Who uses CFONB 120?
French banks, which deliver it to accounting software and to accountants. Some banks offer CAMT.053 as well; your bank can tell you which files it provides.
Is CFONB 120 the same as CFONB 240?
No. CFONB 120 is the account statement in 120-character records. CFONB 240 returns individual operations, such as transfers received, in the interbank layout, and CFONB 160 is for payment orders.
Can a CFONB 120 file hold accents?
No. The format uses a restricted character set of capitals, digits and a few symbols, so lower case and accents are lost.