Condo Payment References: Collection Files and Bank Credits

Referenced collection links a payment to the reference captured through a bank collection agreement. A grouped bank credit can cover several payments, as illustrated by Bancolombia's collection service.

What it is

The agreement, the detail file and the grouped credit

A collection agreement (convenio de recaudo) defines how the bank receives and reports payments. The reference can help link a payment to a unit. Its meaning depends on the agreement and the condominium's reference list.

Bancolombia documents grouped or individual credits. The period and payments included in a grouped credit need confirmation for that agreement. A statement line alone may not identify each unit.

BBVA's Recaudo Nacional page describes collection detail through BBVA net cash and collection information in structures endorsed by Asobancaria. These are examples of bank services. Availability for a particular condominium needs confirmation.

Record	What to check
Bank statement	The credit actually posted to the account.
Collection detail	The payments and references behind the credit.
Unit account and receipt	How the reviewed payment applies to the unit.

Who it applies to

This guide covers administrators, accountants and councils reviewing Colombian condominium collections (propiedad horizontal, PH). It covers the link between collection detail and bank credits. The full bank reconciliation also covers payments, charges and other movements.

The administration fee guide explains the underlying charges. The late interest guide covers interest. A payment reference does not decide those questions.

Steps

How to ask the bank for the detail

Suggested request for the condominium's authorized bank contact:

1. Identify the condominium, collection agreement, receiving account and period.
2. Request the collection detail that supports each grouped credit.
3. Request the file format, version and field guide used for that agreement.
4. Ask for the available references, payment status, transaction code and batch totals.
5. Ask how payment dates, processing cycles and bank posting dates relate.
6. Confirm the download route and the user's permission to download.
7. Request the fee schedule and the records for any deductions or returns.

Asobancaria and PSE files

PSE's help centre publishes annexes for Asobancaria 1998, 2001 and 2011, plus PSE formats. These layouts have different fields. Its transaction query distinguishes status, cycle, reference and tracking code. A payment reference is not necessarily the PSE tracking code.

The Grupo Aval collector manual, version 5 dated 20 May 2022, describes file downloads in section 5.8. It says that option is unavailable when payment capture uses multiple references. It points to the transaction query's Excel export. This documents that edition; the current portal needs confirmation.

1. Confirm which layout the bank actually supplies.
2. Keep the original file before working on a copy.
3. Keep references as text to preserve leading zeros.
4. Check amount formats against the supplied field guide.
5. Keep all reference fields needed to identify the unit.
6. For PSE payments, request the full tracking code (CUS) if the file omits or shortens it.

How to match a grouped credit

This is a suggested review sequence, not an official form or an instruction to post accounting entries:

1. Select the account, agreement and batch behind the bank credit.
2. Separate approved collections from other statuses using the source's definitions.
3. Check the detail count and total against the source's control totals.
4. Compare the batch total with the related bank credit.
5. Explain any difference with bank records for timing, returns or charges.
6. Link each supported reference to the unit's account.
7. Check that the grouped credit and its detail do not create duplicate receipts.
8. Record unresolved differences for the accountant's review.
9. Keep the original files with the review decision.

When the bank confirms a gross credit, compare the full batch with that credit. When it confirms a net credit, the difference needs documented deductions. A fee charged separately belongs to its own bank movement. An unexplained difference stays pending.

Costs

The Bancolombia collection order lists daily or monthly fee collection separately from grouped or individual credits. Fee frequency does not state the credit period. The form does not set a universal price or other banks' terms.

1. Request the agreed charges for the account, channels and collection service.
2. Confirm which taxes, if any, apply to each quoted charge.
3. Confirm whether each charge appears separately or reduces a credit.
4. Compare the actual charge with its invoice or bank record.

Documents

Suggested review file: agreement, reference list, format guide, collection detail, full statement, unit accounts and charge records. The administrator's report can use the resulting explanations without repeating every private payment record.

Deadlines

Payment time, processing cycle and bank posting date are separate checks. A request to the bank should identify the period and payments included in each credit. The cited documents do not establish one cutoff or delivery deadline for all banks.

Common mistakes

• Counting twice. A grouped credit and its detail describe related money, not extra receipts.
• Using only the amount. Equal amounts do not establish which unit paid.
• Mixing files. A file of amounts to collect is not evidence that those amounts arrived.
• Forcing a match. An unexplained difference is not automatically a bank fee.

Exceptions

A payment outside the agreement may lack its reference. A partial payment, incorrect reference or return needs separate review. The agreement and payment record determine the available evidence. See unidentified payments for unresolved allocations.

For independent access to the bank record, see consultation access for the council or statutory auditor.

Sources

Opened on 26 October 2026:

• Bancolombia: physical collections.
• Bancolombia: collection order, account and fee settings.
• BBVA: Recaudo Nacional.
• PSE: business help centre, queries and file layouts.
• Grupo Aval: collector manual, version 5, section 5.8; edition dated 20 May 2022.

Educational information, not legal or tax advice. This is not accounting advice. Ask a Colombian lawyer or public accountant about your case.

Next step

Get the free sample checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Why can a single bank credit cover several condo payments?

The bank can group collections under the agreement. The collection detail explains the payments behind the credit. The period and credit method need confirmation for that agreement.

Is an Asobancaria file the same as a bank statement?

No. Collection detail supports payment references. The statement shows account movements. The review links them without counting the same money twice.

What if the detail total differs from the bank credit?

The difference needs supporting records. Timing, returns and documented charges are checks, not automatic explanations. An unresolved difference stays pending.

Does a matching amount identify the apartment?

No. The reference and supporting records need review. Equal amounts alone do not establish which unit paid.

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