What is a BAI2 file?
BAI2 is a standard bank statement file format. It lists every deposit and withdrawal with its details, including the trace numbers needed to match payer EFTs to their remittances.
01,BANK,EXAMPLEMED,260321,0600,1,,,2/File header: created March 21, 2026.02,EXAMPLEMED,BANK,1,260320,,USD,2/Group header: activity as of March 20.03,123456789,USD,010,2534012,,,040,2534012,,/Account 123456789: opening ledger and available balance, $25,340.12.16,165,11122,0,1004821,,TRN*1*1004821*1512345678Type 165, a preauthorized ACH credit: $111.22, with the payer's TRN addenda. 1004821 is the trace number.49,2545134,3/Account trailer: control total and the account's 3 records.98,2545134,1,5/Group trailer: 1 account, 5 records.99,2545134,1,7/File trailer: 1 group, 7 records.Banks offer several ways to download activity: online banking screens, CSV exports, and standard files like BAI2, a format from the Bank Administration Institute. BAI2 is useful for healthcare because it can carry the full addenda of each ACH payment.
Why it matters
Matching a payer deposit to its ERA needs the trace number from the payment’s addenda. CSV exports and statement PDFs often leave it out, so deposits have to be matched by amount and date. A BAI2 file with addenda, or a bank feed that includes them, makes bank reconciliation exact.
Getting the files
Most business banks provide BAI2 through their treasury or cash management service, as a scheduled file or a download. Ask for prior-day reporting with ACH addenda included.
Run your revenue cycle as workflows.
We are working with a small group of billing and operations teams to shape worklist. Tell us where your work gets stuck, and we'll show you how it would run.