
When you look at your bank statement in online banking, you sometimes see the entry “Valuta” with a date next to payments. What does this information mean?
“Valuta” also appears under the term “Valutadatum” or “Value Date”. Regardless of the form used, the meaning is always the same.
Valuta: Meaning and Difference to Value Date
In the bank statement, the booking date sometimes differs from the value date. For example, if you transfer an amount to another account in the evening of February 2nd, the payment may already be displayed in online banking on February 2nd, but if the value date is February 3rd, the money will only be available from this day. The booking date and value date do not have to match for every incoming and outgoing payment. The different, earlier booking date merely indicates when the payment is prepared, while the value date shows when the money is actually available in the account and is used, for example, for interest calculations.
What the Value Date Means
Valuta must therefore be distinguished from the booking date. The second value indicates when a payment is processed in the bank’s system. A transfer can take one business day, so the recipient usually does not have the money immediately after the payment transaction, but only from the value date. If you are expecting a payment, you should always pay attention to the value date.
In everyday life, the difference between booking and valuta is hardly noticeable. Only with checks, there can sometimes be several days between the two dates. An amount from a check may already be credited to an account, but the value date may only occur several days later, as the bank may still need to verify the check. The money is only actually available after successful verification.