What is an 835 ERA (Electronic Remittance Advice)?
An ANSI X12 835 (ERA) is the electronic payment explanation from a payer that tells you what was billed, what was paid, and why adjustments were taken. It’s the foundation of accurate payment posting and denial tracking.
What an 835 contains
- Payment amount and method (EFT/check) (often found in BPR)
- Trace number to match bank deposits (often TRN)
- Claim-level results: charge, paid, patient responsibility (CLP)
- Adjustments with codes and amounts (CAS segments)
- Service line details for each procedure (SVC loop)
Why 835 matters for billing teams
Fast & accurate posting
Post payments and adjustments without manual keying and reduce posting errors.
Denial intelligence
CAS codes (CARC/RARC) reveal denial reasons and drive your work queue.
A quick look at common 835 segments
| Segment | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
ISA/GS | Envelope + trading partner identifiers |
ST/SE | Transaction set start/end (there can be multiple) |
BPR | Total payment amount and payment method |
TRN | Trace number to tie to EFT/check |
CLP | Claim-level outcome: charge, paid, status |
CAS | Adjustments with reason codes and amounts |
SVC | Service line details (procedure line charge/paid) |
How MedClaimsIQ helps
MedClaimsIQ can parse 835 files, summarize totals, break down claim and service lines, and generate posting batches and denial summaries—helping billers move from raw EDI to action.
Note: This page is educational. Do not upload PHI to public tools. Follow your organization’s policies.
Quick tips
- One file can contain multiple
STloops. - Use
TRNto match EFT deposits. - Denials often show up in
CASadjustments.