PROFITTHEORY

Payment economics

Payment reconciliation: making sales, settlements and deposits agree

Payment reconciliation confirms that every sale recorded in your system was settled by your processor and deposited in your bank — with fees, refunds and chargebacks accounted for. A clearing account in your books makes timing differences visible instead of hiding them.

Request a payment review Calculate your effective rate

Estimates only. Results vary. No guarantee of approval, rates or savings.

The three-way match

Sales system → processor settlement → bank deposit. Match daily totals first, then investigate differences.

Use a clearing account

Record card sales into an "undeposited card payments" clearing account, then clear it when deposits arrive. Whatever is left at month-end is either in transit or an error to investigate.

Common causes of mismatches

  • Settlement lag of one to three business days
  • Fees deducted daily vs. billed monthly
  • Refunds and chargebacks
  • Reserves or holds
  • Batches split across dates

Run the numbers

Blue = you enterGreen = calculatedGray = assumptionAmber/red = check this
$

Total card sales on your statement.

$

Add every fee line: discount, interchange, assessments, monthly, PCI, gateway.

Your effective rate

3.25%

Fees per year

$23,400

Avg. fee / sale

$4.88

Avg. ticket

$150.00

Effective rate is a diagnostic, not a savings quote. Card mix, card-present vs. keyed, and network rules change what any provider can offer.

Questions to ask your processor

  • • Is my pricing interchange-plus, tiered or flat-rate?
  • • What is your markup above interchange, in % and per item?
  • • Which monthly, PCI, statement or gateway fees apply?
  • • Is there an early-termination fee or equipment lease?
Request a payment reviewOptional. No statement upload needed here.

Estimates only. Results vary. No guarantee of approval, rates or savings.

Talk with a payments specialist

Common questions

How long should reconciliation take?

With a clearing account and daily batch checks, a monthly close should take hours, not days.