Use the worksheet below
Enter anonymous amounts in one currency. The worksheet uses an illustrative equation: gross activity minus refunds, fees and new holds, plus released holds and a signed other adjustment. Compare that expected amount with the payout report, not automatically with the bank on the same date. Your provider may use different categories or signs; map those deliberately before using the arithmetic.
Give every component an evidence home
Keep a small working table in your own system: component, amount, source report, settlement identifier and reviewer note. A refund belongs in the bridge only if it belongs to this settlement population. A reserve release is not a new sale. “Other” is a named, evidenced difference—not a dumping ground for whatever makes the answer match.
Read a fictional example
Gross 1,000, refunds 80, fees 50, a new hold of 100 and release of 30 produce an illustrative payout of 800. A reported payout of 790 leaves a difference of minus 10. The correct output is “10 unexplained,” not “10 miscellaneous fee.” Zero difference proves only that the entered arithmetic agrees. It does not prove completeness, correct classification or tax treatment.
Leave a reviewable result
Document the date range, currency, settlement ID and remaining question outside this website. The worksheet saves nothing and accepts no uploads. If the provider combines several settlements into a bank transfer, reconcile that grouping separately. See the clearing-balance guide for the distinction between money held at a service and money arriving in a bank.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Report differences — Merchant documentation · help.linkmybooks.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30