Name the balance correctly
A reserve, deferred transaction balance and clearing balance need not describe the same thing. Start with the terminology used by the actual report. Link My Books documents separate Amazon reserve and deferred-transaction behavior. Do not combine those categories simply because neither has yet reached the bank.
Track movement rather than one snapshot
A useful schedule has opening position, additions, releases, other supported changes and closing position. Compare that roll-forward with the provider’s record using the same currency and market. A held amount that remains at month end may be expected; the appropriate acceptance test is an explanation, not a forced zero.
Avoid a false double count
In a fictional example, 100 held in one period and 40 released in the next leaves 60 before other movements. Adding the released 40 to sales again would answer a different question from tracking availability. This illustration explains record relationships, not how to post a journal or recognize income.
Treat corrections as controlled changes
If the opening amount or a transfer appears wrong, preserve the original reports and ask the reviewer to identify the exact boundary. Some configuration changes can affect historical output. Do not disable a feature or insert an adjustment merely to make a balance disappear. Use the mapping-review and history-cutoff guides before changing a live workflow.
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.
- Amazon reserve balances — Merchant documentation · help.linkmybooks.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30
- Amazon deferred transactions — Merchant documentation · help.linkmybooks.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30