Payment Operations
Part of Creator payment operations
Keeping sales, refunds and platform fees reconciled
Trace audience charges, refunds, fees and adjustments through provider reports to a bank payout without counting the transfer twice.
Reconcile audience payments by tracing each charge and adjustment through the provider's records to a payout and bank entry. A deposit may combine orders from different dates. It is a transfer of proceeds, not another customer sale.
Define the records you are matching
Choose a period, currency and GST basis. Keep the provider's original transaction export, payout or balance report, and bank entries.
Record the order or charge ID, customer-facing amount and currency, refund or dispute reference, fee, payout ID, settlement currency and bank receipt. Read the provider's field definitions before subtracting anything: a reported net amount may already include a fee or adjustment.
Check the selling arrangement too. If a platform is the seller and reports only the creator's entitlement, its customer charges are not automatically the creator's gross revenue. Reconcile the amount the creator is owed under that arrangement, while keeping any available customer activity as separate context.
Explain each payout
Component / Check
- Charges
- Which transactions entered this settlement?
- Refunds and disputes
- Which original charges do the adjustments relate to?
- Fees
- Were they deducted here or charged separately?
- Other changes
- Did opening balances, reserves or conversion affect the amount?
- Net payout
- Does the reported transfer match the bank entry?
Use the provider's payout reconciliation report, if available, to match the activity it reports to the payout. Match the payout ID and transaction references to the transaction export.
A balance summary report may provide a different view of account activity. Use the transaction history to trace any listed balance movements to the payout.
Reconciling Sales, Refunds and Platform Fees
- Identify the payout period and settlement currencyMatch the payout ID to the correct reporting window and currency (e.g., AUD). Use the provider’s payout report.
- Verify charges included in the payoutTrace each charge ID from the transaction export to the payout report. Confirm all original sales are accounted for.
- Match refunds and disputesLink refund or dispute references to their original charges. Ensure they’re recorded in the correct period.
- Check platform feesConfirm whether fees were deducted from the payout or charged separately. Refer to PayPal’s fee structure for clarity.
- Validate net payout against bank entryEnsure the final transfer amount matches the bank receipt. Investigate any discrepancies immediately.
Work through a difference
Suppose an illustrative settlement contains charges totalling C, a refund of R and fees of F, with no other adjustments. The net transfer is C − R − F.
Show the charges, refund and fee as components of that transfer under a stated basis; do not add the net transfer as another sale. The example assumes the creator made those sales directly and does not decide their accounting or GST treatment.
If the bank amount differs, check the payout ID, report date and time zone, settlement currency, separately charged fees, pending items and opening balance. Link a later refund to its original order even if the two events fall in different periods. Leave any unexplained difference visible with an owner and next check date.
For a refunded sale, inspect the transaction's fee line and the provider's applicable fee terms. Confirm whether the fee was reversed, retained or charged separately, and record the result against the refund.
Platform Fee Treatment Across Providers
- StripeFees deducted automatically from payout; check balance reports for accuracy.
- SquareFees appear as a separate line item; may be charged per transaction or monthly.
- PayPalFees listed in transaction history; some may be charged after settlement.
