Three-Way Payment Reconciliation for Brokers

Choose the unit of reconciliation

Begin with a merchant account, settlement currency and batch or period. The provider may settle payments from several sales dates together, so a calendar-day customer-deposit total is not automatically comparable with today's bank credit. Retain both the transaction date and settlement date, with their timezones.

Build links from internal payment ID to merchant reference, PSP reference, modification reference and settlement batch. Adyen's settlement report documents these different identifiers and journal types. Preserve the raw report before applying transformations, because configured columns, report generation times or later corrections can change the import.

Reconcile cash and liabilities separately

A customer ledger answers whom the operator owes and why. A processor report describes collections, adjustments and amounts payable by the processor. A bank statement shows cash received or paid. Fees can reduce bank cash without reducing a customer's contractual credit; a reserve can remain a receivable while being unavailable for payout. The correct accounting treatment must follow the approved ledger policy.

Calculate the expected bank amount from the provider's settlement entries, then compare it with the bank reference and amount. Separately compare captured or otherwise eligible customer payments with internal credits under the approved booking rule. Do not force both comparisons to share one total by deleting fees or changing customer credits.

Make differences actionable

Classify a difference before adjusting anything. Common classes are an unmatched identifier, settlement timing, missing fee row, currency conversion, duplicated import, returned payout or unposted reversal. Record the exact amount, currency, source row, owner, next action and age. A balancing journal with no explanation hides the problem rather than reconciling it.

Use a controlled correction when evidence establishes an internal error. Preserve the original posting and link the adjustment to it. If an upstream report is incomplete, keep an outstanding item and obtain the missing evidence. The close record should distinguish zero unexplained difference from zero open items; a valid timing item may still remain open.

Worked example: the bank amount is lower

Assume a fictional USD batch has $12,000 of eligible captures, $300 of processor fees, $600 newly withheld in reserve and $100 of reserve released. Expected bank cash is $12,000 − $300 − $600 + $100 = $11,200. A bank credit of $11,200 matches. Internal customer credits can still total $12,000 if the approved policy credits the full captured amounts. Reserve receivable increases by $500; the $800 cash difference is explained, not missing.