Why is the bank payout smaller than the invoice payment?

An invoice payment and a provider payout are different events. A customer can pay in full while the amount that reaches your bank is smaller.

Reconcile one payout, not one invoice

Download the provider’s breakdown for the specific payout. Match its payout reference, currency, destination bank, and settlement date. A payout can contain several receipts and adjustments from different days.

Payout component	Illustrative amount
Gross customer payments included	$1,000
Processing fees withheld	−$30
Customer refunds included	−$100
Reserve withheld	−$50
Previously held reserve released	+$20
Expected bank deposit	$840

These amounts are examples, not published Bokeping, Stripe, or Forte rates. Disputes and other adjustments may also appear. Only include the entries assigned to this payout; a provider’s full-day sales total may cover a different batch.

Locate what is already in Bokeping

1. Review Sales & Receivables → Payments Received. Confirm the receipts exist, their gross amounts, invoice allocations, and deposit accounts. Do not add them again merely because the bank deposit is smaller.
2. Review the relevant account activity under Accounting → Chart of Accounts. Stripe and Forte integration receipts use a processor clearing account; that is different from receiving money directly into the bank.
3. Compare existing fees, refunds, settlement entries, and the provider breakdown. A recorded receipt does not, by itself, prove every payout component has been recorded.
4. Find the actual incoming row under Banking → Bank transactions and compare its net amount and date.

Do not categorize that net payout as another sale. A processing fee withheld by the provider normally does not leave the customer owing the fee.

Choose the right deposit workflow

Where the receipts were recorded	Next step
Undeposited Funds, with no withheld adjustments	Use Bank Deposits to combine the selected receipts into the actual bank deposit.
Processor clearing, with fees or other adjustments	Reconcile the clearing account to the provider breakdown and record only missing settlement components using an accountant-reviewed adjustment.
Directly in the bank account	Check whether the bank movement is already recorded before adding a settlement or deposit. Resolve an incorrect original account through its supported correction workflow.

Bank Deposits has no fee-deduction field. Do not create a $100 deposit for a bank statement that shows $97 and invent a separate $3 bank withdrawal to make it fit.

Simple clearing-account settlement example

Assume a $100 customer receipt is already recorded in the correct processor clearing account. The provider has paid $97 to the bank and retained a $3 processing fee. None of that payout or fee has yet been recorded, and there are no refunds, reserves, tax adjustments, or currency differences.

An accountant-reviewed settlement is:

Account	Debit	Credit
Actual receiving bank	$97	—
Processing fee expense	$3	—
Same processor clearing account as the receipt	—	$100

For this adjustment, use Accounting → Manual Journals with the agreed settlement date and payout reference. Review account warnings and the existing ledger before posting. The journal records the movement that already occurred; it does not instruct the provider to transfer money. It also does not change the invoice’s paid amount or create new sales revenue.

Then match the bank row to the corresponding existing $97 bank-side record when offered. If no eligible record is shown, leave the row for review and investigate its account, dates, posted status, or previous match. Do not categorize it again to force completion.

This simple journal does not cover a payout with refunds, disputes, reserve movements, or already-recorded fees. Reconcile those components separately; a reserve still owed to you is not automatically a fee expense. Ask your accountant to confirm the entries, or contact support if a required action or record is unavailable.

Verify the result

• The customer’s invoice reflects the gross payment received, with no false balance for provider fees.
• The bank ledger includes the actual net deposit once.
• Fees and refunds are recorded once, in their appropriate accounts and periods.
• The remaining clearing balance agrees to unsettled payments, reserves, and timing differences. It need not be zero while money is still with the provider.
• The bank statement reconciles without an invented deposit or withdrawal.

For pending, failed, or disputed payments, confirm the provider’s status before requesting another payment or refund. Keep the payout and transaction references; never share full card or bank credentials. Processing fees remain separate from the software plan or trial.