How to Read a Settlement Report in Five Lines

A settlement report lists the card payments your provider has settled to you. Five lines carry most of the meaning: sales, refunds, fees, any amount held back, and the amount you are paid. Read them in that order, then match the last line to your own records. Report names differ between providers, so check your provider's documentation.

• Sales: what customers paid in the period.
• Refunds: money you returned, taken away from sales.
• Fees: what your provider keeps for processing.
• Held back: any amount kept for release later.
• Paid: the amount that reaches your bank account.

This guide is the written companion to our short video on the same topic.

What is a settlement report?

A settlement report is a statement from your payment provider that shows how a group of card payments became money paid to you. It is not the same as your sales dashboard, because it also includes refunds, fees and any amounts held back.

If you want the background on when money actually moves, read authorization, capture and settlement explained.

What do the sales and refunds lines show?

The sales line is the total your customers paid in the period. The refunds line is the money you returned to them. Sales minus refunds gives you the starting point, before any costs. If a refund does not appear in the period you expect, remember that it travels back as its own transaction, as explained in how card refunds work.

What does the fees line show?

Fees are what your provider keeps for processing the payments. Depending on your agreement, they may include a percentage, a fixed amount per payment and other charges. We will not give typical figures, because they differ between agreements. Check your own contract so that you can recognise each charge on the report.

What does the held-back line show?

Some providers keep part of your sales for a period and release it later. This is sometimes called a rolling reserve, and the terms differ from one agreement to the next. Our guide on what a rolling reserve is and how held funds work explains the idea.

On the report, look for any amount held back in this period and any amount released from an earlier period. Your agreement states how long amounts are held, so match what you see to what you agreed.

What does the paid line show?

The last line is the amount that is paid to you for the period. It is the result of the lines above it. Match it to the deposit you see in your bank account and to your own records. If the numbers do not agree, check the earlier lines one at a time, starting with refunds and held amounts, because those are the most common sources of a difference.

Frequently asked questions

What is a settlement report?

It is a statement from your payment provider showing how a group of card payments became money paid to you, including refunds, fees and any amounts held back. It differs from a sales dashboard, which usually shows only what customers paid.

Why is my payout lower than my sales?

Refunds, fees and any amount held back are taken from sales before the payout. Read the report line by line to see which of them explains the difference.

What does held back mean on a settlement report?

It means your provider is keeping part of your sales for a period and will release it later, according to your agreement. The terms differ between providers, so check your contract.

How do I check that the payout is correct?

Match the paid line to the deposit in your bank account, then check sales, refunds, fees and held amounts against your own records. Start with refunds and held amounts if something does not agree.

Do all providers use the same report layout?

No. Names and layout differ between providers. The five lines in this guide are a way to read any report, but check your provider's documentation for the exact labels.

Where to go next

EPaySe is a payment gateway in development for high-risk and regulated businesses, reviewed and approved case by case. If you have questions about your own setup, contact the EPaySe team.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Check with your own advisor before making decisions about your business.