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Reconciling Billed Transactions with Portal Reports

Updated

Overview

Sometimes, the number of transactions shown in your portal reports may not match what appears on your billing statement. This difference is usually caused by time zone settings. This guide will walk you through how to reconcile these differences to ensure everything aligns.

Why Reports and Billing May Not Match

  • Reports in the portal use your local time zone.
  • Billing is calculated using UTC (Universal Time Coordinated).

To reconcile reports with billing, you need to temporarily change your account to use UTC.

When You Might Need to Reconcile

  • You notice a mismatch between the number of transactions shown in your reports and your invoice.
  • You want to verify your billing for internal records or reporting purposes.
  • You're preparing reports for accounting or audit purposes.

How to Reconcile Transaction Counts

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Switch to UTC Time Zone:
    • In your Merchant Portal, go to Settings → Account Information.
    • Change Time Zone to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).
  2. Check Your Invoice:
    • Go to Settings → Billing Statements.
    • Open the invoice you're reconciling.
    • Note the date range used.
  3. Run a Transaction Report:
    • Go to Transaction Reports → Search Transactions.
    • Enter the date range from the invoice (e.g., June 19, 2025 8:00 PM – June 23, 2025 7:59 PM).
    • Click Submit and then Download Transactions.

  4. Filter Transactions:

    • Open the file in Excel.
    • Filter the "type" column and remove all rows labeled "settlement".
    • Count the remaining rows — this is your transaction count.

    Tip: In Excel, use the Data tab and click Filter to add dropdowns to your headers.

  5. Check Settlement Batches:
    • Go to Transaction Reports → Transaction Snapshot.
    • Use the same date range.
    • Click Submit.
    • Count the number of batches. (Typically, one per day. May be more if processing both credit card and ACH.)
  6. Calculate Billed Transactions:
    • Add the transaction count and settlement batch count together.
    • This should match the total transactions on your invoice.
  7. Revert to Your Original Time Zone:
    • Go back to Settings → Account Information.
    • Restore your original time zone to avoid any impact on settlement batch timing.

High Volume Merchants: Use the Query API

If you process a large number of transactions and experience issues downloading reports from the portal, you may be able to use the Query API to retrieve your data in UTC. Contact your Merchant Service Provider for more information.

Common Questions

Why don’t the numbers in my report match my invoice? This is usually due to a time zone difference. Billing uses UTC, but your portal may be set to local time.

Do both approved and declined transactions count toward my fees? Yes, both approved and declined transactions are billed.

Why does the number of settlement batches vary? Some processors, like TSYS, create multiple batches per day. You’re billed per batch.

Need Help?

If you have questions or need help reconciling your transactions, please contact your Merchant Service Provider.