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An online seller's weekly order total never matches the bank credits, and it is unclear whether money is missing or simply not yet paid.
Split orders by payment method, compute expected cash per channel after its fees and refunds, then match each bank credit to its channel using payer name and reference.
A weekly tie-out sheet with orders by payment method, expected cash by channel and bank credits, plus a column for cancelled and refunded orders.
Every rupee of the week's orders is shown as received, deducted as a fee, refunded, cancelled or still pending with a named channel.
Your online store is paid through several channels at different times and net of different charges: gateway payouts for prepaid orders, courier COD remittances and sometimes marketplace payouts. So one week’s orders will never equal one bank credit. The gap is usually fees, refunds, cancelled orders and cash still on its way, and you can account for every rupee of it with a simple weekly sheet.
What are the likely causes of the gap?
| Cause | What it looks like | Is it money lost? |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway fees and GST on fees | Prepaid payout lower than prepaid orders | A cost, but check it against your contract |
| Refunds netted | Payout reduced by refunds of earlier orders | No, already returned to customers |
| COD still with the courier | Delivered COD orders not yet in bank | No, pending receivable |
| RTO and cancelled orders | Orders in the report that never became sales | No, never earned |
| Month-end timing | Orders on 30th paid on the 2nd | No, timing only |
| Split credits | One week paid in two or three credits | No, add them up |
| Wallet, BNPL or EMI partner payouts | Separate credits from partners | No, different payer |
Which channel did each bank credit come from?
Read three things on each credit:
- Payer name in the narration. Gateways, couriers, shipping aggregators and marketplaces normally show their own names.
- UTR or payout reference. A gateway payout ID or courier remittance number lets you open the matching report.
- Amount pattern. Gateway payouts arrive on a regular cycle and are close to prepaid orders. COD remittances arrive a few days later and cover several days of deliveries.
Label every credit with its channel before you match anything. This step alone removes most of the confusion.
What should the weekly tie-out sheet look like?
Use three blocks side by side:
- Left: orders by payment method. Prepaid, COD, cancelled, refunded.
- Middle: expected cash by channel. Prepaid orders minus gateway fees and refunds; delivered COD minus courier charges.
- Right: bank credits for the week, labelled by channel.
The difference between the middle and the right should only be timing. Anything else is a question to raise with that channel.
A worked example
A store takes ₹1,80,000 of orders in a week:
- Prepaid: ₹1,05,000
- COD: ₹60,000
- Cancelled before dispatch: ₹15,000
Check: ₹1,05,000 + ₹60,000 + ₹15,000 = ₹1,80,000.
Prepaid. The gateway charges an illustrative 2 percent fee, ₹2,100, plus 18 percent GST on that fee, ₹378. It also nets refunds of ₹4,122 for earlier orders. Payout: ₹1,05,000 − ₹2,100 − ₹378 − ₹4,122 = ₹98,400.
COD. The courier deducts ₹3,600 of COD and freight charges and ₹1,800 of RTO charges, and remits nine days later. Remittance: ₹60,000 − ₹3,600 − ₹1,800 = ₹54,600.
Cancelled. ₹15,000 never becomes cash.
Bank credits total ₹98,400 + ₹54,600 = ₹1,53,000. The ₹27,000 gap is ₹15,000 cancelled + ₹2,100 fee + ₹378 GST + ₹4,122 refunds + ₹3,600 courier charges + ₹1,800 RTO = ₹27,000. Fully explained. If the COD remittance had not yet arrived at week end, the sheet would show ₹54,600 as pending, not missing.
The GST on gateway and courier fees is usually claimable as input tax credit if you receive a proper tax invoice and it appears in your GSTR-2B.
When is the gap a real problem?
When it does not fit any row in the table. Typical examples: a fee rate above your agreed rate, a refund deducted twice, a COD parcel marked delivered but missing from every remittance, or a payout that never arrived. Write these down with the order ID, AWB number or payout ID, and raise them with the channel.
What to read next
Set the tie-out up once, then learn how the three payment types differ in marketplace payout, gateway payout and COD remittance compared. For deeper method, see Shopify India GST reconciliation and COD versus prepaid settlement reconciliation. Settlement reconciliation across gateways and couriers is on the roadmap for Terra Insight’s payment gateway reconciliation work.
Content authored by practitioners with experience at Amazon India, Intuit QuickBooks, and the Tata Group. Meet the team →