Finix reconciliation works best when you connect the underlying records instead of comparing a sales total with an unexplained bank deposit.
A settlement represents a batch of payment activity destined for a merchant. It is not the same record as an individual customer purchase. Source: Finix Key Resources.
Your goal is to explain how orders became payments, how those payments and adjustments entered settlements, and how the resulting funding appeared at the bank.
Start with a consistent period
Choose the period you are reconciling and record the time basis used by each report.
A sales report may follow order creation, while a payment report follows processing. A settlement has its own grouping window, and the bank records posting activity.
These dates answer different questions. Do not force them into one daily total without first accounting for the timing difference.
Keep a list of items that belong to the business period but have not yet reached the expected later stage. Those items may be outstanding rather than missing.
Create a chain of references
Maintain the connection between:
| Business record | Payment record | Settlement record | Bank record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order or invoice reference | Transaction reference and amount | Batch reference and included activity | Deposit or debit reference and posting date |
This is a proposed working structure. Confirm which fields and exports are available in your actual setup.
A stable reference is more useful than matching on amount alone. Several customers can pay identical amounts, and one bank deposit can correspond to multiple transactions.
Where a match is uncertain, label it unresolved instead of assigning it to the first plausible entry.
Confirm how fees are funded
Finix describes net and gross payout configurations. Under net treatment, fees are deducted from the payout. Under gross treatment, deposits and fees are handled separately. Source: Finix payout types.
That difference changes what you should expect at the bank. A deposit equal to gross payment activity does not establish that processing was free; the associated fee movement may be separate.
Confirm the actual configuration before investigating an apparent discrepancy. Then use the same treatment consistently in your reconciliation.
A hypothetical settlement bridge
Assume an illustrative net settlement contains:
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Included customer payments | $12,000 |
| Included refunds | −$600 |
| Included fees | −$240 |
| Expected net amount | $11,160 |
The arithmetic is $12,000 − $600 − $240 = $11,160.
These figures are invented and assume no other adjustments. They are not a Finix statement or a claim that every settlement contains only these categories.
If the bank shows a different amount, compare the actual settlement entries. Look for omitted activity or a mismatched funding record before creating an unexplained accounting adjustment.
Classify discrepancies by cause
Useful working categories include timing, missing references, an omitted adjustment, fee treatment, and a failed or incomplete funding event.
For a timing item, record when it is expected to move forward and check it again. For a missing reference, repair the connection between records. For a fee question, compare the actual activity with the applicable schedule.
An unresolved funding event belongs with the payouts investigation. A changed customer payment may belong with the refund or ACH process.
This classification helps route the work to someone who can resolve it.
Avoid counting the same exception twice
A refund can appear in the order history, the payment record, and settlement activity. Those are linked representations of the same event, not automatically three separate expenses.
Similarly, a disputed payment needs to remain connected to its dispute case and associated adjustments. Track the actual entries and their relationship rather than entering a second deduction from memory.
Document manual accounting decisions so a later reviewer can understand why they were made.
Close the period with exceptions visible
A completed reconciliation should identify matched activity and a short list of remaining exceptions.
Give each exception an amount, explanation, owner, and next action. Preserve the supporting references so the following period can resolve it without starting over.
Do not make the spreadsheet balance by hiding an unexplained difference. A clearly recorded outstanding item is more useful than a forced total that obscures the transaction history.