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Why doesn't my Stripe payout match my bank deposit?
Your Stripe payout is net of fees, refunds and disputes, and can span several days. Here is why the deposit differs from your sales and how to reconcile it.
Published
Short answer: a Stripe payout is a net number. Stripe adds up the charges in that payout, subtracts its fees, refunds, disputes and any adjustments, and sends what is left. It can also include charges from more than one day. So the bank deposit almost never equals your sales figure for a day. To reconcile it, break the payout into its parts (gross charges, fees, refunds, other) and book those parts through a Stripe clearing account.
The usual reasons the numbers differ
- Fees are taken out before the payout. Your bank sees the net amount; your sales report shows gross.
- Refunds and disputes reduce the payout. A refund for an old sale can be deducted from today's payout.
- Timing. A payout usually covers charges from earlier days, and Stripe reports may use a different time zone than your bank or your ledger. Sales near midnight or month-end often fall in the "wrong" period.
- Double counting. If your invoices, POS or a connector already post the sale, and you also book the deposit as income, the sale is counted twice.
- Other balance items. Adjustments, reserves, currency conversion or instant-payout fees can also change the amount.
Worked example (illustrative numbers only)
Example: one payout contains three charges and one refund. The fee figures are made up for the example; your real fees are in the Stripe export.
| Row | Gross | Fee | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charge A | 100.00 | −3.20 | 96.80 |
| Charge B | 50.00 | −1.75 | 48.25 |
| Charge C | 25.00 | −1.03 | 23.97 |
| Refund of an earlier sale | −20.00 | 0.00 | −20.00 |
| Payout to bank | 149.02 |
Sales were 175.00, but the bank received 149.02. The 25.98 gap is 5.98 of fees plus the 20.00 refund. Booked through clearing: Dr Clearing 175.00 / Cr Sales 175.00; Dr Fees 5.98 / Cr Clearing 5.98; Dr Refunds 20.00 / Cr Clearing 20.00; Dr Bank 149.02 / Cr Clearing 149.02. Clearing ends at zero.
How to reconcile it, step by step
- In Stripe, export the itemized balance transactions (or the payout reconciliation report) for the payout or period.
- Filter the rows by payout ID so you only see what is inside the deposit you are matching.
- Total gross, fee and net per category (charge, refund, dispute, other). The net total should equal the bank deposit.
- Book each category through a Stripe clearing account, not straight to income. See how to record Stripe fees in a journal entry.
- Match the bank deposit to the payout line (Dr Bank / Cr Clearing). If clearing does not return to zero, look for timing cutoffs or rows you skipped.
The full method is in the main guide: How to reconcile Stripe payouts into a bookkeeping journal.
Doing it faster: StripeClear Journal
StripeClear Journal is a single offline HTML file ($8 one-time). Drop in your Stripe balance transactions CSV and it builds one balanced QuickBooks Online journal per day, with a payout summary and an audit file. It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded. It is a reconciliation helper, not accounting advice. Want to look at your data first? Try the free Stripe Payout Check.
Related guides
FAQ
Why is my Stripe payout less than my sales?
Stripe deducts its processing fees, plus any refunds, disputes and adjustments, before it pays out. The payout is the net amount.
Why does one payout include sales from several days?
Payouts follow a payout schedule, so one deposit can contain charges from more than one day. Filter your export by payout ID to see exactly which rows are in it.
Should I record the bank deposit as income?
Not directly. Record gross sales as income, fees as an expense and refunds separately, all through a clearing account. Then the deposit only moves money from clearing to the bank. If your invoices or POS already record the sale, do not book it again from the deposit.
Can I check a payout without software?
Yes. The free Stripe Payout Check on this site reads a balance CSV in your browser and shows per-category totals and whether gross minus fee equals net for every row. Nothing is uploaded.
Check your own export for free
Drop a Stripe balance CSV into the free Stripe Payout Check to see per-category totals and whether every row ties out (gross − fee = net). It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.