How do you read a Stripe or Shopify settlement report?
Last reviewed 2026-07-01
A settlement report breaks a payout into its parts: gross charges, refunds, disputes, processing fees, adjustments, and reserves, netting to the amount deposited. To read it for errors, check the fee rate, confirm refunds reversed their fees, and match the net to the deposit that actually landed.
- A payout is gross charges minus refunds, disputes, fees, and reserves.
- Check the effective fee rate against your contracted rate card.
- Every refund should also reverse the original processing fee.
- The report's net should equal the deposit in your bank; if not, investigate.
What the report contains
Gross volume for the period, refunds, disputes and chargebacks, processing fees, any adjustments, reserves or holds withheld, and the net payout. Each line moves the payout up or down from gross to net.
Reading it for errors
Recompute the effective fee rate and compare it to your rate card, verify that each refund reversed its original fee, confirm disputes you won were credited back, and check that reserves were released on schedule.
Matching to your bank
The report's net payout should equal the deposit that landed in your account. A gap means a short or missing payout to chase, which is the error totals-only bookkeeping never catches.
Common questions
What is a reserve or hold?
A portion of your funds the processor withholds against risk, meant to be released later. Reserves that are never released are recoverable.
Why check fees line by line?
Effective fee rates drift above the contracted rate through mix changes, cross-border fees, and errors. Comparing the report's fees to your rate card catches it.
Does this apply to Amazon settlements too?
Yes. Amazon settlement reports have the same structure: gross, fees, refunds, reserves, and a net disbursement to reconcile against your bank.
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