Scope and source
Confirm the organization, workspace, bank or processor account, currency, date range, and current open-invoice cutoff. Record who prepared each source export and when.
Store source files privately with a documented retention period. Do not email sensitive exports broadly or upload them through an unauthenticated form.
- Correct client and workspace
- Posted payment period
- Open invoice as-of date
- Source accounts and currencies
- Named preparer and reviewer
Import validation
Preview column mappings and totals before processing. Investigate blank identifiers, invalid dates, malformed amounts, duplicate rows, repeated files, multiple worksheets, and currency conflicts.
Keep rejected rows visible with a specific recovery instruction. Never let an import silently discard records.
Match review
Confirm that every proposed match shows payment, invoice, amount, currency, date, payer, references, method, and reasons. Treat confidence as a routing label, not a guarantee.
Bulk approve only clearly identified high-confidence items under an explicit policy. Uncertain matches should never be approved merely to reduce the queue.
- Exact amount and reference evidence
- Combined invoice allocation
- Partial and remaining balances
- Overpayment and unapplied cash
- Ambiguity, duplicates, and currency mismatch
Exception resolution
Assign an owner and next action to every unresolved item. Preserve evidence for fee differences, deductions, customer credits, and write-offs. Contact the customer for remittance when combinations remain ambiguous.
Record corrections as new audit actions rather than editing history until the prior decision disappears.
Export and close
Export confirmed applications, unmatched payments, discrepancies, and the audit record as required. Compare control totals before and after the export and verify the destination accounting ledger.
Complete broader AR subledger, general ledger, bank, and cutoff reconciliations separately. Payment matching is one part of the close process.
Key takeaways
- Scope the right client, period, and currencies.
- Validate all rows before matching.
- Review visible evidence, not opaque confidence.
- Keep unresolved items owned and explicit.
- Tie exports and verify the accounting ledger.
This material is general educational information, not accounting, tax, legal, or investment advice. Verify financial records and consult the appropriate professional for decisions that require judgment.