Start with three questions
A merchant processing statement should help you answer: What did we process? What did it cost? What reached our bank? Those are related figures, but they are not interchangeable. Refunds, disputed payments, reserves and timing differences can change your deposit without being processing fees.
Work through the statement in that order. First confirm the sales period and account. Then identify each cost. Finally reconcile the funding records with the bank. An unfamiliar line item is a reason to ask for an explanation—not, by itself, proof of an incorrect charge.
Gather the records for the same period
- The complete merchant statement, including fee detail, funding pages and notices.
- Your signed pricing schedule and any subsequent changes.
- Sales, refund and batch reports from your checkout, gateway or point-of-sale system.
- The bank activity receiving your payouts, plus any separate processor debits.
- Reserve and dispute reports if those amounts appear in your account.
Check whether a report uses transaction date, settlement date or deposit date. A sale near month-end can appear in one period’s sales report and a later bank deposit. Record that timing difference rather than forcing the totals to match.
Layouts also differ. For example, Chase directs its merchants to funding and fee sections when explaining why sales and deposits differ. Its guide applies to those Chase account types; use your own provider’s statement guide for the exact labels. Chase’s statement support ↗
A fictional statement, annotated
| Statement item | Amount | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Gross card sales | +$50,000 | Match the 1,000 captured sales to the relevant batch reports. |
| Customer refunds | −$1,000 | Match the refunded purchase amounts to refund records. These amounts are not fees. |
| Disputed sale amount | −$250 | Find the associated dispute and status. Keep this separate from the dispute fee below. |
| New reserve withholding | −$1,500 | Check the written reserve terms and reserve ledger; this is not included in processing fees. |
| Release of an earlier reserve | +$500 | Match it to the reserve report. This is previously held money, not new sales. |
| Fees listed in Example B | −$1,250 | This example deducts all fees from funding. Your provider may debit some separately. |
| Resulting funding total | $46,500 | Match the payout records to bank deposits, allowing for the actual bank posting dates. |
The arithmetic: $50,000 − $1,000 − $250 − $1,500 + $500 − $1,250 = $46,500. The $3,500 difference between sales and funding is not a $3,500 processing charge.
If your fees are debited separately, reconcile those bank debits separately from the payouts. If a payout is already net of fees, do not subtract those fees again. Follow your provider’s actual funding method. For a closer look at reserve withholding and releases, see our rolling-reserves guide.
Read the fee detail one line at a time
Identify whether a line is a percentage of eligible volume, a charge per eligible item, a fixed charge or an adjustment. Ask what the provider means by an “item”: the count used for a fee may differ from the number of completed sales.
Interchange is not the entire price of accepting a payment. Visa describes interchange as a transfer between acquiring and issuing banks; the merchant’s negotiated processing price can include other services and costs. A pricing label alone does not tell you your total bill. Visa’s explanation of fees ↗
| Illustrative line item | Calculation or amount | Review note |
|---|---|---|
| Interchange-related charges | $820.00 | An invented total for this example’s card mix, not a published card-network rate. |
| Network-related charges | $80.00 | Request the underlying categories if the summary is unclear. |
| Processor percentage charge | $50,000 × 0.30% = $150.00 | Confirm both the percentage and the volume to which it applies. |
| Processor item charge | 1,000 × $0.10 = $100.00 | For this fictional example only, the eligible items are its 1,000 sales. |
| Gateway fee | $25.00 | Check whether it is billed here or by a separate gateway provider. |
| Monthly account fee | $25.00 | Compare with the agreed monthly charge. |
| Dispute handling fee | $20.00 | A fee, distinct from the $250 disputed sale in Example A. |
| Annual fee charged this month | $30.00 | Include it in this month’s actual cost; identify its annual frequency when comparing periods. |
| Total | $1,250.00 | The sum of all eight fee lines. |
This example deliberately separates the components. A flat-rate or tiered statement may bundle some of them. Do not add an assumed interchange amount on top of a bundled rate unless the agreement actually charges it separately. Ask the provider to identify what is included.
Calculate an effective rate—with a defined scope
For the example above, define the metric as all listed processing fees ÷ gross card sales × 100. That gives $1,250 ÷ $50,000 × 100 = 2.50%. We have excluded refunded purchase amounts, disputed principal and reserves from the fee numerator.
The 0.30% processor charge is only one part of the fictional bill. Comparing it directly with the 2.50% effective rate would compare a component with the total.
Use the same scope when comparing months or quotes. Note whether separate gateway, equipment or software bills are included. Keep the original actual-cost figure visible if you also calculate an adjusted comparison: removing the example’s $30 annual fee and $20 dispute fee gives $1,200 ÷ $50,000 = 2.40%, but it does not change the $1,250 actually charged.
A higher effective rate can reflect a different transaction mix, ticket size, sales volume or additional fees. It does not automatically prove a rate increase. The useful next question is which component changed.
Your monthly review checklist
- Identify the account and period. Keep each merchant account’s records separate before producing any combined business total.
- Reconcile sales and refunds. Match the report date basis and record unresolved timing differences.
- Trace the funding. Account for fees, disputes, reserves, releases and separate bank debits without counting anything twice.
- Check fee calculations. Verify the eligible volume or item count, rate and fixed charges against the written schedule.
- Read notices. Note announced changes, their effective dates and where to find the applicable terms.
- Compare consistently. Use the same effective-rate definition and identify one-off charges.
- Keep an exception list. Save the provider’s explanation or correction beside each questioned line item.
Turn a confusing charge into a specific question
A useful message identifies the statement month, line-item label, amount and calculation you expected. For example: “The item fee uses 1,080 items, but my sales report has 1,000 sales. Which additional events are included, and where can I find that count?”
Also ask which fees were deducted from funding, which were debited separately, and whether another provider bills for the gateway or equipment. If you are comparing offers, share the same business profile and sales mix with each provider rather than comparing headline percentages.
Keep account numbers and sensitive documents out of a general contact message. Start with the question and request the team’s approved document-sharing process. Do not send full card numbers through ordinary email or website forms; PCI SSC explains the protections required for transmitting payment data. PCI SSC guidance ↗
If a change of provider becomes the next step, use our processor-switching checklist before planning the move.
Sources & scope
Source links checked September 17, 2026. The statement and calculations are original fictional teaching examples prepared for this guide. Provider examples explain specific services; they do not establish NUMUS pricing or your account’s terms.
- Chase Payment Solutions: statement and fee support ↗
- Visa: interchange, rates, fees and rules ↗
- PCI SSC FAQ 1085: sending card numbers through messaging channels ↗
Your agreement and provider records determine the actual charges and funding arrangements. Read our editorial approach.
Put your processing questions in context.
Tell NUMUS what you sell, how you accept payments and what you want to understand about your current setup. Start with a business overview; the team can explain the next steps.
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