How to read a settlement file before an audit
A practical walkthrough of the columns finance should understand before a financial audit of a payment gateway application begins.
Settlement files are the backbone of any financial audit of a payment gateway application. Yet many finance teams receive them as opaque CSVs forwarded from operations. Before auditors arrive, it helps to know which columns actually move money.
Start with the batch identity
Every file should identify a settlement batch, a value date, and the merchant or marketplace account. If those three disagree with your bank statement’s narrative, stop and resolve naming before sampling — otherwise every later match will be guesswork.
Follow the gross-to-net path
Look for gross capture, refunds, chargebacks, fees, and net deposit as separate fields. When a gateway only gives net, ask for the fee breakdown in a companion report. Auditors will reconstruct it anyway; giving it early shortens fieldwork.
Watch the clock
Authorization time, capture time, and settlement value date often span different calendar days — especially around Thai public holidays when processors pause batches. Note your cut-off policy in writing so sample exceptions are not mistaken for control failures.
Flag suspense early
If your ledger parks unmatched items in a suspense account, export that account for the same window as the settlement files. Unowned suspense is one of the most common findings in our Bangkok engagements.