Why your Amazon payout
doesn't match your sales.

Sales, settlement and deposit measure different things

Sales views in Seller Central usually show what customers ordered. The settlement report shows how Amazon calculated one disbursement: the credits, debits and holds within a settlement period. The bank deposit is what arrived in your account, often a few business days after Amazon initiates the transfer. All three can be correct and still differ.

• Sales viewWhat customers ordered
• Settlement reportWhat Amazon calculated for one period
• Holds, when they applyAmounts reserved or deferred for later
• Bank depositWhat was transferred

These are separate views, not steps every dollar passes through. Only some amounts are held, and a settlement pays out only funds already released. A gap between these views is a reason to look closer. On its own, it is not evidence of an error or of money owed.

Seven reasons your payout is lower than your sales

Most differences come from a small number of mechanisms. Several can apply to the same payout.

1. 01

   Selling fees are deducted first

   Referral fees and, for FBA, fulfillment and storage fees come out of your proceeds before anything is disbursed. Your selling plan subscription and, where it is billed to your seller balance, advertising can also appear as deductions.

2. 02

   Refunds reverse the sale, not every fee

   When you fully refund a non-media item, Amazon credits back the referral fee minus a refund administration fee: 20% of the referral fee, capped at $5.00 per item line. Full refunds of books, music, video and DVD products generally carry no administration fee, and partial refunds follow different rules. Check FBA fulfillment-fee and reimbursement entries separately rather than assuming every fee was reversed.

3. 03

   Funds are held until after delivery

   Under Amazon's delivery-date-based reserve, often called DD+7, order funds are typically held until seven days after delivery. Check your account's reserve policy and release dates in Seller Central. The period can be extended for some accounts, and the estimated delivery date is used when valid tracking is missing. Depending on your account and how Amazon is reporting it, held amounts may show as individual deferred transactions or as a lump sum under Account Level Reserve.

4. 04

   Settlement periods don't follow your calendar

   Amazon generally settles seller accounts every two weeks, and only funds released before a settlement closes are included in that payout. A sale near the end of one period, or funds released from a reserve, can land in a later settlement. A monthly sales total rarely matches the deposits received in that month.

5. 05

   Reserves and holds carry forward

   An Account Level Reserve can hold back funds to cover refunds, A-to-z Guarantee claims or chargebacks, and several reserve reasons can apply at once. A reserved amount becomes the beginning balance of the next settlement, which can make one payout lower and the next one higher.

6. 06

   Marketplace tax passes through

   In states with marketplace facilitator laws, Amazon collects sales tax from the customer and withholds it in the settlement. The collected and withheld amounts typically net to zero, but a tax-inclusive sales figure will look higher than your payout.

7. 07

   Reimbursements and adjustments arrive separately

   Reimbursement credits, fee corrections and other adjustments are recorded when Amazon posts them, which may be in a later settlement than the order they relate to. A negative balance from an earlier period can also be netted against a new one.

How to check one Amazon payout

Work on one disbursement at a time. Mixing settlement periods makes a manual reconciliation much harder to balance.

1. 01

   Choose one settlement

   Download the settlement report for a single disbursement from the Payments area of Seller Central. Note its settlement ID, period dates and reported total.

2. 02

   Group credits and debits

   Total sales, refunds, each fee type, reimbursements, tax lines and other adjustments separately.

3. 03

   Account for what was carried in and out

   Find the beginning balance carried over from the previous settlement, any amount reserved from this one, and any amounts listed as deferred.

4. 04

   Match the transfer, not the calendar

   The settlement's net total is the amount Amazon initiated, not necessarily what reached your bank that day. Amazon says funds can take up to five business days to appear after a transfer is initiated, so match by amount and transfer date rather than by settlement end date. On-demand or faster payout options change the timing, and a zero or negative balance may mean no transfer at all.

5. 05

   Write down what remains open

   For each unexplained amount, record the value, date and transaction reference. That list is the starting point for any question to Amazon or to an adviser.

In ORSAVA's synthetic example, an initial calculation of $900.00 is $37.40 higher than the recorded payout of $862.60 until an omitted adjustment is included. Educational example only, not a client result.

When a difference deserves a closer look

Some differences resolve once reserves and timing are accounted for. Others need evidence. Consider a closer review when:

1. 01

   The gap persists

   It remains after beginning balances, reserves, deferred amounts and transfer timing are included.

2. 02

   Fees look inconsistent

   Fee amounts vary for the same product without an obvious reason.

3. 03

   A refund doesn't connect

   A refund appears without matching order or return activity.

4. 04

   An expected credit is missing

   A reimbursement or correction you were told about cannot be found in any settlement.

A difference is a reason to investigate, not proof that Amazon owes you money.

Need one payout explained?

ORSAVA is an early-stage, founder-led service for independent US sellers on Amazon.com. We review one settlement question against the source records and document what reconciles and what remains open in a written findings memo.

We do not file Amazon claims, promise recovered funds or provide accounting, tax or legal services. Our process has been tested on synthetic data only.

Common questions

1. 01

   Should my Amazon payout equal my sales?

   Rarely. Fees, refunds, tax, reserves and timing all sit between what customers ordered and what is transferred to you.

2. 02

   What does “deferred” mean in Seller Central?

   Deferred transactions are amounts Amazon is holding before they become available, most often under the delivery-date-based reserve or while invoiced Amazon Business orders await payment. Seller Central lists a deferral reason and an expected release date for each. During Amazon's 2026 rollout, some accounts may see these amounts grouped under Account Level Reserve instead.

3. 03

   Which report should I start with?

   The settlement report for the payout in question. It shows how Amazon calculated that disbursement. Transaction-level and date-range reports help explain individual entries.

Sources

Amazon policies and Seller Central screens change. Checked in October 2026; confirm current terms in your own account.

1. 01

   How Amazon seller payments work

   Amazon, Sell on Amazon. Two-week settlement cycle, reserved amounts carried into the next settlement, and up to five business days for a transfer to appear.

2. 02

   Amazon staff explanation of DD+7 reserve display (2026)

   Amazon Seller Forums. See the Manny_Amazon staff reply about DD+7 amounts appearing under Account Level Reserve during rollout.

3. 03

   Deferred transactions

   Seller Central Help (sign-in required). Deferral reasons, expected release dates, and which transactions are included in a settlement.

4. 04

   Refund credits and administration fees

   Seller Central Help (may require sign-in). Fee rules for full and partial refunds, media and non-media items.

5. 05

   Account level reserve

   Seller Central Help (may require sign-in). Reasons Amazon holds funds in reserve.

6. 06

   Payment Date Range Transaction and Summary reports

   Seller Central Help (may require sign-in). Marketplace withheld tax and payment-report fields.

7. 07

   Payments based on delivery date

   Seller Central Help (sign-in required). Delivery-date reserves and account-specific release terms.