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Why the dates differ
An authorization records the issuer’s approval and reservation of funds; it does not show that the merchant has received the money. Capture is a later instruction to collect the payment, and the processor’s subsequent booking, settlement, and payout records describe further steps. The bank posting date is the date the credit appears on the merchant’s bank statement.
These dates can fall on different days. A provider may also distinguish when capture was submitted from when it recorded the payment as captured. For example, GOV.UK Pay documents separate capture_submit_time and captured_date fields. Its documentation describes settlement data as indicating when an individual payment entered the bank account: GOV.UK Pay: Reconcile and report on payments.
Which date belongs in each field?
Use the payment provider’s definitions, not the label alone. Field names and date meanings vary by provider, account, and report.
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- Authorization date/time: When the issuer approved the payment request. It is evidence of authorization, not proof of receipt of funds.
- Capture submission time: When the merchant or service asked the processor to collect the payment. GOV.UK Pay uses
capture_submit_timefor this event. - Captured date: The provider’s recorded date for when the payment was taken. GOV.UK Pay exposes this separately as
captured_date. - Booking date: In Adyen’s balance-platform reporting, when the payment is booked to balance accounts.
- Value date or expected value date: When funds become available, or are expected to become available, under the provider’s reporting. Adyen notes that this is usually later than the booking date.
- Settlement date: A provider-defined settlement field used to identify settlement timing. GOV.UK Pay exposes
settled_dateand supports searching by it. - Bank posting date: The date the credit actually appears on the merchant’s bank statement. Use the bank record to verify it.
Adyen’s Settlement Details Report is based on transaction booking date in the merchant-account timezone. A report period or configured timezone can therefore affect which transactions appear in a date range. Check the report’s date basis and timezone before comparing it with another system. See Adyen’s Settlement Details Report documentation and its balance-platform settlement information.
Reconcile a payment from authorization to bank deposit
Keep a transaction-level schedule with one row per payment or relevant payment event. Include the provider payment reference, merchant reference where available, amount and currency, authorization date, capture submission and capture dates when reported, processor booking or settlement date, batch or payout reference, fees and adjustments, net amount, and bank posting date. Providers use different field names; GOV.UK Pay describes payment data, capture fields, settlement dates, and references that can be used for finance or accounting systems, while Adyen documents transaction references and settlement reports.
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- Match the payment to its capture. Use a stable provider or payment reference, then verify the amount and currency. Keep authorization and capture dates in separate columns rather than replacing the original date.
- Match the capture to processor settlement detail. Find the transaction in the processor’s transaction or settlement report. Use the report’s documented date basis; a search on authorization date may not find a payment captured or booked later.
- Match the settlement batch to the bank credit. Compare the batch or payout’s net payable amount with the bank deposit. Account for fees, refunds, reversals, disputes, and adjustments as shown in the provider report, and retain the batch or payout reference.
- Log and investigate exceptions. For an unmatched item, check the provider reference, batch identifier, report date basis, timezone, and cutoff effects. Consider late or partial captures, refunds, reversals, disputes, and failed payouts. Keep genuine timing differences outstanding until the later processor or bank record arrives.
GOV.UK Pay documents CSV downloads, payment search, and filtering by settled_date for reconciliation. Adyen documents transaction and balance reconciliation through reports. The specific reports and available fields depend on the provider and account.
What to do when the dates cross a period end
Preserve the operational event trail when authorization occurs in one accounting period and capture or settlement occurs in another. Link the later capture and deposit to the original payment reference, and retain the processor records supporting the match.
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There is no universal accounting rule in the provider reporting that makes authorization, capture, or settlement date the revenue-recognition date for every business. The appropriate accounting period depends on the entity’s accounting framework, policy, and facts. Treat reconciliation dates as evidence of payment events, not as a substitute for the applicable accounting judgment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check an expected payout date
Do not apply one processor’s cutoff or payout schedule to another merchant. Treasury’s federal Card Acquiring Service describes its own next-day availability and cutoff; GOV.UK Pay says receipt timing depends on the provider and directs users to settlement reporting. For a particular payment, consult the merchant’s provider documentation and compare the settlement record with the bank statement. A provider settlement or value date is not necessarily the day the bank posts the funds.
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How to reduce future unmatched items
- Preserve a stable provider transaction reference and, where available, a merchant-side reference through each stage.
- Store authorization, capture submission, captured, booking, settlement or value, and bank posting dates as distinct fields when the systems supply them.
- Save the report’s date basis, account timezone, batch or payout identifier, and report period alongside exported settlement detail.
- Review processor documentation for transaction-level identifiers, separate lifecycle dates, report filters and retention, and references that connect a batch to a bank credit.
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