Reconciling Platform Spend Against Bank Movements

A media plan earns trust when the numbers in the report match the numbers in the bank account. Reconciliation is unglamorous work, but it is the practice that separates a media function that is believed from one that is questioned every month.

Expect legitimate timing differences

Platforms record cost when an impression is served. Banks record money when a settlement is processed. The gap between the two can be several days, and for accounts billed by threshold it can be several weeks. List the timing rules in advance so that a difference is checked against a known cause rather than treated as an anomaly.

Separate media cost from service fees

Keep service fees on their own invoice line and their own report row. When fee and media cost are merged, the media efficiency of a campaign becomes impossible to read and every discussion about performance drifts into a discussion about agency cost.

Watch for currency movement

If media is bought in one currency and paid in another, the exchange rate at settlement affects the reported cost. Record the rate used for each period and apply it consistently, otherwise month-to-month comparisons carry a hidden adjustment.

Reconcile against three sources

Compare the platform cost report, the platform invoice and the payment record. When all three agree, the month is closed. When they do not, the invoice is usually the useful reference point because it is the document both parties have accepted.

Keep the working file

Retain the reconciliation spreadsheet with each month’s notes. Nine months later, when somebody asks why a particular month was higher, the answer should be in the file rather than in somebody’s memory.