Settlements Guide
Understanding Accrue Pay's Settlement and Reconciliation Process
What is a Settlement?
A settlement is a financial process that batches multiple transactions (payments and refunds) into consolidated transfers. This guide explains how settlements work with Accrue Pay and how they affect your business operations.
Settlements are applicable to Accrue Pay integrations using Pay by Wallet Payments API. Settlements are NOT applicable to Tap to Pay and ACH with Pay by Wallet.
Settlement Options
Accrue Pay offers two settlement approaches:
-
Net Settlement:
- Multiple transactions can be netted out so that only the net amount is transferred between banks, reducing the number of individual fund movements
- Payment transactions are batched into a single credit to your merchant account
- Refund transactions are batched into a single debit from your merchant account
-
Gross Settlement:
- Each payment or refund is processed individually in real-time against your merchant bank account. This option is not recommended for high-volume retail payments.
Settlement Triggers
Configure when settlements are initiated based on your cash flow needs:
| Trigger | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled | Settlements run automatically on a fixed cadence — daily, weekly, or custom schedule. | Predictable cash flow with consistent transaction volume. |
| On-Demand | Trigger a settlement manually via API or dashboard whenever you need funds transferred. | Businesses that need control over exact timing of payouts. |
| Threshold-Based | A settlement is automatically triggered when the unsettled balance reaches a configured dollar amount. | High-volume merchants who want frequent payouts without manual intervention. |
All three triggers work with both net and gross settlement. They can also be combined — for example, run scheduled daily settlements with a threshold trigger as a safety net for high-volume days.
Understanding Settlement Periods
The settlement period is the time between when a customer payment is captured (or a refund is initiated) and when those funds reach the final destination account. This timeline is critical for effective cash flow management.
Accrue supports these settlement methods:
| Method | Settlement Period | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Standard ACH | 3-7 business days | All banks |
| Same Day ACH | 24 hours | All banks |
| Real-Time Payments (RTP) | Immediate | Coming Q4 2025 (bank support varies) |
Note: Accrue includes a holding period before settlement to protect against fraud and identity theft.
How the Settlement Process Works
This section applies only to Standard and Same Day ACH. RTP uses instant settlements.
When a settlement is generated:
For Payments:
- Only cleared payments are included in the settlement
- All cleared payments are combined into a single credit transfer to your merchant account
- Pending payments are excluded
For Refunds:
- Only initiated refunds are included in the settlement
- All initiated refunds are combined into a single debit transfer from your merchant account
- After this transfer, funds are distributed to each customer's account
Accrue recommends daily settlements but can support more frequent reconciliation based on your needs.
Handling Failed Transactions
| Transaction Type | Action if Failed |
|---|---|
| Customer payment (debit) | Not included in settlement, not retried. Customer must initiate a new payment. |
| Merchant refund (debit) | Automatically retried |
| Customer refund (credit) | Resolved by Accrue |
| Merchant payment (credit) | Resolved by Accrue |
Settlement Reports
Settlement reports are available in CSV format and include:
- Summary Information for the entire settlement
- Individual transaction details for each payment or refund
Sample Settlement Report
settlementId,captureCount,captureTotal,captureFeeTotal,creditTotal,refundCount,refundTotal,refundFeeTotal,debitTotal,type,paymentId,paymentIntentId,refundId,userId,amount,settledAmount,feeAmount
d384b7ef-744d-446f-acfe-f3fde2dfbf46,2,1100,206,894,0,0,0,0,Payment,dfcfab0c-b600-40cf-ba44-9e2c3886b048,1af34308-b87e-42ea-8863-cd2ca5ab81e0,,4f7c9c1d-c92d-4979-90e9-6058460db99a,700,596,104
d384b7ef-744d-446f-acfe-f3fde2dfbf46,2,1100,206,894,0,0,0,0,Payment,0d940119-a839-49b4-bef5-cd49368de613,2885d9ee-5508-4e51-9153-9c4b686eca73,,606eec0e-e0f5-4f64-b277-1f9b54f7d195,400,298,102
Report Field Definitions
Settlement Summary Fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
settlementId | Unique identifier for the settlement |
captureCount | Number of payment transactions in this settlement |
captureTotal | Total amount (in cents) of all payments |
captureFeeTotal | Total fees (in cents) for all payments |
creditTotal | Net amount (in cents) sent to your merchant account |
refundCount | Number of refund transactions in this settlement |
refundTotal | Total amount (in cents) of all refunds |
refundFeeTotal | Total fees (in cents) for all refunds |
debitTotal | Total amount (in cents) withdrawn from your merchant account for refunds |
Individual Transaction Fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
type | Transaction type (Payment or Refund) |
paymentId | Unique identifier for the payment |
paymentIntentId | Identifier for the payment intent |
refundId | Unique identifier for the refund (if applicable) |
userId | Identifier for the customer |
amount | Gross amount (in cents) of the transaction |
feeAmount | Fee amount (in cents) for this transaction |
settledAmount | Net amount (in cents) after fees |
Accounting System Integration
Accrue settlement reports are designed to integrate with standard accounting and reconciliation systems. For merchants with specific reconciliation requirements, Accrue's API allows for custom integration with your existing financial systems.
Optimizing your settlement process can significantly improve cash flow and financial operations. Contact your Accrue representative to customize settlement options for your business needs.