Less than the invoice arrived: reconciling bank fees and payment

The Sent Amount May Differ from the Credited Amount

The buyer sent a transfer confirmation, but less than the invoice amount was credited to the account.
Before considering this a commercial underpayment, separate the payment instruction amount, bank deductions, conversion, and actual crediting.

In international transfers, there are options for expense allocation: OUR, SHA, and BEN.
Their presence and effect should be clarified with the servicing bank for a specific channel.
The choice of designation itself does not constitute a promise to process the payment via any route or to credit the exact amount without additional conditions.

Agree on Expenses Along with Payment Terms

Record what amount and in what currency the seller should receive, who bears the agreed-upon fees, and how the parties will address any discrepancies.
Separately, request from the bank the available transfer options, tariffs, and the procedure for obtaining confirmations.

The sender’s bank, intermediary, and recipient’s bank may participate in the calculation differently.
Do not deduce the source of the deduction solely from the difference between two numbers.
For conversion, you will need the currency and the rate of the actual transaction.
These data should not be mixed with a commercial discount to the buyer.

Settlement terms and route availability are checked for the parties and the transaction date; this article does not suggest bypassing restrictions.

Educational Reconciliation of the Receipt

All numbers are hypothetical, one currency, no conversion.
According to the invoice, 10,000 units are expected; the buyer ordered a transfer of 10,000; the actual crediting is 9,970.
The difference of 30 does not yet explain its cause.

If the bank confirmed the deduction, decide separately under the contract who bears it.
If there is no confirmation, the cause remains unknown.
You cannot simultaneously write off the difference as a fee and claim it as underpayment without an agreed decision.

Do Not Close Accounts Receivable Automatically

The finance officer links the receipt to the invoice and bank documents.
The coordinator requests missing confirmations from the buyer.
The authorized manager resolves the issue of commercial settlement within the contract limits.

Keep the balance separate until the cause is clarified and an accounting decision is agreed upon.
Return, re-sending, and correction of the order are different situations with their own conditions and costs.
Do not propose a new payment until the status of the previous one is verified.

Make a Clear Record as a Result

The settlement card should show the expected amount, executed payment instruction, crediting, confirmed deductions, and open balance.
Save the verification date and the person responsible for the next step.

Link the record to the overdue accounts receivable register.
Separating the banking issue from the buyer’s obligation helps discuss the cause of the discrepancy substantively, without prematurely promising full settlement.