How do I confirm the card reader sales on a vending route match the bank deposits?

Three documents should tell one story. The first is the report from each reader, showing what was sold. The second is the processor’s statement, showing what was collected and what fees were taken. The third is the bank statement, showing what actually landed. Ask for all three covering the same stretch.

Work through them by date. Deposits usually arrive a day or more after the sale, so expect small shifts. What you are looking for is a sale total that never turns up in the bank, or deposits that are larger than the reader reports. Either needs an explanation in writing.

Check refunds and chargebacks as well. Ask how often customers dispute a charge, and whether the seller tops up machines out of pocket in a way that hides a shortfall. Cash is harder. Machines that take coins and bills leave less of a trail, so ask how collections are counted, who counts them and where the counts are recorded. If the seller’s tax filings show different sales than the bank, ask your accountant to look at the gap. Consider asking for the processor to confirm the figures directly. Ask whether the readers have ever been replaced or changed processors, since that can break the trail.

Key takeaways

• Line up reader reports, processor statements and bank deposits by date.
• Treat unexplained gaps as questions for the seller, in writing.
• Cash collections need their own counting records.
• Ask the processor, with the seller’s permission, to confirm the totals directly.