Reconcile prepaid airtime purchases at month-end

Start your month-end close with the order export, wallet or funding history, and the supplier invoice or statement. The export shows what happened to each order. The wallet shows where the money moved, and the invoice or statement shows what the supplier billed. When totals differ, trace the original reference before posting an adjustment.

Three-way match

Record Match fields What it helps confirm
Funding record Date, amount, bank or wallet reference Funds sent and balance movements
Order export Internal and supplier references, value, status Transactions and their outcomes
Invoice or statement Period, charges, credits and closing balance Supplier’s financial record

By Freepaid · Published

Set the period and gather source records

Define the month-end cutoff and time zone used by your finance process. Export the supplier report for the full period and retain its generation date. Gather approved funding requests, payment confirmations, opening balance, invoice, credit notes and unresolved support cases. Keep source files unchanged and store working copies in the approved finance location.

Check that all files cover the same account and currency. If the supplier’s statement period differs from your accounting month, list the cutoff difference as a reconciling item rather than forcing unlike periods together. Confirm that downloaded reports are complete and that filters have not hidden pending or reversed records.

Match activity in a fixed order

  1. Reconcile opening balance plus funding to reported available balance, allowing only for documented activity.
  2. Match each order by internal reference, supplier reference, date, product, value and final status.
  3. Match supplier charges, discounts, fees, credits and reversals to the invoice or statement.
  4. List transactions spanning the cutoff separately, with their current status and next review date.
  5. Compare the resulting movement with the closing balance and investigate any difference.

If an order is submitted just before midnight and confirmed in the next reporting period, record both timestamps. Check when the supplier posted the actual debit. Carry an unmatched item at the cut-off if the evidence is incomplete, then clear it once against the next statement. This keeps the same order from appearing as completed in two closes.

Work through the order, debit and balance

Use the internal record to find the request, then check the supplier's result and look for the corresponding wallet debit or invoice line. If the records disagree, carry the same references into the exception register with the reason, the person responsible and the next check date.

Evidence Key fields Match action
Internal order export Internal reference, approval, value, time and status Establish what the business intended to send
Supplier order export Supplier reference, original internal reference where available, product and final status Match each confirmed order and record the difference for any other status
Wallet or invoice Opening and closing balances, debits, fees, credits and dates Check the value posted and reconcile the balance
Exception register Reference, unmatched amount, evidence missing, owner and next check Carry only unresolved items into the next period

Say the wallet opened at R2,000 and you added R8,000. That gives R10,000 to start from. Take off R7,650 in order debits and a R50 fee, then add a R100 credit. The expected close is R2,400. If the supplier reports R2,350, look for the R50 difference in the detailed movements. Keep the evidence for any missing fee, timing difference or other cause you find.

Keep face value separate from the amount debited. Reconcile against the actual charge and account for fees and credits on the basis shown by the supplier. Investigate timing differences against the next statement using original references so finance can clear them once and retain the trail.

Trace an open item across two reporting dates

Suppose a R50 order is approved on Friday and its response is lost. The first day's internal register has the approval and the original purchase reference. The supplier statement already includes a R50 debit, but the fulfilment status remains unclear. Record the debit once and keep the order on the exception register. When the supplier confirms delivery the next day, update the original order and close the exception. Keep the original posting date on the debit. A second charge would require its own evidence.

Keep separate evidence for the approval, the debit and the delivery. They can land on different days. If you dispute the debit, ask the supplier to explain or correct it before you post a credit.

Keep exceptions visible

Create an exception log with amount, references, issue, evidence, owner, supplier case number and next review date. Do not clear an unmatched transaction by netting it against another order with a similar value. A missing reference may require a report correction or supplier explanation. Preserve the original record and attach the eventual resolution.

If an order is pending, query the original reference and do not resubmit it simply to make the ledger balance. A month-end close can include a documented outstanding item with an owner and treatment approved by finance.

Who signs off the close

Have the person who prepares the reconciliation show how they got to the closing balance. An authorised reviewer should check material differences and approve adjustments. File the signed reconciliation with the source records and a list of open cases. If the same cause keeps coming up, fix it with the team that owns the export, timing or fee line.

If you use SIMcloud for direct recharge, check which export fields your account includes. If you buy wholesale, confirm the available reports for your bulk airtime account.

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