Payments vs. Sales Summary Reports

The Payments and Sales Summary reports may seem similar, but they process information a little differently.

The Payments report is used to track when payments were taken for orders, whereas the Sales Summary report tracks the total value of orders once they have been closed. Orders are considered closed once the final payment has been taken.

Let's say that you have a $100 order placed on January 1st and take a $50 deposit, with the remaining $50 to be taken the following day. This order would show up in the Payments report as two separate $50 payments on both January 1st and 2nd, but would only show up in the Sales Summary report as a $100 total on January 2nd, as that's the day the final payment was made and the order was closed.

This can lead to discrepancies between the two, as there are sometimes situations where you would take a payment but not close an order. Common causes of discrepancies include deposits, partial payments, and refunds.