Why doesn't my rent payout match what hit my bank account?

Why the numbers differ

When a tenant pays through a platform, the platform collects the money and pays you out on its own schedule. The tenant sees one payment, the platform's report shows several payments and a fee, and your bank shows one deposit. Four things commonly separate those numbers.

• Batching: several tenants' payments arrive as one deposit.
• Fees: the platform keeps a charge for each payment or each payout, so the deposit is smaller than the rent.
• Timing: payments made on the 1st can post to your bank on the 3rd or 4th, and a payout can straddle two months.
• Holds and reversals: a returned payment or a held amount changes the batch after the tenant thought they had paid.

Tie the payout to its payments

1. Download the payout report from the platform. It should list each payment, the fee and the net amount.
2. Find the matching deposit on your bank statement by amount and date.
3. Mark each payment on the rent roll as paid, dated by when the tenant paid (or by your accounting method's rule).
4. Record the fee as an expense, such as merchant or payment processing fees.
5. Confirm gross rent minus fees equals the bank deposit.

Example a made-up payout lists four tenant payments of $1,200, $1,350, $900 and $1,500, which is $4,950 of gross rent. The platform's fees are $37. The deposit is $4,950 - $37 = $4,913. In the books, income is $4,950, fees are $37 and the bank line is $4,913. If your bank shows $4,913 you are done.

Booking only the $4,913 as income is a common mistake. It understates income and hides the fee, and the tenants' ledgers will not match what they paid.

Handling timing across month-end

If tenants paid on the 30th and the deposit lands on the 2nd, your October rent is received but your October bank statement does not show it. On a cash basis the deposit's date matters for income; on an accrual basis the rent is income when it is due. Pick the method your preparer uses, as covered in cash vs accrual for rental property, and use it every month.

For reconciliation, list the amount as an outstanding item: money the platform owes you that has not reached the bank by month-end. Next month it clears and the item disappears.

When the numbers never tie

• A payment was returned after the payout. Find the reversal on the platform report and on the bank statement.
• A fee was taken on a different day from the payout. Search the platform's statements for fee-only lines.
• A deposit was split between two accounts. Check the platform's payout settings for each LLC.
• A tenant paid twice. Record the second payment as a credit or refund it.

Do not plug the difference into a miscellaneous account. A difference means a missing fact, and it is cheaper to find it this month than at tax time.

How DoorKeeping handles it

Tenants pay your own bank account, not DoorKeeping, so there is no DoorKeeping payout to reconcile. If you also use a processor you chose yourself, DoorKeeping reads the resulting bank deposits through your bank feed and asks for your one-tap confirmation when a deposit does not match one rent charge. DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month with $0 in other fees.

Sources

1. IRS Publication 527, Residential Rental Property (rental income), read Oct 30, 2026
2. IRS Publication 535, Business Expenses, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Should I record rent at the gross or net amount?

Record rent at the gross amount the tenant paid and record the fee as an expense. That way income matches the tenant ledger and the fee is deductible and visible.

Where do I put payment processing fees?

Most owners use an expense account such as merchant or payment processing fees. Ask your preparer which line it maps to on your return.

What if the deposit is more than the rent owed?

A deposit larger than the batch can mean a tenant paid ahead or paid twice. Record the extra as a tenant credit or prepaid rent and tell the tenant.