Payout reconciliation checklist for affiliate teams

Freeze the period

Pick the exact period you are reconciling and do not mix it with a rolling dashboard. Use one timezone, one start date, and one end date. Save exports from the tracker, operator report, and BetLink workspace before making edits.

If the period is still changing, mark the review as provisional. A clean review is easier when every number has a timestamp.

Match evidence before money

Commission math depends on the evidence trail. Review the click records, postback receipts, operator report rows, and payout notes in that order. If a deposit exists in the operator report but no postback arrived, the question is different from a deposit that arrived but failed to match a click ID.

For each mismatch, record:

• the click ID or sub ID,
• the event type,
• the operator report row,
• the expected commercial rule,
• the current owner of the follow-up.

Rebuild the commercial calculation

Once the evidence trail is understood, rebuild the payout using the actual deal terms. For RevShare, confirm NGR deductions, carryover rules, admin fees, and any minimum activity conditions. For CPA, confirm qualified-event definitions and hold periods.

Do not use EPC alone to prove an underpayment. EPC helps detect a pattern, but the payout conversation needs event-level evidence.

Close with an action log

End every reconciliation pass with three lists: accepted differences, open questions, and disputes. Accepted differences explain why a number changed. Open questions need more data. Disputes need a source packet that another person can inspect without asking for the whole story again.