Amazon FBA Bookkeeping: Settlements, Fees and Deposits

Quick Answer: Amazon FBA bookkeeping starts with the settlement report, not the bank deposit. Each settlement lists gross sales, refunds, referral fees, FBA fees and other charges, and the net is what Amazon sends to your bank. Record those components in your books, match the net to the deposit on your bank statement, and record inventory you buy on cards as inventory or cost of goods. A spreadsheet with a settlements tab and an inventory tab covers a small seller.

Amazon pays FBA sellers in lump sums with the fees already taken out, so a deposit on your bank statement tells you almost nothing about your business. The settlement report behind each deposit does. Good FBA bookkeeping records each settlement's sales and fees separately, ties the net to the bank, and tracks inventory costs from the supplier payments on your card and bank statements.

Why doesn't the Amazon deposit equal your sales?

Amazon deducts its charges before paying you. On its pricing page, read on 26 October 2026, Amazon lists the selling plan fee (the Individual plan charges $0.99 per item sold; the Professional plan has a $39.99 monthly subscription), referral fees that vary by category and are a percentage of the total price or a minimum amount, whichever is greater, and Fulfillment by Amazon costs as a separate group. The FBA page names those FBA costs:

• Fulfillment costs, covering picking, packing, shipping, customer service and returns.
• Monthly storage costs, based on inventory space.
• Aged inventory charges for items stored over 181 days.
• Returns processing.
• Removal, disposal and liquidation orders.
• The FBA inbound placement service.

Add refunds to customers, promotions, advertising if it is charged against your balance, and any reserve Amazon holds back, and the deposit can be well below gross sales. Book each of those as its own line.

What does a settlement-based ledger look like?

Create a Settlements tab with one row per settlement period. Take the figures from the settlement or payments report in Seller Central for that period.

The Difference column is your reconciliation. A non-zero figure usually means a settlement split across two deposits, a reserve you didn't record, or a deposit matched to the wrong period.

Getting the bank side

You need the deposit lines from your bank statements, and for many sellers the supplier payments on cards. A bank CSV export is the quickest source. If you have PDF statements, QuickBankConvert turns them into rows of date, description and signed amount; filter for Amazon in the description and paste the deposits next to their settlements. A free account handles a few statements a month.

If Amazon pays you through a payment provider rather than straight to a bank, such as Payoneer for non-US sellers, add the provider's statement as a middle step: settlement to provider, then provider to bank, each with its own fee. Our Payoneer statement guide covers that leg.

How do you track inventory and cost of goods?

Inventory purchases are not ordinary expenses. Units you have bought but not sold are an asset; their cost becomes cost of goods sold as they sell. A simple spreadsheet approach:

1. Purchases tab. From card and bank statements, record each supplier payment: date, supplier, PO or invoice number, units, total cost including freight to Amazon, and duties if you import. The IRS lists invoices and card statements among the supporting records for purchases, so attach the supplier invoice.
2. Unit cost. For each SKU and shipment, total landed cost divided by units.
3. Units sold. From Amazon's sales or inventory reports for the period.
4. Cost of goods sold. Units sold multiplied by unit cost.
5. Ending inventory. Units on hand at Amazon and in transit, multiplied by unit cost. Check it against Amazon's inventory reports at least at year end.

Removals, disposals and lost or damaged units that Amazon reimburses also change inventory. Record reimbursements as income and the lost units as a reduction of inventory.

What does the monthly routine look like?

1. Download the settlement reports that closed during the month.
2. Fill one Settlements row per report.
3. Import the month's bank and card statement rows.
4. Match each Amazon deposit to its settlement; investigate any difference.
5. Record supplier payments into Purchases, and other business costs (software, prep services, samples, shipping supplies) into expenses.
6. Update units sold and work out cost of goods for the month.
7. Reconcile each bank and card account to its statement balance.

A monthly profit figure is then product sales, less refunds, less every fee, less cost of goods, less other expenses. Our bookkeeping spreadsheet template shows how to lay out the ledger and summary, and the reconciliation guide covers tying accounts to statements.

How do you handle settlements that cross month end?

Settlement periods rarely line up with calendar months, so one settlement can contain sales from two months. You have two reasonable choices, and the important thing is to pick one and stay with it.

• Book by settlement end date. The whole settlement goes into the month it closed. Simple, matches the deposit, and fine for cash-basis books and most small sellers.
• Split by transaction date. Use the transaction-level detail in the settlement report to assign each sale and fee to the month it happened. More accurate monthly profit, more work, and usually done by software rather than by hand.

Whichever you choose, the year's total is the same, apart from the settlement that straddles 31 December. Note how you handled that one so your preparer can see it, and keep the settlement report with your year-end records.

What mistakes do FBA sellers make in their books?

• Booking deposits as sales. Revenue and fees both disappear from view, and margin can't be measured.
• Expensing inventory when bought. A big stock order makes one month look like a loss and the next like a windfall.
• Ignoring the reserve. Money Amazon holds back is still yours; track it so the books balance.
• Mixing marketplaces. Settlements from different regional marketplaces come in different currencies and periods. Give each its own tab.
• Forgetting small charges. Storage, aged inventory and removal fees are small per item but add up; they belong in their own categories so you can see them grow.

When should you move off a spreadsheet?

Once you sell in several marketplaces, carry dozens of SKUs, or need inventory values every month for a lender, a spreadsheet becomes a part-time job. Accounting software combined with a connector that posts Amazon settlements as summarized journal entries is the usual next step. Keep your bank and card statements either way; they are the independent record that proves what Amazon actually paid.

Related guides

• Excel bookkeeping template
• Payoneer bank statements
• Bank statement reconciliation guide