Choose the accounting period first
Start with the period your bookkeeper actually needs.
For some practices, that is January 1 through December 31. For others, the accounting year ends in another month. A quarterly check may cover only three months, while a first handoff may need the full year to date.
Write down the start and end dates before you export anything. Then use the same dates for every source you plan to compare, including:
- the practice payment report;
- Stripe or another payment processor;
- the business bank account; and
- any separate record of cash, cheque, e-transfer, insurance, or terminal payments.
Do not assume that "this year" means the same thing in every system. One screen may default to the calendar year, another to the last twelve months, and a bank download to the current statement period.
Also confirm the currency. If your practice accepted money in more than one currency, ask your bookkeeper how they want those transactions separated before you combine files.
Check the totals before the rows
Begin with the small set of numbers that describes the whole period:
- payments received;
- refunds and disputes;
- payment-processing fees;
- any practice-platform payment fees; and
- the resulting net amount before or after payouts, depending on the report.
The exact labels may differ between systems. What matters is that you understand what each total includes.
For example, a gross payments total should not quietly subtract Stripe fees. A net total should make clear whether it includes refunds, disputes, and fees. A payout total is not the same as revenue. It is money moving from the processor to your bank after earlier activity has been combined.
If a number surprises you, stop at the summary before you work through hundreds of rows. A large difference usually points you toward the right group of transactions faster than scanning the entire file.
Keep money in and money out distinct
A useful export makes the direction of each transaction obvious.
Payments received should be positive. Refunds, disputes, and fees should be negative. If payouts are included, they should be clearly labelled so they are not mistaken for a second round of income.
This matters when the file will be imported. QuickBooks, Xero, and Wave all support simple CSV transaction imports, but each still expects consistent dates, descriptions, and signed amounts. The import is a starting point. Your bookkeeper may still need to map the file, choose the correct account, categorize activity, and reconcile it against the bank.
Avoid editing amounts by hand just to make the total look familiar. First find out why it differs. A refund may have settled on another day. A payout may combine several days of payments. A processor fee may be attached to the original charge rather than listed as a separate bank withdrawal.
Include payments that never touched Stripe
Not every payment in a wellness practice goes through the same processor.
You may record cash, cheque, e-transfer, insurance, or a card payment taken on another terminal. Those payments belong in the practice's payment history, but they will not appear in Stripe's balance activity.
Make sure the export either includes those methods or gives your bookkeeper a separate file for them. Then check that card payments are not counted twice, once from the practice record and once from Stripe.
This is also a good time to look for payments that were recorded with a vague method such as "other." A few may be fine. A large group usually needs a short explanation before someone can reconcile it confidently.
Do not add client names or clinical detail to make a payment easier to recognize. An invoice number, payment method, date, and processor reference are usually safer and more useful identifiers for bookkeeping.
Choose daily totals or transaction detail deliberately
There are two useful versions of a payment export.
A daily summary combines transactions of the same kind on the same date. It creates a shorter file and can be easier to import into an accounting system when your bookkeeper does not need every individual payment.
A transaction-level file keeps one row for each payment, refund, dispute, or fee. It is longer, but it gives your bookkeeper the source, method, invoice number, and reference needed to investigate a difference.
Ask which version they want before you send both.
If you are unsure, a practical handoff is:
- an import file with daily totals;
- a detailed file kept for review; and
- a short note explaining the period, currency, and whether payouts are included.
The shorter file supports routine importing. The detailed file stays available when a total needs to be traced back to its source.
Review the exceptions before you send
Look for the records most likely to create a follow-up question:
- refunds or card charges that appear in Stripe but are not linked to a known practice payment;
- unpaid invoices that are not part of money received;
- activity in another currency;
- card payments recorded after Stripe was disconnected;
- disputes or reversed payouts; and
- unusually large entries or groups of entries marked "other."
An exception is not automatically an error. It is simply something that deserves context.
Add a short, separate note such as "two card refunds were processed directly in Stripe" or "cash payments are included from the practice ledger." Keep it factual. Your bookkeeper can decide how the activity should be categorized.
If you find a genuine record problem, correct it in the source system when appropriate and create a fresh export. Avoid patching only the CSV, because the same discrepancy will return the next time you run the report.
Reconcile against the bank without forcing an exact row match
Compare the export with the business bank account for the same period.
Do not expect one payment row to equal one bank deposit. Stripe payouts often group several payments, refunds, and fees together. The useful question is whether the payout activity and the bank deposits can be connected without unexplained gaps.
Keep payouts optional in the import file unless your bookkeeper asks for them. Including both the underlying payments and the transfer to the bank in the wrong accounts can make the same money look as though it arrived twice.
If the totals do not reconcile, note the difference instead of hiding it. A clear message such as "the export is $84.20 higher than bank deposits because the final payout settled on January 2" gives your bookkeeper a useful starting point.
Make the handoff easy to repeat
Use a consistent folder and filename that includes the practice, period, and file type. Keep the original export unchanged after you send it. If you make a corrected version, give it a new filename and explain what changed.
Your handoff note can be brief:
Payment export for January 1 to December 31, 2026, in CAD. The import file uses daily totals and excludes bank payouts. The detailed file includes transaction references. Two refunds were processed directly in Stripe and are noted separately.
Then choose a review rhythm. A monthly or quarterly export is easier to check than a full year reconstructed under a deadline. Even if your bookkeeper only needs the final file annually, a smaller recurring review helps you catch missing payment methods, unexplained refunds, and disconnected accounts while the details are still familiar.
Stillpoint's payments and billing tools keep recorded payments, refunds, and invoice history together. The Accounting export lets an owner or administrator choose a twelve-month period, review payments and fees, and download either a simple import CSV or transaction-level detail for a bookkeeper. Your accountant still decides how the activity should be categorized, but the handoff starts from a clearer record.
