Outgoing payments often take center stage in automation, but incoming payments hold potential too: every customer payment has to be matched to the right invoice. This article shows how SEPA direct debits and QR references simplify matching customer payments in Sage Intacct.
The problem: payments without clear matching
A customer transfers an amount, often with an incomplete reference, several invoices in one payment or a different sender. The team searches the statement, compares with open items and posts by hand. This costs time and delays visibility on actual receivables.
Two paths to unambiguous matching
SEPA direct debits
With a SEPA direct debit (pain.008) generated from Arkaio, the payment is directly tied to the customer's invoice. Matching relies on the IBAN and on the identifiers Arkaio generates in the payment file. The formats are explained in pain.001 vs pain.008.
QR references in Switzerland
In Switzerland, each customer invoice carries a unique QR reference. When the payment arrives with that reference, it can be matched to the invoice without ambiguity.
From statement to entry
Bank statements (see automated bank reconciliation) provide the incoming payments. Once a payment is matched to an invoice, Arkaio generates the settlement of that invoice in Sage Intacct. The receipt is visible in Sage Intacct on the invoice concerned.
Use cases
- SMEs with recurring customers: direct debits with direct matching.
- Companies with Swiss customers: matching through the QR reference.
- Accounting firms: incoming payments per client, see centralizing payments.
Limits
Matching is only as reliable as the reference given with the payment: the more complete it is, the more certain the match. Payments without a clear reference still require a check.
Key takeaways
Unambiguous identifiers are the key to matching incoming payments. Direct debits and QR references reduce manual searching in the statement and speed up the view of receivables.