The numbers finance cares about (and buyers usually ignore)
Two teams, one month, four different totals.
3 min read
Key takeaways
- Delivered spend and billed spend are never the same number on the same day.
- Platform currency, account currency and invoice currency can all move independently.
- Reconcile weekly. A month-end reconciliation always finds surprises too late.
- Every discrepancy has a name. Learn the four and the arguments stop.
On this page5 sections
At the end of every month there is a meeting where the media buyer's dashboard says one number, the platform's invoice says another, and finance's ledger says a third. Nobody is lying. The numbers measure different things, and the vocabulary to explain that takes five minutes to learn.
Four numbers that are not the same number
Number
Delivered spend
- What it measures
- Impressions actually served
- When it moves
- Continuously, in the dashboard
Number
Billed spend
- What it measures
- What the platform has charged
- When it moves
- At billing thresholds and month end
Number
Accrued spend
- What it measures
- Delivered but not yet billed
- When it moves
- Sits between the two
Number
Reconciled spend
- What it measures
- Agreed after adjustments and refunds
- When it moves
- Days after the month closes
| Number | What it measures | When it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered spend | Impressions actually served | Continuously, in the dashboard |
| Billed spend | What the platform has charged | At billing thresholds and month end |
| Accrued spend | Delivered but not yet billed | Sits between the two |
| Reconciled spend | Agreed after adjustments and refunds | Days after the month closes |
A dashboard on the last day of the month shows delivered spend. The invoice a week later shows billed spend, adjusted for any refunds or invalid-traffic adjustments the platform issued. The difference is not an error; it is the accrual, and it is the single most common source of month-end confusion.
Currencies move three times
A campaign priced in one currency, in an account denominated in another, invoiced in a third, will produce three different totals, none of them wrong. Fix the exchange rate on the invoice line, not on the dashboard, and record which rate you used. Keeping accounts in U.S. dollars from the start removes most of this.
What a good statement contains
- Opening balance and every top-up, with its invoice reference.
- Delivered spend per account, per platform, per period.
- Fees, stated separately from spend, with the basis on which they were calculated.
- Refunds and platform adjustments, with the platform reference attached.
- A closing balance that a third party could recompute from the lines above.
That is the standard we hold our own monthly statements to: platform spend, fees and balances on separate lines, with the same figures visible in the dashboard during the month.
Fees, stated plainly
Fees cause more month-end confusion than spend does, usually because nobody wrote down what the fee is calculated on. The same rate produces different numbers depending on its basis:
Fee basis
Delivered spend
- What it means
- The fee follows what the platform actually served
- What to watch for
- The closest match to real activity
Fee basis
Top-ups
- What it means
- The fee is charged when money is added to a balance
- What to watch for
- Fees on money that is never spent in the month
Fee basis
Flat monthly amount
- What it means
- A fixed fee, whatever the spend
- What to watch for
- The cost per dollar rises in a quiet month
| Fee basis | What it means | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered spend | The fee follows what the platform actually served | The closest match to real activity |
| Top-ups | The fee is charged when money is added to a balance | Fees on money that is never spent in the month |
| Flat monthly amount | A fixed fee, whatever the spend | The cost per dollar rises in a quiet month |
At Krög, service fees run from 2% to 17% depending on the platform and your volume, and the exact rate is confirmed in writing before you pay. Whoever you work with, ask for the basis in the same document as the rate.
The questions to ask before the month closes
- 1Does delivered spend match billed spend within the expected accrual?
- 2Is every refund on the platform side reflected in the balance?
- 3Are the fee lines calculated on delivered spend, not on top-ups?
- 4Can finance rebuild the closing balance without asking anyone?
If your statement needs a phone call to be understood, it is not a statement. It is a claim.
Related guides and tools
Written by
Krög editorial team
Account managers, compliance and billing
Written by the people at Krög who open, fund and support advertising accounts for verified businesses every day. Platform rules change often. If something here is out of date, tell us on Telegram.
Meet the team