Activity dates and deposit dates answer different questions
Shopify's August 22 announcement introduces a report covering the starting balance, gross activity, fees, payouts, and ending balance for a selected period. It can be opened from Finance > Documents or the Payouts page and exported as a PDF.
The report follows transaction dates and balance activity. The Payouts page remains the place to examine individual deposits.
Reconcile the period before changing the marketing budget
A bank deposit arriving later than expected can look like a sales problem when a team only checks cash received. Our recommendation is to have finance compare the activity period with the relevant payout records before drawing a marketing conclusion.
Use the same date range and record what each number represents. Preserve the distinction between a sale, a balance movement, and a bank deposit in the report the owner receives.
This is a finance record, not an attribution model
The report can support a budget conversation by making balance movement easier to inspect. It does not identify which campaign caused a purchase or establish the profitability of advertising.
Keep campaign costs and the business's agreed sales or margin measure beside it when discussing performance. If those records disagree, investigate the difference rather than selecting whichever view makes the campaign look strongest.
For your next work session
What to check next
- Generate the report for a closed period your finance team can reconcile.
- Compare balance activity with the related payout records.
- Keep deposit timing and campaign profitability out of the same metric.
Sources and scope
The Payouts page remains the source for individual deposits. This report does not measure campaign profitability or prove advertising caused a sale.
The announcement is confirmed by the source below. Practical checks in this article are Stan Consulting's recommendations.
Need help applying this to your business? Shopify marketing support.
