Every dollar that moves through the platform, accounted for.
A payments marketplace collects from customers, pays out to providers and keeps a fee. We built the accounting so each job lands in the books on its own, and Stripe Clearing ends every day at $0.
Marketplace money moves in pieces.
A customer pays once, Stripe takes a fee, the provider is paid out and the platform keeps the rest. Refunds, disputes and failed payouts arrive days later.
Most books record the bank deposit and stop there. Revenue is overstated, provider money looks like income and the clearing account drifts. Nobody can say what one job actually earned.
Why the usual setup misses it
QuickBooks, Xero and Puzzle all connect to Stripe, and they move the data well. But those connectors were built for a business selling its own products.
They don't know which part of a charge is your fee, that a provider payout settles a liability, or that Stripe Clearing should end at $0. A standard bookkeeping setup books what syncs as-is. That's where marketplace books go wrong, and where we fix them.
Stripe Connect moves the money.
We make sure your books know what it means.
One set of rules, posted automatically.
One rule set for 11 scenarios
SC-01 to SC-11, each with its own balanced journal entry.
Agent treatment under ASC 606
The platform books its fee as revenue, not the full charge. Provider money is a liability until it's paid out.
Automated posting
Payment events flow from Stripe and Mercury webhooks into the general ledger through the Puzzle GL API. No copy-paste.
A daily clearing check
If Stripe Clearing isn't $0, the exception is flagged for review before close.
A $700 job with a 15% platform fee.
Where the money goes
- Customer charge $700.00
- Stripe fee −$5.00
- Provider payout −$595.00
- Paid to platform bank $100.00
- Platform fee recognized as revenue $105.00
- Stripe Clearing after posting $0.00
What posts to the general ledger
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Customer pays by card | ||
| Stripe Clearing | 700.00 | |
| Provider Payable | 595.00 | |
| Platform Fee Revenue | 105.00 | |
| Stripe takes its fee | ||
| Stripe Processing Fees | 5.00 | |
| Stripe Clearing | 5.00 | |
| Provider is paid out | ||
| Provider Payable | 595.00 | |
| Stripe Clearing | 595.00 | |
| Payout lands in the bank | ||
| Operating Bank | 100.00 | |
| Stripe Clearing | 100.00 | |
| Totals · Stripe Clearing ends at $0.00 | 1,400.00 | 1,400.00 |
The $105 fee is revenue. The $5 Stripe fee is a cost. The $595 never touches the income statement.
Illustrative example from the demo, using sample figures. Not client data.
Books that match how the platform works.
- Revenue reported net, the way an auditor or investor expects it.
- Clearing reconciled daily, not discovered at year-end.
- Refunds, disputes and payout returns booked to the right job automatically.
- Monthly close reviewed by a person, with the routine posting already done.
See it work
Run sample Stripe Connect events through the same rules and watch each one become a journal entry. Sample data, no client information.
Running payments through Stripe Connect?
Book a discovery call and we'll walk through how your money moves.
Client name and details withheld. Figures on this page are illustrative.