Foreign client paid less than your invoice: bank fee or underpayment?
Your Polish JDG invoiced EUR 1,000 but received EUR 980. Trace the payment before changing the invoice or chasing the client.
You invoiced EUR 1,000 and EUR 980 arrived in your Polish business account. Find out where the difference went before sending a correction or asking the client to pay again.
Reconstruct the transfer
Suppose the client sent EUR 1,000 and a bank deducted EUR 20. The transfer evidence should support both figures. A client who instructed a payment of only EUR 980 presents a different case. Check the contract's allocation of charges; the recipient does not necessarily bear every fee.
List the invoice number, amount due, currency, amount sent, charge and amount received. This is a payment reconciliation example, not a finished tax entry.
Keep the invoice and bank evidence separate
A bank charge is not an agreed discount. Check the contract and payment evidence before changing the price on the invoice. Tax revenue does not always equal the bank receipt; its timing also depends on the accounting method that applies.
If the bank converted EUR to PLN, retain the original amount, conversion rate and fee. Your accountant also needs the service, invoice and payment dates to assess conversion and any exchange differences. Today's NBP table is not automatically the right table.
Give your accountant a traceable package
Attach the invoice, account statement and sender's confirmation together. Flag missing information instead of entering zero. Ask the client which amount and currency they instructed and how charges were handled. You do not need their banking credentials.
For one payment covering several invoices, supply an allocation by invoice number. Establish whether the EUR 20 is a fee, unpaid balance or agreed price change before marking the invoice settled.
Sources
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