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Error Handling: "amazon reported a total of XXX, Link My Books calculated a total..."

When the Amazon settlement file is missing data, what to do

Daniel Little avatar
Written by Daniel Little
Updated over 2 weeks ago

In very rare cases the Amazon settlement file used by Link My Books can be corrupted or missing data.

In these cases you will see an error on the settlement status like this:

This image displays a "Settlements" page, likely from an Amazon seller tool, showing a list of past settlement reports. At the top, there are toggle switches for "SHOW HIDDEN ONLY," "SHOW UNSENT ONLY," and "SHOW COGS STATUS SEPARATELY." The main content area lists two settlement entries. The first is for "Marketplace Amazon.com" with an "Amount" of "US 3,973.85"and"Date""January7−January9,2025."Thesecond,alsofor"MarketplaceAmazon.com"withan"Amount"of"US 3,174.57" and "Date" "January 6 - January 7, 2025," has a red exclamation mark and the text "! Error" next to it. A black tooltip box is expanded from this error, stating, "amazon reported a total of 3174.57. Link My Books calculated a total in the settlement file of 2873.71." A red arrow points from the "! Error" text towards the tooltip. Both settlement entries have an "ACTION" button with a dropdown arrow on the right.

Why does this happen?

The settlement file from Amazon contains a list of all the transactions that make up a payout. When it works, the total of all the transactions should match the payout amount exactly.

In these rare cases, the total of the transactions contained in the settlement file do not match the payout amount meaning data is missing.

What to do when this happens

Contact the Link My Books support and we can try to reload the settlement for you.
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If this is unsuccessful you will need to contact Amazon support to resolve this.

To open a case with Amazon Seller Support follow these steps:

On Amazon Seller Central, click Help and select Get help and support:

This screenshot shows the Amazon Seller Central dashboard. In the top right corner, an orange arrow points towards the "Help" dropdown menu. This menu is expanded, revealing "Get help and resources" highlighted in a red box, and "Manage support cases" below it. The main part of the dashboard displays "Key Metrics" in cards, including "Sales" ($0.00 today so far), "Open Orders" (0), "Buyer Messages" (0), "Featured Offer %" (--), "Account Health" (Deactivated Stores: 6), "Seller Feedback" (0.00 stars), "Total Balance" ($0.00 Upcoming Payment), and "Inventory Performance Index" (--). Other sections visible include "Global Promotions Sales" and "Stores."

Select My issue is not listed:

This screenshot displays the "Get Help" page within Amazon Seller Central, providing options for resolving various issues. The top navigation bar shows "Amazon seller central," "Link My Books," "United States," "Search," and "Help." Below this, "Add Products" and "Performance Notifications" are visible. The main section is titled "Get Help," with an introductory text about follow-up questions. A "Where is your issue happening?" section allows selection of the store ("United States") and service ("Selling on Amazon"). The next section, "Select an issue to resolve," presents a grid of common problems with radio buttons: "Inventory lost in FBA warehouse," "Listing not buyable," "Brand - update," "FBA Returns Reimbursement," "Adding a product," "Title, description, bullets update," "Inventory damaged in FBA warehouse," and "Inventory missing from inbound." At the bottom of this grid, a prominent red arrow points to the "My issue is not listed" button, indicating it as the selected option. On the right side, a "Support tools" box lists "Forums," "Articles," and "Seller University."

In the box that appears enter the suggested text below:

Dear Support

My settlement file for the settlement detailed below is missing data.

Marketplace:

Settlement Period:

Settlement Amount:

When I sum up the total column in the file it does not match the payout amount (which it should).

Please can you investigate this and correct the file so that it contains all the transactions and that the total of those transactions then matches the payout amount.

Thanks

Once you click continue you will see a page like this, select Payment report questions:

This screenshot displays the "Get Help" page within an Amazon selling platform. The page guides the user to provide details before connecting to a support associate. The first section, "Where is your issue happening?", has a dropdown for "Select the store," which is set to "United States," and another for "Select a service," set to "Selling on Amazon." The next section, "Describe issue to route to the right support team," contains a text area with a pre-filled template including "Dear Support," "My settlement file for the settlement detailed below is missing data," "Marketplace:", "Settlement Period:", and "Settlement Amount:." A small information icon notes, "Don't include any personal or sensitive information." The final visible section, "Confirm your issue," asks the user to choose the best match for their issue from several buttons. "Payment report questions" is highlighted with a red box and labeled "Recommended." Other options include "Missing, delayed or incomplete payment," "Reconcile Charges," and "My issue is not listed."

You may also see this page, select Contact an associate:

This screenshot shows the final step of a "Contact an associate" form after a user has indicated their issue was not resolved. The heading "Did this resolve your issue?" is followed by "Contact an associate" and "My issue is resolved" buttons. Below this, the "Contact an associate" section explains that "All provided information will be included as part of your case." The user can "Select a language," currently set to "English." The "Subject" field is populated with "Other account issues." Under "Contact method," "Email" is highlighted with a red box and an envelope icon, indicating it's the selected contact method, alongside "Phone (Less than 1 minute wait)" and "Chat (Less than 1 minute wait)" options. An empty "Your email" field is present with an "Add CC" link. Optional fields for "Your number" (including a text field for extension) and a country dropdown (United States) are provided. A checkbox for "This issue is urgent and requires immediate attention" is unchecked. A red arrow points to the "+ Add attachments" link. Finally, a "Send" button is highlighted with a red box at the very bottom left, indicating the final action to submit the case.

Finally, select Email, attach the settlement report and click Send:

This screenshot shows the final step of a "Contact an associate" form after a user has indicated their issue was not resolved. The heading "Did this resolve your issue?" is followed by "Contact an associate" and "My issue is resolved" buttons. Below this, the "Contact an associate" section explains that "All provided information will be included as part of your case." The user can "Select a language," currently set to "English." The "Subject" field is populated with "Other account issues." Under "Contact method," "Email" is highlighted with a red box and an envelope icon, indicating it's the selected contact method, alongside "Phone (Less than 1 minute wait)" and "Chat (Less than 1 minute wait)" options. An empty "Your email" field is present with an "Add CC" link. Optional fields for "Your number" (including a text field for extension) and a country dropdown (United States) are provided. A checkbox for "This issue is urgent and requires immediate attention" is unchecked. A red arrow points to the "+ Add attachments" link. Finally, a "Send" button is highlighted with a red box at the very bottom left, indicating the final action to submit the case.

To download your settlement file, open a new tab and navigate to:

Amazon Seller Central > Menu > Payments > Payments > All Statements (tab)

Locate the settlement with the issue and click Download.

Once Amazon resolve the issue and fix the file it should automatically drop into Link My Books within 48 hours as the new data is made available via the API.

If that doesn't happen then please download the new file and send it to [email protected]

If you have any questions about this article or feedback on how we could make it better please reach out to the support team via the blue chat icon on the bottom right of the page or via email to [email protected].

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