Amazon Deferred Settlement Orders
Amazon may apply the Delivery Date Based Reserve policy to certain seller accounts. In tool4seller, use Enhanced Calculation when your Amazon Payment Report includes Deferred transactions, and use Standard Calculation when your report includes only Released transactions.
For orders affected by this policy, funds are not added to your available balance immediately after delivery. Instead, the transaction enters a Deferred status until Amazon's settlement requirements are met. Once the funds are released, the transaction status changes to Released.
In 2026, Amazon announced updates to its Date Range Transaction and Summary reports for sellers affected by delivery date-based reserve policies. Amazon stated that the updates would reach the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil by April 30, 2026, and that similar reporting updates were planned for additional stores by June 30, 2026. For reporting periods beginning January 1, 2025, the updated Transaction report includes a Transaction Release Date field.
- When the transaction status is Deferred, the Transaction Release Date field is blank.
- Once the transaction status changes to Released, the corresponding release date is displayed.
Transaction Statuses in Amazon Payment Reports
Amazon Payment Reports include the following transaction statuses.
Deferred
A Deferred transaction has not yet been settled, and the funds are still being held by Amazon.
- The Transaction Release Date field is blank.
- The funds are not settled until the transaction status changes to Released.
Released
A Released transaction has been settled and the funds have been released.
A transaction may be generated with a Released status immediately, or it may be generated as Deferred first and later change to Released.
When a transaction changes from Deferred to Released, Amazon's enhanced Payment Report does not create a new transaction record or count the transaction again. The transaction continues to be reported based on its original transaction date.
To match different versions of Amazon Payment Reports, tool4seller provides two calculation methods: Standard Calculation and Enhanced Calculation.
Standard Calculation vs. Enhanced Calculation
The following example illustrates how deferred settlement orders are handled under each calculation method.
| Comparison Item | Standard Calculation | Enhanced Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Transactions Included | Released transactions only | Both Released and Deferred transactions |
| Deferred Orders | Counted only after the transaction status changes to Released | Counted on the original transaction date. The transaction is not counted again after it changes to Released. |
| Data Reflected | Settled funds only | Actual sales data, including deferred settlement orders |
| Applicable Reports | Payment Reports dated before January 1, 2025, and seller accounts that have not been upgraded to the enhanced Payment Report | Enhanced Payment Reports generated from 2026 onward with report dates after January 1, 2025 |
Example
Assume the following transactions:
| Date | Order | Amount | Transaction Status | Transaction Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6 | Order A | $100 | Released | —— |
| April 23 | Order B | $200 | Deferred | May 1 |
| May 1 | Order B | $200 | Released | —— |
Standard Calculation
| Month | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| April | $100 | Only Order A is included. |
| May | $200 | Order B is included after its status changes to Released. |
Enhanced Calculation
| Month | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| April | $300 | Both Order A and Order B are counted based on their original transaction dates. |
| May | $0 | Order B has already been counted in April and is not counted again. |
Enhanced Calculation calculates transactions based on their original transaction dates, providing a more accurate reflection of when sales occurred.
Which Calculation Method Should I Use?
In tool4seller, open Financial Analytics and locate Payment Report Calculation Method.
If your Amazon Payment Report CSV contains transactions with the Deferred status, we recommend using Enhanced Calculation to keep your data consistent with Amazon's enhanced Payment Report.
If your Payment Report contains only Released transactions, you can continue using Standard Calculation.