Should I book Amazon revenue by disbursement date or order date?
Accrual accounting books revenue when the order ships (order date). Cash accounting books revenue when Amazon disburses (payout date). GAAP and most tax authorities require accrual. Nova's SKU-level P&L uses order date for revenue recognition and matches costs to the same period, so margins reflect actual operating performance.
Order date (accrual)
Revenue recognised when the order ships. Matches revenue and costs (COGS, fees, ad spend) to the period they occurred. Required for GAAP and most tax filings above small-business thresholds.
Disbursement date (cash)
Revenue recognised when Amazon pays out. Simpler for very small sellers but distorts monthly margin: a settlement paid in April includes orders from March.
What Nova uses
Nova books revenue and matched costs on order date so monthly P&L reflects true operating performance. Cash-in views for treasury are a separate lens.
Frequently asked questions
Is accrual accounting required for Amazon sellers?
For GAAP-compliant financials and most tax authorities above small-business thresholds, yes. Consult your accountant.
Can I switch methods mid-year?
Not without an accounting policy change and typically tax authority notification. Consult a CPA.
Does Amazon settlement date match calendar month?
No. Settlement periods span roughly 14 days each and straddle month ends.
Does Nova support both views?
Nova's P&L uses order-date accrual. Cash views for treasury planning are a separate operational concern outside Nova's scope.
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How do I reconcile Amazon payouts?
To reconcile a payout: download the settlement report for the matching period, sum every credit (orders, reimbursements) and every debit (refunds, fees, service charges, reserves). The net should equal the amount deposited. If it does not, the delta is usually a reserve, unshipped hold, or currency conversion adjustment.
Where do I find the Amazon settlement report?
Amazon settlement reports live in Seller Central under Reports > Payments > All Statements. Each report covers one settlement period (usually 14 days) and lists every transaction that affected the payout: orders, refunds, fees, adjustments, service fees, and reserves. Download as CSV or the flat file to reconcile.
How do I track profit at the SKU level on Amazon?
SKU-level profit requires matching every revenue and cost line to the SKU that generated it. That means pulling settlement reports, product-level ad spend, refunds, storage allocation, and COGS, then attributing each. Doing this manually in Excel takes 4 to 8 hours per month per account; automated tools reduce it to a dashboard view.
How do I export my full Amazon transaction history?
For 24+ months of transaction history, use the SP-API Reports endpoint or a connected tool that pulls historically. Seller Central console limits reports to 60 to 90 days depending on the report type. Nova connects via SP-API and can backfill up to 15 months of PPC history and 24 months of order and settlement data.
Are Amazon returns deducted from seller payouts?
Yes. When a customer returns an FBA order, Amazon refunds the buyer and deducts the refunded amount from your next payout. Amazon also refunds most of the referral fee (keeping a $5 or 20% refund administration fee, whichever is lower) but does not refund the FBA fulfilment fee. Returns can also trigger a returns processing fee in apparel and shoes.