When a bank transfer arrives without an invoice reference, confirm the incoming transaction, identify which invoice the payer intended to settle, and record the evidence before changing the invoice status. An equal amount is a clue, not a unique match.
This is an exception workflow for a small-business receivables operator. It does not assume that PayRequest can infer the right invoice from incomplete bank information.
First check receipt and synchronization
Check the receiving bank account, currency, amount, booking date and transaction identifier. Distinguish “the customer initiated a transfer” from “the receiving account contains the credit.” Then check whether the transaction appears in your connected bank feed and when the account last synced.
PayRequest's Ponto documentation describes connection status, synced transactions and reference-based matching. Its bank-transfer documentation requires the exact reference and amount for automatic matching; missing references and partial amounts need review. A synchronization delay and an ambiguous payment are different problems.
Use this ambiguity matrix
Suppose invoice A and invoice B are both EUR 600. The bank shows one EUR 600 credit with the description “payment.” Neither amount nor proximity to the due date identifies the intended invoice.
| Evidence | What it establishes | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Amount only | Possible candidate | Keep both invoices unresolved |
| Payer identity plus amount | Narrows the customer | Check that customer's open invoices |
| Remittance lists invoice A | Intended allocation | Verify receipt and retain remittance |
| EUR 900 for A and another invoice | Possible combined payment | Ask for the invoice-by-invoice breakdown |
| EUR 200 toward A | Possible partial payment | Verify allocation and retain remaining balance |
The combined and partial cases are review scenarios, not promises that Ponto automatically splits transactions. Do not apply one bank credit twice.
Ask for the missing allocation
Use this original message template:
“We received [amount/currency] on [booking date], transaction [identifier]. The payment description does not identify an invoice. Please confirm the invoice number(s) and amount allocated to each. We will check our receiving-bank record before updating the balance; please do not send another payment while we investigate.”
Use an established customer communication channel. Ask only for information needed to locate the payment; avoid requesting unrelated account statements. A payer name can differ from the invoiced company, so record an explained third-party payer rather than guessing.
Change status only after the evidence agrees
Keep a reconciliation note containing the bank transaction ID, intended invoice, allocation, source of confirmation, reviewer and review date. Check whether someone else already allocated the credit.
The invoice documentation describes manual status changes. Use the supported invoice controls after verification; do not mark a partially settled invoice fully paid merely to clear a reminder. If the correct adjustment is unclear, resolve it with the billing owner or support before proceeding.
Prevent the next exception
Review your Ponto connection and show customers the exact checkout reference and amount. Copying an old invoice number into the bank description can still miss the required payment reference. For the broader setup, see automatic reconciliation.
Track unresolved payment age and duplicate allocations separately from successful automatic matches. This makes the remaining manual work visible without inventing an accuracy percentage.
Editorial note: prepared with AI assistance; published documentation checked on 2 October 2026. The matrix and message are original examples, not a tested bank-account incident.
