Foreign client paid less than your invoice? Check the payment trail

Start by writing these four records on separate lines. An invoice in USD and a bank credit in INR are different measurements. Comparing their bare numbers is meaningless; applying a rate found on the internet can also misstate a settlement. Use the actual advice and settlement records, with their dates and currencies.

The Wise explanation of correspondent-bank fees confirms that intermediary banks can deduct charges along a SWIFT route. That makes a fee a possible explanation, not a diagnosis for every short payment. The route, sender instructions and documents matter.

• Documented charge: preserve the printed amount, currency and issuer. Check whether it was already included in another total.
• Conversion: keep the provider’s actual currency-conversion record. A public mid-market quote is not a settlement receipt.
• Partial payment: ask which invoice or milestone the client intended to pay, and retain the reply.
• Unresolved difference: leave a review note and ask the provider or bank for the missing evidence.

Fictional example, same currency: an invoice is USD 1,000 and the transfer record shows USD 970. If an attached advice explicitly identifies a USD 30 charge, the figures can be reconciled for review. Without that evidence, USD 30 is simply unexplained. It could be an unpaid balance, a separate adjustment or a missing record.

Now suppose the bank statement only shows INR 82,450. Do not call the gap a USD 30 fee by comparing it with a guessed exchange rate. First obtain the settlement record. If a client later sends an additional payment, preserve it as another receipt rather than overwriting the first one.

This example illustrates evidence handling; it does not select an accounting entry or tax treatment. Ask the responsible reviewer how to book any supported fee, withholding, credit note or write-off.

1. 1Find the invoice number and the client’s payment reference.
2. 2Save the sender confirmation, settlement advice and bank credit as separate sources.
3. 3Record each amount with its own currency and date.
4. 4Identify any printed fee and check for overlapping totals.
5. 5Propose an allocation to the invoice; do not force a match if the payer or period differs.
6. 6Ask the client or provider about the remaining difference and keep the issue open until reviewed.

For a combined payment, list every invoice it covers and the amount allocated to each. For a partial receipt, keep the remaining balance visible. The FIRC and FIRA guide explains which proof to keep; the monthly CA pack explains the handoff.

Should I reduce my invoice to match the bank credit?

Do not change an issued invoice merely to make a receipt match. Establish whether the difference is a documented fee, partial payment or another adjustment, then have the accounting treatment reviewed.

Can one foreign payment cover several invoices?

Yes. Keep one receipt with a clear allocation across the invoices. Confirm the client’s intended allocation if the reference is ambiguous.

Does a smaller INR amount mean my client underpaid?

No. Establish the source-currency amount sent, the actual conversion and any documented deductions before deciding what remains unpaid.

Can Blackbird issue a FIRC for the shortfall?

No. The relevant bank or provider issues remittance proof. Blackbird helps you keep the record and review its link to invoices.

Prepared by Blackbird Finance editorial. Sources reviewed on 24 October 2026; access limitations are noted below. No independent CA review is claimed. Provider prices and portal screens can change.

• Wise Help: SWIFT correspondent fees
• Wise Help: FIRC, partner-bank NOC and Business e-FIRC routes

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