Overview
If your invoice balances or revenue numbers in Puzzle look off, it usually comes down to one of a few common causes. This article walks through the most frequent Accounts Receivable (A/R) and Stripe-related issues and how to fix them.
Why AR keeps growing — the four common causes
| What happened | Fix in Puzzle |
| Customer paid outside Stripe (e.g. wire to bank) | Match the bank payment to the invoice |
| Invoice marked "paid" in Stripe but no actual payment — a credit was applied | Void the invoice |
| Invoice marked "uncollectible" in Stripe | Void the invoice (uncollectible isn't a status in Puzzle yet) |
| Invoice is past due and won't be collected | Void the invoice |
Heads up: Credit memos are coming to Puzzle soon. For now, treat applied credits as a void.
1. Missing Invoices? Check the Currency
Puzzle only syncs USD-denominated invoices from Stripe. If you're missing invoices, the first thing to check is the currency set on those invoices in Stripe — any non-USD invoices will be skipped automatically.
2. Something Looks Off? Start With an Accuracy Review
When numbers don't add up, check these two places in Puzzle:
Transactions → Banking & Credit Card tab — to check for payment matching issues
Revenue → Invoices tab — to check for revenue recognition issues
Expenses → Bills tab — to check for expense issues
Cross-referencing both will help you quickly identify whether the problem is on the payment side or the revenue side.
3. Payments Made Outside of Puzzle
If a customer made a payment outside of Puzzle (e.g. a wire transfer or check), it won't automatically match to the open invoice. You'll need to apply it manually so the invoice balance updates correctly.
4. Invoice Shows "Paid" But Still Has an Outstanding Balance
This is one of the most common sources of confusion. Here's why it happens:
Invoice status in Puzzle is synced directly from Stripe — so if Stripe says "Paid," Puzzle will show "Paid"
But the outstanding balance is based on whether a payment has been applied to the invoice within Puzzle
If the customer paid outside of Stripe, the invoice status may say Paid while the balance in Puzzle still shows as outstanding
Stripe payments are linked to invoices automatically. Payments made outside of Stripe need to be applied manually.
💡 If you see a status mismatch, check whether the payment came in through Stripe or through another method.
Stripe invoices can be linked directly to Stripe from Puzzle!
Revenue → Invoices tab - Locate the specific invoice from Stripe, hover over Invoice ID to locate hyperlink icon - this will take you directly to Stripe
5. How Outstanding Balance Is Calculated
The outstanding balance shown on an invoice reflects payments that have been applied to that invoice in Puzzle — not just whether a payment exists somewhere in your account. If a payment hasn't been applied to the invoice, it won't reduce the balance.
6. What's Included in Accrual Revenue & the A/R Aging Report
The Accrual Revenue page and the A/R Aging report are based exclusively on invoice activity. They do not include:
Manual journal entries
Bank transactions categorized directly to Accounts Receivable
If you've recorded A/R or revenue through one of those methods instead of through an invoice, it won't appear on these reports.
Important technical notes
Puzzle syncs back 14 days from Stripe each night. Anything older than that won't auto-update — you must update it in Puzzle directly.
Void in both Stripe and Puzzle. Voiding only in Stripe won't sync if the invoice is older than 14 days.
Opening balances matter. If AR goes negative when you scroll back far enough, the opening balance was never set. A manual journal entry at the prior year-end fixes it.
The Account Reconciliation Report does not include invoices — don't try to debug AR from it.
Quick reference: report → question
Question | Report |
Does Stripe cash match Puzzle cash? | Stripe Account Reconciliation Report |
Why is AR growing? | AR Aging Report |
Which paid invoices still have balances? | Accuracy Review on Invoices page |
Which customers owe the most? | AR Aging Report, sorted by amount |
Are payouts matching? | Stripe Account Reconciliation Report → Payout Rec tab |
Stripe Account Reconciliation Report
Payment Processor → Reconciliations
AR Aging Report
Revenue → AR Aging
