A practical guide to Meta Ads revenue reconciliation
Step-by-step: how to compare Meta's reported revenue against Stripe, identify the discrepancy sources, and set up a system that flags the gap automatically.
Revenue reconciliation between Meta Ads and your payment processor is one of the most important — and most skipped — practices in paid media management. This guide walks through exactly how to do it, why the gap exists, and how to build a system that catches it automatically.
What you're reconciling
Meta Ads reports 'Purchase Revenue' — the total value of purchases it attributes to your campaigns. Stripe reports actual charges processed — money that actually moved. These will never be exactly equal. The goal isn't equality — it's knowing the ratio.
Step 1: Pull Meta attributed revenue
- 1.Open Meta Ads Manager → Reports.
- 2.Set your date range. Start with the last 30 days for a meaningful sample.
- 3.Add columns: Amount Spent, Purchase ROAS, Purchase Conversion Value.
- 4.Set attribution window to match what you use for optimization (typically 7-day click, 1-day view).
- 5.Export to CSV or note the total Purchase Conversion Value figure.
Step 2: Pull Stripe revenue for the same period
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- 1.Open Stripe Dashboard → Reports → Revenue.
- 2.Set the same 30-day date range.
- 3.Filter to successful charges only (exclude refunds for this initial comparison).
- 4.If you have multiple revenue sources, separate them. You only want paid-attributable revenue.
- 5.Export to CSV or note the total.
Step 3: Calculate the attribution gap
Attribution Gap % = (Meta Revenue − Stripe Revenue) ÷ Stripe Revenue × 100
| Meta attributed revenue | Stripe actual revenue | Gap | Over-attribution % |
|---|---|---|---|
| $284,000 | $195,000 | $89,000 | 45.6% |
| $142,000 | $118,000 | $24,000 | 20.3% |
| $96,000 | $88,000 | $8,000 | 9.1% |
Automating the reconciliation
What to do with the adjusted numbers
- →Reset your ROAS thresholds: if your target is 3.0x reported, divide by your attribution factor to get the Meta-reported equivalent.
- →Report adjusted ROAS to leadership. The honest number builds credibility.
- →Monitor the gap weekly — a sudden widening often indicates a tracking issue.
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Brian MacDonald
Brian MacDonald is the founder of Merit, the AI coworker for marketing teams. Previously ran SetupClaw.tech, an AI deployment service for SMBs. Read more about Brian and the mission.
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