The 12-point driver payout checklist
Most payout mistakes are boring: a stale file, a duplicate ID, a deduction with the wrong sign. This checklist catches them before the transfer.
Before you open the file
A payout run is only as good as the export it starts from. Confirm the period, the source, and the currency before you look at a single row.
- Confirm the file covers the pay period you think it does. File names and download dates are not enough.
- Confirm the currency in the file. A USD file read as GBP is a costly mistake.
- Confirm the distance unit. Miles and kilometres look identical in a column with no header.
- Keep the original file unchanged. Work from a copy so you can always go back.
Check the people
Identity errors are the hardest to fix after money moves. Check them before the totals.
- Every included driver has a name and a unique ID.
- No driver appears twice under different spellings or IDs.
- New drivers are matched to the correct payroll record.
- Drivers who left during the period are handled deliberately, not by accident.
Check the money
Reconcile each driver, then reconcile the fleet total. The two checks catch different problems.
- Base pay + tips + incentives − deductions equals the reported total for each driver.
- No included payout is negative unless the deduction is intentional and documented.
- The sum of included rows equals the total on the review screen.
- The exported file, opened in a spreadsheet, still totals the same amount.
Check the run
The final checks are about the payment file itself, not the dashboard.
- The file contains one row per driver and the columns your payroll provider expects.
- The status column marks every row as ready; excluded drivers are absent, not silently zeroed.
- A second person has reviewed the total or the exception list, depending on your controls.
- The file and the source export are stored together for the audit period your business requires.
If something fails
Do not fix a failed check by changing the total. Fix the source, re-import, and run the check again. If you cannot explain a difference, hold that driver out of the run and resolve it separately rather than paying a number you do not trust.
A payout run with one documented hold is healthier than a run that balances because someone edited a cell.
Questions
How often should I run this checklist?
Every payout cycle. The checks are short, and the cost of one bad run is much higher than the few minutes it takes to confirm the file.
Can DeliverPayout do the bank-detail checks?
No. DeliverPayout never stores bank details and does not connect to a payment provider. It prepares the payout file; your payroll or banking process handles the transfer.
What should I do with a driver whose components do not reconcile?
Hold that driver out of the run, compare the source columns with the platform statement, and document the resolution. Paying an unexplained number creates a bigger problem later.