Common Causes of Payment Variances

When reviewing sales activity in Green Check, you may occasionally notice that the total amount paid on a sale does not exactly match the sum of the individual payment types (cash, debit, gift card, and so on). This article explains what the confidence level means, why these small differences occur, and what to do if you see one.

What the confidence level means

The confidence level shown in the variance section of a monitoring review indicates how closely the payment detail we received from the dispensary's point of sale (POS) system reconciles with the total paid on each sale. A high confidence level means the payment types add up to the total paid across nearly all sales in the review period. A lower confidence level means we detected sales where the numbers do not fully reconcile, and we are flagging that difference for transparency.

A variance does not mean sales data is missing or that anything improper occurred. In most cases it reflects how a specific POS system records certain transactions.

Common causes of payment variances

Penny rounding

Tax rates are often partial percentages, so the calculated total on a sale rarely lands on an even cent. The POS rounds that amount up or down to produce the amount the customer actually tenders, which can leave a difference of a cent or two between the tendered payment and the calculated total. These differences are small individually but can add up across a high volume of transactions.

Adjustments without a matching total

Some POS systems allow adjustments to be recorded on a sale without updating the total paid amount. When a sale includes one of these adjustments, the payment detail no longer matches the sale total, which appears as a variance in the review.

Gift cards counted twice

In some POS systems, gift card activity can appear in both the sale where the gift card was purchased and the sale where it was redeemed. This double counting inflates the payment type totals relative to the actual amount paid.

End-of-day entries

Certain POS systems record items such as tips, donations, and gift cards as part of end-of-day processing rather than on the individual sale. Because these amounts post separately from the original transaction, the payment types on affected sales may not match the total paid.

What to do if you see a variance

1. Download the impacted sales. From the variance section of the review, export the affected sales so you can see exactly which transactions contributed to the difference.
2. Review with the business. Share the impacted sales with the cannabis-related business. Their team can confirm whether the difference matches known register activity, such as end-of-day tip entries or gift card redemptions.
3. Contact Green Check support. If the variance is unexplained or larger than expected, reach out to our support team. We can investigate the underlying POS data and help you document the resolution.

Key takeaway

Small payment variances are a normal byproduct of how different POS systems record transactions. Green Check surfaces them, rather than hiding them, so you have a complete and honest picture of the sales data behind every review. If you ever have a question about a specific variance, our support team is ready to help.