Keep the tournament’s entry fees and records explainable
By the Smart Wrestler team · Written from hosting and scoring the events this software runs · Updated 2026-10-19
Use event payment and registration records for the competition, then reconcile them with your Stripe payouts and the club’s own expense records.
Quick answer
Wrestling treasurer software needs depend on whether the job is collecting tournament entries or maintaining the club’s books. Smart Wrestler handles event registration payments, refund records and registration exports; it is not a general ledger, expense tracker or recurring-dues system. The host pays hosting charges separately, while families review the event’s entry fee and service fee at checkout. For reconciliation, compare the event’s paid registrations and completed refunds with the payment records, then match payouts separately to the bank. A confirmed entry, a processor balance and a bank deposit are different records.
Which finance tasks does Smart Wrestler cover?
| Task | Use Smart Wrestler for | Keep in the club’s other records |
|---|---|---|
| Collect tournament entries | Online registration and the recorded payment status. | Membership subscriptions and season dues. |
| Review refunds | Event refund amounts and their current status. | The club’s approval policy and supporting correspondence. |
| Review participation | The event’s registration records and Export CSV action. | Expense receipts and the general ledger. |
| Check deposits | Payment references to compare with Stripe. | Bank reconciliation, payout references and expense accounting. |
Do not treat an exported roster as a complete accounting ledger. It helps identify entries, but processor fees, refunds, payout timing and separately paid hosting expenses need their own supporting records. Smart Wrestler’s Event Finance Snapshot and Recent Payments views are useful starting points for that comparison.
For the event payment workflow, see tournament payments.
What should a tournament reconciliation worksheet contain?
| Worksheet field | Record to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Event and session | Event name, date and registration record. | Are all rows for this event rather than another session? |
| Paid entry amount | Successful entry payments. | Did an entry finish payment, or is it incomplete? |
| Refund amount and status | Completed refunds and any pending/refused request. | Is the refund completed rather than merely requested? |
| Payment reference | The corresponding payment record in Stripe. | Can the treasurer trace the amount without relying only on a name? |
| Payout and deposit | Stripe payout reference and the bank statement. | Which payments are included in this deposit? |
| Hosting and other expenses | Hosting payment record and the club’s expense receipts. | Have costs been kept separate from collected entry fees? |
Use the same event identifier and reporting dates throughout the worksheet. A parent can enter several athletes, and one payout can contain activity from more than one event. Match transaction references before interpreting different row counts as missing money. Keep private participant details in the club’s authorized records, not in a public shared example.
What does an entry-fee reconciliation example look like?
| Line | Chosen example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Gross entry fees | 80 successful entries × $20 = $1,600 | Entry-fee component only; excludes service-fee assumptions. |
| Completed entry-fee refunds | 2 × $20 = $40 | Assumes the full entry-fee component was actually refunded. |
| Remaining entry-fee amount | $1,600 − $40 = $1,560 | Before hosting, processor adjustments and other event expenses. |
| Bank deposit | Use the actual payout and bank records. | Do not assume that $1,560 is the next bank deposit. |
The example deliberately leaves processor charges, service-fee treatment and timing out of the arithmetic. Use the actual completed transaction records for those lines. A partial refund also needs its actual amount; it cannot be counted as a full withdrawn entry merely because a refund exists. A payout may settle on a different date from registration and may combine more than one transaction.
How should a host review refunds and unmatched entries?
- Open the event’s Billing view and inspect the Event Finance Snapshot, Recent Payments and Registration Refunds information.
- Review whether a refund is complete, pending or failed before telling a family it has arrived. Keep partial and full amounts separate.
- Open Tournament Registrations and use Export CSV for the event’s registration record. Compare it with the payment/refund records rather than assuming it contains every processor adjustment.
- Match the relevant Stripe records and payout reference, then compare the deposit with the bank statement.
- Record unresolved differences and their references before closing the event’s reconciliation. Check another session, duplicate entry, incomplete payment or pending refund before changing totals.
For the family-facing payment and refund explanation, use payments and refunds help.
How do hosting charges affect the event budget?
| Reserved capacity | Hosting fee |
|---|---|
| 0 to 150 wrestlers | $100 |
| 151 to 300 wrestlers | $150 |
| 301 to 500 wrestlers | $225 |
| 501 to 800 wrestlers | $325 |
| 800+ wrestlers | Custom quote |
| Team capacity | Hosting fee |
|---|---|
| 0 to 4 teams | $50 |
| 8 teams | $90 |
| 16 teams | $140 |
| 32 teams | $200 |
The organizer’s entry price, the host’s hosting charge and a family’s optional plan are separate items. Free-entry events have no hosting fee. If paid capacity changes, review the event’s current billing quote and any available capacity-refund action; do not assume the original hosting cost or a possible refund has already changed.
For planning rather than transaction reconciliation, use the entry-fee budget planner.
Why can the bank deposit differ from today’s registrations?
Successful payment, available processor balance and payout to a bank happen at different stages. Stripe explains that payout scheduling, settlement timing and bank processing affect when funds arrive. Refunds can also have a status that changes after the initial request. Use the provider’s actual records and the event’s payment status instead of promising a universal deposit or refund date.
Smart Wrestler does not track the club’s payroll, recurring dues, equipment expenses or taxes. Carry verified event totals and supporting records into the club’s established accounting process. This page is an event-record checklist, not a substitute for those books.
A record you can trace
Event scope
Keep one event or session identifiable throughout the review.
Completed amounts
Distinguish successful payments from incomplete payments and pending refunds.
Registration export
Use the entry list alongside payment records, not as a replacement ledger.
Separate payout matching
Compare processor references and bank deposits on their own dates.
Frequently asked questions
Is Smart Wrestler wrestling accounting software?
It provides tournament entry, payment and refund records. It does not provide a general ledger, expense bookkeeping, payroll, tax filing or recurring club-dues billing.
Where can the host export registration records?
Open Tournament Registrations and choose Export CSV. Compare that event record with Billing and payment-provider records when reconciling money.
Is the hosting charge deducted from each wrestler’s entry fee?
Hosting is a separate host payment. Families review their entry fee and service fee at checkout. Use the actual event pricing and payment records for the amounts.
Does a refund request mean the family has received money?
No. Check the refund’s completed, pending or failed status and the payment provider’s records before confirming the outcome.
Can I match one registration row directly to one bank deposit?
Not reliably. A payout may group transactions and arrive later. Match payment and payout references, amounts and dates.
Can this worksheet calculate profit by itself?
No. The example covers entry-fee arithmetic only. Hosting, refunds, fees and the club’s real expenses need their own records before any surplus can be established.
Sources
Sources checked 2026-10-19.
Keep exploring
Plan the records before collecting the first entry
Review the host workflow, published pricing and the worksheet fields your treasurer will need.