> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ctracker-docs.keywordrush.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ctracker-docs.keywordrush.com/how-cashback-works/the-cashback-ledger.md).

# The cashback ledger

### What it is

The ledger is the record of every change to every member's balance, in order, permanently.

A member's balance is **not a number stored somewhere and edited**. It is worked out by adding up their ledger entries every time it is shown. Nothing is ever overwritten, so there is always an answer to "why is this figure what it is?"

That matters the first time a member disputes a balance. You can show them exactly which entries produced it, and when each one arrived.

### What goes into it

Every event that moves money writes one entry:

| Entry              | When                                               |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cashback**       | An order is imported for a member                  |
| **Signup bonus**   | A new member qualifies through a referral          |
| **Referral bonus** | Someone's referred friend earns                    |
| **Payout**         | A member requests money, and again when you pay it |
| **Adjustment**     | You add or remove money by hand                    |

Each entry carries its amount, which state it belongs to, when it was created, and — for cashback — which order it came from.

### Reading a member's ledger

`Cashback Tracker` → `Members`, then **View ledger** on any member.

You get their four balances at the top and every entry beneath, newest first: the date, what kind of entry it is, which state it counts toward, the amount, and any note.

An entry still inside a holding period says so, with the date the money lands. An entry that has been corrected is struck through, with the correction shown as its own row beneath.

![One member's ledger: cashback, a referral bonus, a payout and an adjustment](https://3545740495-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-M69sU0hfZj3QsteYxmI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-55eb66bbdb9b082a133a3e245e0b6c9559a95231%2Fmember-ledger.webp?alt=media)

### Nothing is ever deleted

There is no delete button, and that is the point. An audit trail you can quietly edit is not an audit trail.

To correct a mistake you write a **new** entry that cancels the old one. The original stays, both are visible, and anyone reading the history later can see what happened and when you fixed it.

Two ways to do it:

* **Reverse an entry** — press **Reverse** on the row and give a reason. A matching entry for the opposite amount is written, cancelling it exactly.
* **Add an adjustment** — enter any amount, positive or negative, with a note. Use this for goodwill payments, or for corrections that are not simply "undo that one".

Both are covered in [Adjusting a member's balance](/running-your-site/manual-adjustments.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
**Some entries cannot be reversed**, and the button is hidden rather than failing. A payout is cancelled on the Payouts screen, which returns the money properly. A declined order counts toward no balance, so reversing it would take money the member never had. And an entry already reversed cannot be reversed twice.
{% endhint %}

### Setting it up

On a new site the ledger is live from the start, and records from your first order. There is nothing to switch on.

Upgrading from version 2 is different: there is order history behind you, and the plugin has to be told what to make of it. Until you say, a yellow card sits at the top of every Cashback Tracker page and balances stay empty.

It asks you two things.

**Your site currency.** Everything is converted into it. Choose the currency you actually pay members in — this cannot be meaningfully changed later.

**What to do with the order history you already have.** Two options, and the right answer depends on your past, not your preference:

* **Treat historical approved cashback as already paid** — the safe default, and correct if you have been rewarding members some other way, such as myCred points or manual payments. Old orders become history rather than money owed.
* **Carry it as available balance** — only if those members were genuinely never paid. Every approved order in your history becomes money they can request immediately.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Choose carefully. Picking **carry** on a site that already paid its members hands out every historical balance a second time.
{% endhint %}

Setting up runs in the background over your existing orders. When it finishes, balances appear and live recording begins.

Upgrading from version 2 has more to it — see [Upgrading from version 2](/start-here/upgrading-from-v2.md).

![The one-time card that sets your currency and starts the ledger](https://3545740495-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-M69sU0hfZj3QsteYxmI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-11c9633456f7b12a55a82e7e95999dc6d3051c00%2Fledger-init-card.webp?alt=media)

### Related

* [Balances: pending, available, paid](/how-cashback-works/balances.md)
* [Adjusting a member's balance](/running-your-site/manual-adjustments.md)
* [What the plugin never does](/how-cashback-works/what-the-plugin-never-does.md)