How to Read Your TikTok Shop Settlement File

Your TikTok Shop settlement file is the single source of truth for your revenue and fees. It contains every transaction, every fee deduction, and every payout — all in one Excel spreadsheet.

The problem? It has 60+ columns, cryptic naming, and a structure that changes depending on when and how you export it. Most sellers open it once, get overwhelmed, and close it.

This guide walks you through exactly how to find, download, and read your settlement file.

Where to Find Your Settlement File

1. Log into TikTok Seller Center
2. Go to Finance → Settlements (or Balance → Settlement Reports)
3. Select the settlement period you want to review
4. Click Download to export the Excel file

The file will be an .xlsx file containing one or more sheets of transaction data.

Understanding the File Structure

TikTok settlement files typically contain several types of data, sometimes across multiple sheets:

Order Transactions

The main sheet contains one row per order line item with columns for:

• Order details (order ID, SKU, quantity, product name)
• Revenue (gross amount, selling price)
• Fee deductions (commission, transaction fee, affiliate, shipping)
• Net payout amount

Adjustments

Separate rows or sheets for:

• Refund transactions
• Refund admin fee deductions
• Compensation adjustments
• Currency conversion differences

Settlement Summary

A summary sheet showing:

• Total gross revenue for the period
• Total deductions by category
• Net settlement (payout) amount

Key Columns Explained

Here are the most important columns you'll find in a typical settlement file:

Revenue Columns

Fee Columns

VAT Columns

Payout Columns

The 60+ Column Problem

TikTok uses different column names depending on:

• When you export: Column names change between platform updates
• Your seller region: EU exports differ from US exports
• Export type: Summary vs detailed reports have different structures
• Settlement period: Older periods may use legacy column naming

Some real column name variations we've seen:

This inconsistency makes it nearly impossible to build a reliable spreadsheet formula — you'd need to update it every time TikTok changes the naming.

How to Manually Analyze Your Settlement File

If you want to do it yourself in a spreadsheet, here's the process:

Step 1: Identify the relevant columns

Scan the header row for columns matching the categories above. Look for commission, transaction/payment, affiliate, shipping, VAT, and payout columns.

Step 2: Sum each fee category

Use SUMIF or SUMPRODUCT to total each fee type across all transactions.

Step 3: Calculate per-SKU profitability

Group by SKU/product name and sum revenue and fees per product. This tells you which products are actually making money.

Step 4: Check for anomalies

Look for:

• Unusually high affiliate commissions (is your rate set too high?)
• Refund admin fees (are returns eating your margin?)
• Missing fee columns (are some deductions hidden in other columns?)

What the Settlement File Doesn't Tell You

Your settlement file shows platform fees, but it's missing:

• Cost of goods (COGS): You need to track this separately
• Your own shipping costs: If you self-ship, this isn't in the file
• Packaging costs: Materials, labels, etc.
• Advertising spend: Any TikTok ads you run separately
• Time cost: Your hours spent on packaging, customer service, etc.
• Traffic source attribution: Your settlement file shows revenue by order, but not which marketing channel brought the buyer. Use UTM-tagged links on your social channels to close this gap

For true profitability, you need to combine settlement data with your own cost tracking.

How Tiklytics Automates This

Tiklytics was built specifically to solve the settlement file problem:

1. Drag and drop your settlement file — any format, any column naming
2. Auto-detection identifies the correct columns from 60+ known variations
3. Instant breakdown shows every fee category, per-SKU profitability, and margin analysis
4. COGS input lets you add your product costs for true profit calculation
5. Visual dashboard replaces the spreadsheet with clear charts and tables

No formulas. No column hunting. No frustration.

Tips for Settlement File Management

Download regularly

Don't wait for problems. Download your settlement file after every payout period and review it.

Keep a running archive

Save each settlement file with the date range in the filename (e.g., settlement_2026-02-01_to_2026-02-15.xlsx). You'll want historical data for trend analysis.

Check the math

Verify that Order Amount minus all fees equals your Settlement Amount. Discrepancies indicate missing fee columns or calculation errors in the export.

Compare periods

Look at fee percentages period over period. If commission or affiliate costs are creeping up, investigate why.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does TikTok generate settlement files?

TikTok typically settles every 1–2 weeks. Settlement files are available in Seller Center once the payout period closes.

Can I get a real-time view of my fees?

Settlement files are retrospective. For real-time fee estimation, use the Tiklytics profit calculator to model your expected margins.

Why doesn't my settlement amount match my bank deposit?

Possible reasons: currency conversion fees, payment processing delays, pending holds, or adjustments from the previous period. Check the settlement summary for a detailed reconciliation.

My settlement file has different columns than described here — is it wrong?

No. TikTok frequently changes column naming and structure. This is one of the biggest challenges of manual analysis and exactly why tools like Tiklytics exist — they handle all known column variations automatically.