Why might authorisation, posting and settlement times differ?¶

They measure different stages: authorisation permits the payment, posting enters it in an account system, and settlement completes obligations between institutions.

Processing separates the events¶

A card purchase can be authorised on Friday, posted later and settle with the merchant after a weekend. Batch cycles, cut-off times, holidays, currency conversion and international intermediaries can extend the gap. An authorisation can also expire or reverse before settlement.

Each participant records its own role. The payer's bank, merchant, processor and receiving institution can therefore show different valid times for the same payment chain.

Reconstruct rather than choose one time¶

Preserve all labels, sources, zones and linked references. Obtain system-level provider records when exact order matters.

Do not use later posting to infer later customer action or early authorisation to infer recipient access. State each event separately and explain the process connecting them.