> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clearspend.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Match criteria

> How ClearSpend pairs a charge with an invoice on Transactions, and what Exact, Close, Manual, and the score mean.

**Match criteria** are the rules ClearSpend uses to pair a charge with an invoice, and the score in the **Reconciled** column. These rules apply to every charge on **Transactions**.

ClearSpend links a charge and an invoice on its own only when all three are true:

* The **amounts are identical**
* The **dates are within 5 days**
* They are the **same vendor**, or two product names for the **same company**

You can still link other pairs yourself. See [Matching invoices](https://docs.clearspend.ai/features/transactions-matching.md).

## Automatic matches

| The charge and the invoice | Reconciled | Score |
| - | - | - |
| Same vendor, same amount, same date | **Exact** | 100 |
| Same vendor, same amount, dates within 5 days | **Close** | 95 |
| Same company, different product name, same amount, same date | **Close** | 60 |
| Same company, different product name, same amount, dates within 5 days | **Close** | 55 |
| No invoice linked | **Unmatched** | — |

**Exact** means vendor, amount, and date all agree.

**Close** is still reconciled. The amount matches. Either the dates are a few days apart, or the invoice and the charge use different product names for one company — for example ChatGPT on the invoice and OpenAI on the card.

**Unmatched** means nothing is linked, so there is no score.

An amount that differs, or a charge from a different company, stays **Unmatched** until someone links it.

## A match you confirm

When you link an invoice to a charge, the row shows **Manual**.

The score still measures how close the two sides are. It starts at **100** and drops for each difference:

| Difference | Lower by |
| - | - |
| Dates up to 5 days apart | 5 |
| Amounts within 5% | 15 |
| A different product name, or a different company | 40 |

The drops add together. Dates a few days apart on the same vendor score **95**. A different company, with amounts within 5% and dates a few days apart, scores **40**.

A manual match shows one of **100, 95, 85, 80, 60, 55, 45, or 40**.

## Recommendation buffer

When a charge has no invoice yet, ClearSpend can recommend a file that is close to it. A file is recommended when both of these are true:

| What ClearSpend compares | How close it needs to be |
| - | - |
| **Amount** | Within ±5% of the charge |
| **Date** | Within ±5 days of the charge |

The amount can be 5% higher or lower. The date can be 5 days before or after.

A recommendation does not link the invoice on its own. Confirm it from [Matching invoices](https://docs.clearspend.ai/features/transactions-matching.md), and the row shows **Manual**.

## Related

* [Matching invoices](https://docs.clearspend.ai/features/transactions-matching.md)
* [Understanding transaction rows](https://docs.clearspend.ai/features/transactions-understanding-transaction-rows.md)


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