Buying a store that runs Verifone
When you buy a gas station that runs Verifone, its financial history lives in reports from the site controller or Back Office and in the seller's bank statements. This page lists what to ask for, how to tie it to the bank before you commit, and what to check on closing day and in your first month. We are not Verifone, and this is not legal advice.
Works with your POS, back-office & accounting stack
Ask for a year or more of daily reports from the site controller or Back Office, the matching bank and card processor statements, the fuel inventory history, the lottery statement and balance, vendor balances and the list of who has access. Tie the daily reports to the bank yourself, and have a lawyer review the equipment, support and processing terms.
By the FuelCFO team. Where this page describes a vendor's product, the details come from the vendor's own public descriptions and can change, so confirm them with the vendor. Figures in diagrams are illustrative.
Verifone describes the Commander Site Controller as combining site, payment and forecourt control, and offers a cloud Back Office that works with it. Which reports exist, and what can be shared with you, depends on the seller's setup and agreements, so confirm both with the seller, Verifone or the reseller. We work from the reports your Verifone setup already produces, your statements and your QuickBooks Online file. We are not part of Verifone, we do not set up or change anything in it, and what your own setup includes is something to confirm with Verifone or your reseller.
Request as many months of daily reports as the seller can provide, and ask for at least a full year so you see every season. Ask for the day-close and shift reports, sales by department, fuel by grade, lottery, tax and the payment split. A seller who cannot produce them is telling you something.
A report is only the store's version of events. Take a sample of months and match the cash and card totals to the seller's bank and processor statements. Do it yourself, or have your accountant do it. Large or repeated gaps are the single best warning sign.
Fuel on hand, the amount owed to the lottery and the vendor balances all change hands at closing. Get each in writing as of closing day, from the reports and from the supplier or lottery statement, so there is no argument about who owes what.
Admin access to the site controller or Back Office decides who can change settings and reports. Ask who holds it, whether the seller or a reseller keeps a login, and how access moves to you on closing day. Plan to remove old users on day one.
Look at any equipment lease, the support arrangement and the card processing agreement. Some do not transfer automatically, and a processing change can alter fees and deposit timing. Ask your fuel brand what equipment it approves, and have a lawyer review the transfer terms.
For the list to send the seller, go to the request table. For warning signs, go to what to watch for. For the systems themselves, see Verifone Commander and Verifone Back Office. To have a team check the numbers with you, see what we do.
We list what to ask the seller for, in plain words.
We match sample months to statements and note every gap.
Fuel, lottery and vendor balances are confirmed as of closing.
Access, reports and opening balances are set before you take over.
Every deposit is tied to a Verifone day before you relax.
Send the seller a written request list.
Written requests leave a record if there is a dispute later. Ask for a year or more of daily reports and the matching statements.
We help you word the list so nothing is missed.
Look for gaps, late edits and odd cash.
Match sample months of cash and card totals to bank and processor statements.
Repeated gaps are worth raising before you agree a price.
Fuel, lottery and vendor balances are written down.
Both sides sign off so there is no argument afterwards.
Anything uncertain is settled in the contract, not afterwards.
New logins and admin rights are set up, and old ones removed.
Confirm with the reseller or Verifone how access moves to you.
Do this on day one, before the first sale under your ownership.
Every deposit is tied to a day.
The first month is the one that shows what you really bought.
We report the result and anything that needs fixing.
Report names and what can be shared depend on the seller's setup and agreements. Ask the seller, Verifone or the reseller what each is called.
Days or weeks are missing with no explanation.
Many days were corrected after they were closed.
Cash or card totals differ from the bank in a pattern.
The inventory shows negative fuel or large unexplained variances.
The amount owed does not match the statement.
The reseller or seller holds the only admin login.
You want to know what the numbers really say.
You want a repeatable checklist.
You want records you can show them.
Still negotiating? Send what you have and we will tell you what is missing.
Book a 30-minute call. We then take about 48 hours to review the records you have and send you what we found, at no charge.
If you go ahead, we agree what we own, what you send and the dates for each step.
The first close is the slowest. After that, the same rhythm repeats.
Taking Over a Verifone Store: fuel balances and variance history checked first.
5 services →Taking Over a Verifone Store: store, lottery and vendor balances confirmed as of the change date.
9 services →Tax records checked for gaps before they become yours.
4 services →The acquisition or cutover recorded, with each store kept separate.
3 services →FAQ
More guides on the same system, or send us a day or a month for a free review.
Monthly bookkeeping for stores that run Commander: reconciliation, month-end close and Verifone totals posted into QuickBooks Online.
Read more →What Verifone Commander does, which reports we need from it each month, and where those numbers go next.
Read more →Which records to request, what to tie to the bank, and what to check after closing.
Read more →Send us a day or a month and we'll show you where the three systems disagree.
Get started →See all Verifone guides →| Every gas station software guide →
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