(1,234.56) is not being read as a negative number
Amounts wrapped in parentheses either fail to import or come through as positive numbers.
Why it happens
- Parentheses are the accounting convention for a negative, inherited from ledgers, where a minus sign was easy to miss and easy to lose to a bad photocopy.
- To anything reading the file as data, though, “(1,234.56)” is a string starting with an open bracket, which is not a number.
- The positive case is the expensive one.
What to do now
- Total the column and compare it against a figure you already trust before using any of it.
- Look specifically at rows that should be credits: refunds, returns, reversals, adjustments.
- Ask for the export with a minus sign rather than brackets if the source system offers the option.
Next time
A number field reads a parenthesised value as negative, so (1,234.56) arrives as -1234.56 and a credit subtracts.
Start from the invoice line items template.
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