Why Airbnb and Vrbo payouts don't match your bank deposits

1. 1

   Payouts are net of channel fees

   Host or service fees are deducted before the money is sent, so the deposit is smaller than the booking revenue. Booking the deposit as revenue understates income and hides what the channel charged.

2. 2

   One payout can cover several reservations

   Depending on the channel and your payout settings, a single deposit can combine multiple reservations, sometimes across different properties.

3. 3

   Timing doesn't follow the calendar month

   Channels generally release payouts around guest check-in rather than at booking, and bank transfers take additional days. A stay in one month is often paid in the next.

4. 4

   Adjustments arrive later

   Refunds, cancellation fees, alterations and resolution payments can be deducted from, or added to, a later payout than the original reservation.

5. 5

   Taxes may or may not pass through you

   In some jurisdictions the platform collects and remits occupancy taxes itself; in others the tax is paid to you to remit. Reports can show tax amounts that never reach your bank. Confirm which applies to each listing with a qualified tax advisor.

6. 6

   Your PMS records reservations, not deposits

   A PMS typically reports reservation totals when they are booked or stayed, which is a different moment and a different amount from the net payout.

The reliable way to reconcile payouts is to stop recording deposits as revenue directly. Instead, record each reservation's parts into a clearing account, then let the deposit clear it.

1. 1

   Record the reservation detail

   For each payout, record gross booking revenue, cleaning and other fees as income, and channel fees as an expense, with the net going to a channel clearing account. Tag each line with the property.

2. 2

   Record the deposit against the clearing account

   When the bank deposit arrives, match it to the clearing account instead of to income.

3. 3

   Review the clearing balance at month-end

   What remains should be explainable as payouts released but not yet deposited. Anything else is a missing payout, a duplicate or an adjustment to investigate.

4. 4

   Tie out to the PMS

   Compare revenue by property in QuickBooks with the PMS reservation report for the same period and explain timing differences.

Agree the revenue recognition approach (gross or net, and booking, stay or payout date) with your tax preparer, then apply it the same way every month.

• Revenue in QuickBooks equals total bank deposits
• Channel fees don't appear anywhere in your profit and loss
• A clearing or undeposited funds balance keeps growing
• You can't produce profit by property without a spreadsheet
• Refunds show up as negative deposits with no link to a reservation