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Managing resolution adjustments and payouts for Airbnb bookings can often become a complex and time-consuming process. These adjustments, whether refunds to guests or payments from guests, must be accurately tracked to ensure financial reconciliation. If mishandled, discrepancies may arise in owner payouts, management company accounts, or even guest records, leading to potential misunderstandings or financial imbalances.
Clearing offers a system to simplify this process. By leveraging its âResolutionsâ feature, integrated with tools like the Airbnb, users can seamlessly track and manage adjustments without affecting the underlying bookings. This article explains how to use Clearing effectively for managing resolution payouts, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in your transaction management.
One-Time Setup: Adjust Asset Settings for Expected Payouts
Before working through resolution payouts month to month, set this up once so resolution amounts don't also get counted against a booking's expected payout. Go to the âAssets and Ownersâ section in Clearing.
Here select all of your assets and click the "Bulk Actions" button. It will open a new pop up window.
Scroll down and check the box for "Include Resolution Payouts". This will include the resolution adjustment as part of the expected payout amount in the booking reconciliation. It ensures that resolution adjustments and payouts are being considered when reconciling the bank deposits with the expected booking amounts.
Click Apply to save these settings.
Simple Steps to Track and Manage Airbnb Resolution Adjustments and Resolution Payouts in Clearing
Step 1: Access the Resolution Payouts Center in Clearing
Login into your Clearing account and navigate to the âBookingsâ section from left hand menu. Here click on âResolution Payoutsâ option, where you can easily manage your resolution payouts.
Step 2: Populate the Resolution Payouts Section
To begin managing resolution payouts, go to the âClearing Chrome extensionâ and under Resolution Payouts read instructions.
You must need to be logged in to your Airbnb account and on the Resolution center page (https://www.airbnb.com/resolutions).
Click the "Sync Resolution Payouts" option to transfer the resolution payout/adjustment details into Clearing.
Once synced, go to the Resolution Payouts section in Clearing to view all imported resolution adjustments/payouts. You will see details like the booking number associated with the payout, guest information, and the status of the resolution.
Tip: You're not limited to what syncs from Airbnb. If you processed a refund or payment through an external tool (Venmo, ACH, Zelle, Stripe, etc.) outside your PMS, you can add that resolution manually in Clearing. It reconciles against the booking the same way a synced resolution does.
Step 3: Assign Payout Amounts
In the âResolution Payoutsâ section review the payout details for accuracy. Assign the resolution amount to either the owner or the management company:
Use the "Amount to Owner" column for payouts/adjustments that owners should be responsible for.
Use the "Amount to Management" column for payouts/adjustments that the management company should be responsible for.
Ensure the amounts in both columns do not exceed the total payout value. You can split the amount between the owner and management company, if necessary and desired - for shared responsibility.
Important: Watch the sign on the amount. Use a negative amount if money went out to the guest (a refund). Use a positive amount if the guest paid you. Entering it backwards will misstate the owner's or management's balance.
You can also assign a category to the payout, such as "Resolution Payout", "Cleaning Fee Adjustment", or "Pet Fee" for example, based on the nature of the adjustment and how you manage your chart of accounts.
Step 4: Lock the Resolution Payout
Once you have assigned the amounts and category, check the box in lined with each transaction to lock the resolution payout to prevent accidental changes in the future. This ensures that the adjustment remains consistent and protects the integrity of financial data.
Step 5: Verify Payouts with Deposit Matching
For accurate reconciliation, open the associated booking in Clearing.
Scroll down to the âReconciliationâ section and verify that after the resolution payout/adjustment occurs, the amount deposited into the bank account matches the updated booking information. You will also be able to see the individual impacting transaction in the âTransaction financialsâ section.
Deposit matching helps ensure the payout into your bank account aligns with your expected booking details and aids in overall financial transparency and accuracy - a booking reconciliation is a fundamental aspect of Trust Accounting.
Optional Step: Exclude Resolution Adjustments from Property Management Software (PMS) Integration
Some PMS platforms pass a resolution adjustment straight into the booking. We don't recommend relying on that, since resolutions often land well after the original booking, and a PMS-passed line risks being mistimed or duplicating what you're already tracking in the Resolution Payouts center.
If your PMS passes resolution adjustments to Clearing, go to the booking details for that booking, enter the resolution amount, and set the accounting to exclude. If this happens regularly, it's worth setting up a rule by type instead of doing it manually each time.
This ensures that adjustments from PMS integrations do not interfere with the bookingâs financial accuracy.
Need more help?
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Clearing is a Financial Technology Company, not a bank.