Payments at a glance
How money in and money out works on a folio, and which payment page to open.
A payment is money a guest or company gives you. A refund is money you give back. Both post to a folio as a line, so the folio balance always shows what is still owed. You record and correct them on the Folio tab of the reservation.
| I want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Take money from a guest or company | Record a payment |
| Give money back, or fix a payment made by mistake | Refund or void a payment |
| Give back a deposit when the guest leaves | Check-out |
| Charge a company later instead of taking money now | Settle to City ledger, in Companies and city ledger |
| Fix a payment line | Refund it. A payment line cannot be reversed or moved. |
The rules
- Every payment has a purpose: Advance, Settlement or Security deposit.
- A security deposit stays on the unit folio. Check-out looks for it there and gives it back.
- An advance goes where the room charges go. If the Master folio pays the room charges, record the advance on the Master folio.
- A payment line is fixed only by a refund. Reverse and Move charges do not work on it.
- A payment can go over the balance. The folio then shows a credit, for example when a guest pays a deposit before any charge.
- Estatell posts a payment on the business date, not the calendar date. Read more in Business date.
- A folio must be Open to take or return money. To pay after check-out, reopen the folio first.
Purposes by stage
The stage of the unit decides which purposes you can choose. If there is only one, estatell hides the Purpose field and uses it.
| Folio | Before arrival | In house | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit folio, room charges stay on it | Advance | Settlement, Security deposit | Settlement |
| Unit folio, room charges go to the Master | None | Settlement, Security deposit | Settlement |
| Master folio | Advance | Settlement | Settlement |
| Third party folio | Settlement | Settlement | Settlement |
- Departed also covers a cancelled unit and a no-show, so a cancellation fee is a Settlement.
- A Master folio is In house when any of its units is checked in. It is Before arrival when every unit is still confirmed.
- Advance and Settlement lower the balance the same way. They differ only on the receipt.
- When there is no purpose to choose, the folio has no Record payment button. A unit whose room charges go to the Master has none before arrival: use the Master folio.
Which purpose do I use?
| The guest pays | Use | Folio |
|---|---|---|
| A deposit to hold the booking, before arrival | Advance | Unit folio. Master folio when the Master pays the room. |
| A deposit for damages at check-in or during the stay | Security deposit | Unit folio |
| The bill at check-out | Settlement | Unit folio, or the Master folio for a group that pays together |
| A cancellation or no-show fee | Settlement | Unit folio |
| A company that pays through its own folio | Settlement | Third party folio |
A deposit from payment to refund
The credit sits on the unit folio the whole time. Check-out explains the refund step.
Who can do what
| Action | Permission | Owner | Manager | Front desk | Finance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record a payment, download a receipt | Record payments and download receipts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Refund to the payment's own method, void a payment, refund credit | Refund payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Refund to another method | Refund to a method other than the payment's own | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
An owner can change these roles. Check the role in Settings.