Correcting a Merchant Fee Posting Date (VRTrust)
Audience: Property managers and accounting partners using VRTrust who need to move a merchant fee from the statement period it posted in to the correct period (e.g., the month the guest's stay occurred).
Why Merchant Fees Post on the Deposit Date
In VRTrust, merchant fees are tied to the deposit that brought in the payment — not to the reservation's check-in or check-out date. This means:
A reservation with a July stay whose payment was deposited in May will have its merchant fee appear on the May owner statement.
There is no UI toggle to change a merchant fee's posting date directly.
If you need the fee to appear on a different period's owner statement, use the reverse-and-re-enter workflow described below.
When to Use This Workflow
Use this process when:
A merchant fee posted to the wrong statement period (e.g., posted in May but should be in July).
A cancelled reservation's merchant fee is showing on an incorrect owner statement month.
You want the merchant fee to align with the guest's stay dates rather than the deposit date.
Prerequisites
Before starting, gather:
The original posting date of the merchant fee (e.g., May 7th) — visible in the deposit or transaction record.
The correct target date you want the fee to appear on (e.g., a date in July).
Edit access to deposits and adjustments on the team.
Confirm whether the original posting period is still open (not books-closed). If the period is books-closed, the reversing entry must be dated within an open period — contact your VRTrust admin before proceeding.
Step-by-Step: Reverse and Re-Enter the Merchant Fee
Step 1 — Locate the Original Merchant Fee
Navigate to Deposits in VRTrust.
Find the deposit associated with the reservation. You can search by reservation shortRef (e.g., RES-XXXX) or by date.
Identify the merchant fee line item and note its amount and posting date.
Step 2 — Create a Reversing Adjustment
Open the deposit or the reservation's adjustment section.
Add a new adjustment entry with:
Date: The same date as the original merchant fee posting (e.g., May 7th).
Amount: The same amount as the merchant fee, entered as a negative (reversing) entry.
Account: The same merchant fee account used by the original posting.
Description: Something clear like "Reversal of merchant fee — reclassifying to correct period."
Save the entry. This nets the original fee to zero in the May statement.
Step 3 — Re-Enter the Merchant Fee with the Correct Date
Add a second adjustment entry with:
Date: The correct date for the target period (e.g., a date in July).
Amount: The original merchant fee amount (positive).
Account: The same merchant fee account.
Description: Something clear like "Merchant fee — reclassified to correct stay period."
Save the entry.
The merchant fee will now appear on the July owner statement and be absent from the May statement.
Before and After
Period | Before correction | After correction |
May statement | Merchant fee shows (e.g., -$25.00) | Nets to $0.00 (reversal cancels original) |
July statement | $0.00 | Merchant fee shows (e.g., -$25.00) |
Edge Cases
Books-Closed Periods
If May is already books-closed, you cannot post the reversing entry to May 7th. Instead:
Date the reversing entry to the earliest open date.
Note that this will affect the open period's statement, not May's. Discuss with your accountant whether this is acceptable before proceeding.
Multiple Merchant Fees on One Reservation
If there are multiple merchant fee entries (e.g., a deposit split across dates), repeat the reverse-and-re-enter steps for each fee individually.
Cancelled Reservations
The workflow is the same for cancelled reservations. The merchant fee posting follows the deposit date regardless of cancellation status — locate the deposit, reverse, and re-enter on the correct date.
Troubleshooting
I can't find the deposit associated with the reservation. Search in Deposits by date range around when the payment was received, or filter by the reservation shortRef if your PMS sync populates that field.
The reversing entry isn't appearing on the statement. Check that the adjustment is posting to the correct merchant fee account (not a different GL account). Also confirm the adjustment date falls within the statement period you're reviewing.
I can't select the correct date for the re-entry. If date selection is restricted, your team may have a books-closed date set. Check Settings → Team Details for the Books Closed date and ensure your target date is after it.
The statement total changed unexpectedly after the correction. Verify both entries (reversal and re-entry) used the exact same amount. A rounding difference or sign error can create a small residual balance. Edit the adjustment to correct it.
Related Help Articles
Adding and Editing Deposits (VRTrust)
Understanding Owner Statement Periods (VRTrust)
Books-Closed Settings (VRTrust)