Who This Applies To: VRTrust teams using the general ledger whose accounting start date falls in the middle of one or more reservations. If no stay crosses your start date, nothing in this article affects you.
Overview
When you start using VRTrust, you choose an accounting start date. Everything before that date belongs to your old books; everything on or after it is tracked in VRTrust. Most reservations fall cleanly on one side, but stays that check in before the start date and check out after it need special handling, so revenue isn't counted twice or left out.
VRTrust handles these "cutover" stays automatically. How much of each stay shows up in VRTrust depends on your revenue recognition method (Check-in, Check-out, or Pro-rata) and any per-line overrides, such as recognizing cleaning fees at check-out. This article explains what you'll see on these reservations and why.
How It Works
Lines recognized before the start date are inactive. Any reservation line whose recognition date falls before your accounting start date was already part of your old books. VRTrust keeps it on the reservation for reference but shows it struck through, labeled Before accounting start with your start date.
Lines recognized on or after the start date are active. These post to your general ledger and owner statements as normal.
Pro-rata stays are split by night. Nights before the start date belong to your old books. Nights on or after it are recognized in VRTrust, one night at a time.
An opening guest receivable is carried in. If the guest still owes money for the stay, VRTrust records an opening guest receivable dated the day before your accounting start date. The reservation shows it as its own line, separate from charges recognized after your start date.
Revenue earned after the start date is deferred until it's recognized. For the part of the stay that belongs to VRTrust, the amount sits in deferred revenue on the day before your start date and moves to revenue on its recognition date (check-out, or each night for pro-rata).
What You'll See on the Reservation
Field | What it shows for a cutover stay |
Reservation | Only the lines recognized on or after your accounting start date. |
PM revenue / Owner revenue | Your commission and the owner's share of the active lines only. If no lines are active, both are $0. |
Taxes | Tax lines that are active and mapped to a tax liability account. Taxes mapped to a revenue account appear in revenue instead. |
Total guest charged | What the guest still owes as of your start date, including the opening guest receivable. |
Balance | Total guest charged minus payments VRTrust has recorded for the stay. |
Example
Your accounting start date is September 1. A guest stays 7 nights, checking in August 27 and checking out September 3. The stay totals $631.12, including a $119 cleaning fee, and the guest paid a $200 deposit before September 1. Here's what the reservation shows under each setup:
Default method | Cleaning fee | Reservation (active) | Struck through | Total guest charged | Balance |
Check-in | Check-in | $0 | $631.12 | $0 | Overpaid $200 |
Check-in | Check-out | $119.00 | $512.12 | $0 | Overpaid $200 |
Check-in | Pro-rata | $34.00 | $597.12 | $0 | Overpaid $200 |
Check-out | Check-in | $512.12 | $119.00 | $631.12 | Underpaid $431.12 |
Check-out | Check-out | $631.12 | $0 | $631.12 | Underpaid $431.12 |
Check-out | Pro-rata | $546.12 | $85.00 | $631.12 | Underpaid $431.12 |
Pro-rata | Check-in | $146.32 | $484.80 | $631.12 | Underpaid $431.12 |
Pro-rata | Check-out | $265.32 | $365.80 | $631.12 | Underpaid $431.12 |
Pro-rata | Pro-rata | $180.32 | $450.80 | $631.12 | Underpaid $431.12 |
With everything on Pro-rata, 2 of the 7 nights fall on or after September 1, so 2/7 of the stay ($180.32) is recognized in VRTrust: $90.16 on September 1 and $90.16 on September 2. The other $450.80 belongs to your old books.
Important Considerations
"Overpaid" on Check-in stays is expected. With Check-in recognition, the whole stay was earned before your start date, so VRTrust shows $0 charged. A deposit received before the start date then shows as an overpayment. That money belongs to your opening balances, not to this reservation.
Owner statements only include active lines. Owners see revenue for the part of the stay recognized on or after your start date. The rest should be on the statement from your previous system.
Per-line overrides change the split. If you recognize cleaning fees or other lines differently from your default method, each line follows its own method at cutover.
Changing your recognition method later. If you change your method after go-live, the cutover split is recalculated only for reservations and periods that aren't locked. Locked statements and periods keep their original numbers.
Taxes. Taxes only appear in the Taxes field when the tax line is mapped to a tax liability account. If it's mapped to a revenue account, it's treated like any other revenue line.
Troubleshooting
A reservation shows lines struck through and I don't know why.
Check the label next to the line. Before accounting start means the line was recognized before your start date and belongs to your old books. Lines struck through for other reasons (for example, a cancelled reservation) won't show this label.
The guest balance never reaches zero for a cutover stay.
The opening guest receivable is still open. If the guest paid in your old system, or the balance was settled before your start date, record an owner adjustment dated before your accounting start date to offset the opening receivable. Reach out via the help chat if you'd like us to check the numbers first.
A cutover stay shows "Overpaid" even though the guest paid exactly what they owed.
This is expected with Check-in recognition when a deposit was received before your start date. Account for the deposit in your opening balances under Settings > Accounting > Opening Balances.
FAQ
Will cutover stays be counted twice, in my old books and in VRTrust?
No. Lines recognized before your accounting start date are inactive in VRTrust, so only the part recognized on or after your start date posts to your ledger.
Why does a Check-out stay show the full amount when the guest arrived before my start date?
With Check-out recognition, revenue is earned on the check-out date. Because the guest checked out after your start date, the whole stay belongs to VRTrust.
Can I move my accounting start date to avoid cutover stays?
Almost every start date will cross some stays. Choosing a date during a quieter period reduces how many are affected, but VRTrust handles the rest automatically.
Do owners see the struck-through lines?
No. Owner statements only include active lines recognized during the statement period.
Need help?
If a cutover stay's numbers don't look right, reach out to our support team via the help chat with the reservation ID and your accounting start date, and we'll be happy to assist.