Charges & Extras
The Charges tab on a booking shows the full price breakdown -- from the base accommodation rate to extra charges, taxes, and the total due. You can add, edit, and remove charges to ensure the booking total accurately reflects what the guest owes.
Understanding the charges breakdown
When you open the Charges tab on a booking, the price is built up in layers:
- Base rate -- The accommodation cost calculated from the listing's rate plan. This factors in the nightly rate, seasonal pricing, weekend rates, length-of-stay discounts, and any manual price adjustments.
- Extra charges -- Additional fees on top of the base rate (cleaning, extra guests, amenities, etc.).
- Tax breakdown -- Each tax from the assigned tax set shown as a separate line item with its calculated amount.
- Total due -- Base rate + extra charges + taxes. This is the amount the guest owes.
Types of extra charges
Each charge type has a specific calculation method. Understanding these is important for getting your booking totals right:
| Charge type | Calculation method | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning fee | One-time flat fee | EUR 75 per booking |
| Extra guest fee | Per night, per extra guest beyond base occupancy | EUR 15/night for each guest above 2 |
| Amenity charges | One-time or per night | Pool heating EUR 20/night, parking EUR 50 one-time |
| Service charges | One-time or per night | Airport transfer EUR 60, bike rental EUR 10/night |
| Damage deposit | One-time flat fee (refundable) | EUR 300 security deposit |
| Custom charges | One-time or per night -- you set the name and amount | "Late check-out" EUR 40 one-time |
Per-night vs one-time charges
- One-time charges are applied once regardless of the length of stay. A EUR 75 cleaning fee is EUR 75 whether the guest stays 2 nights or 14 nights.
- Per-night charges are multiplied by the number of nights in the booking. A EUR 15/night extra guest fee on a 7-night stay becomes EUR 105.
Full calculation example
Here is a complete example showing how a booking total is calculated:
Booking details: 5 nights, 4 guests (base occupancy: 2), rate plan includes a 10% VAT and a 3% city tax.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate | EUR 120/night x 5 nights | EUR 600.00 |
| Cleaning fee | Flat fee (one-time) | EUR 85.00 |
| Extra guest fee | 2 extra guests x EUR 15/night x 5 nights | EUR 150.00 |
| Pool heating | EUR 20/night x 5 nights | EUR 100.00 |
| Subtotal before tax | EUR 935.00 | |
| VAT (10%) | 10% of EUR 935.00 | EUR 93.50 |
| City tax (3%) | 3% of EUR 935.00 | EUR 28.05 |
| Total due | EUR 1,056.55 |
This is exactly what the guest sees on their booking confirmation and what appears on the Charges tab.
Adding an extra charge
- Open the booking and go to the Charges tab.
- Click "Add Charge".
- Select the charge type from the dropdown, or choose "Custom" to enter your own name.
- Enter the amount (the unit price, not the total -- hejGuide multiplies per-night charges automatically).
- Choose the calculation method:
- One-time -- Applied once as a flat fee.
- Per night -- Multiplied by the number of nights.
- Click Save.
The charge is added and the total due recalculates, including any applicable taxes.
Using Products & Services as charges
If you have set up items in the Products & Services module, you can add them directly as booking charges. This has two advantages:
- Consistent pricing -- The price is pulled from the product definition, so you do not need to remember or look up amounts.
- Inventory tracking -- If the product has inventory limits (e.g., only 3 parking spots), adding it to a booking reduces the available count.
When adding a charge, select from your Products & Services list instead of entering a custom amount. The charge type, amount, and calculation method are pre-filled from the product definition.
TIP
Set up your most common extras (cleaning fee, parking, pool heating, etc.) as Products & Services. This speeds up booking creation and ensures consistent pricing across all reservations.
Tax calculation on charges
Taxes are calculated automatically based on the tax set assigned to the listing's rate plan. Here is how it works:
- The tax set defines one or more tax items (e.g., "VAT 10%", "City tax 3%").
- Each tax is calculated as a percentage of the subtotal (base rate + all extra charges).
- The Charges tab shows each tax as a separate line item so both you and the guest can see the exact breakdown.
- Taxes are recalculated automatically whenever you add, edit, or remove a charge.
Which charges are taxed?
All charges on the booking are included in the taxable subtotal:
- Base rate -- taxed
- Cleaning fee -- taxed
- Extra guest fees -- taxed
- Amenity and service charges -- taxed
- Custom charges -- taxed
- Damage deposit -- taxed (included in the subtotal by default)
TIP
If you need to exclude certain charges from tax (e.g., a damage deposit that is fully refundable), consider recording it separately outside the booking charges, or adjust your tax configuration in Taxes & VAT.
Editing a charge
- On the Charges tab, find the charge you want to modify.
- Click on the charge to edit it.
- Update the amount, description, or calculation method.
- Click Save.
The total due and taxes recalculate automatically.
Editing charges after payments have been made
You can edit charges even after payments have been recorded on the booking. Here is what happens:
- The total due changes to reflect the new charges.
- The total paid stays the same (payments already recorded are not affected).
- The balance remaining adjusts accordingly.
Example: A booking has EUR 1,000 total due and the guest has paid EUR 300 as a deposit. You add a EUR 50 late check-out fee. The new total due becomes EUR 1,050, total paid remains EUR 300, and the balance remaining increases from EUR 700 to EUR 750.
If editing a charge results in the guest having overpaid (total paid exceeds total due), the balance shows as a negative amount, indicating a refund may be due. See Refunds for how to handle this.
WARNING
Changing charges after a guest has paid does not automatically refund or charge the guest. If the total changes, you need to collect additional payment or process a refund as appropriate. Communicate any changes to the guest directly.
Removing a charge
- On the Charges tab, find the charge you want to remove.
- Click the Delete button next to the charge.
- Confirm the removal.
The total due and taxes recalculate automatically. If the guest has already paid more than the new total, you will need to handle the overpayment via a refund.
Charges on OTA bookings
For bookings from Booking.com, Airbnb, or other channels via the Channel Manager:
- The initial charges are imported from the OTA and reflect the pricing set on that platform.
- You can view the charges breakdown on the Charges tab.
- Editing charges in hejGuide does not sync back to the OTA. Any pricing changes should be made on the original platform.
- Additional local charges (e.g., city tax collected on-site) can be added in hejGuide for your own records.