Recording Payments
The Payments tab on a booking lets you track all money received from a guest. Record deposits, balance payments, and any other payments to keep an accurate financial record for every reservation. Whether your guest pays by bank transfer, cash, or credit card processed outside hejGuide, you record each payment here so the booking balance stays up to date.
Viewing the payment summary
When you open the Payments tab on a booking, the top section shows a financial summary at a glance:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Total due | The full amount owed for the booking, pulled from the Charges tab. This includes base rate, extra charges, and taxes. |
| Total paid | The sum of all recorded payments (manual and online). |
| Balance remaining | Total due minus total paid. When this reaches zero, the booking is fully paid. |
| Payment history | A chronological list of every payment and refund recorded for this booking. |
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The balance remaining is what drives the payment status indicators on the booking. A booking with a balance of zero shows as fully paid; any positive balance shows as partially paid or unpaid. This status is visible on the bookings list, making it easy to spot which reservations still need payment.
Payment methods
When recording a payment, you select the method the guest used. hejGuide supports the following payment methods:
- Cash -- Guest paid in person with cash.
- Bank transfer -- Guest sent a wire or SEPA transfer to your bank account.
- Credit card -- Card payment processed outside hejGuide (e.g., via a physical card terminal).
- Debit card -- Debit card payment processed outside hejGuide.
- PayPal -- Payment received through PayPal outside hejGuide.
- Online payment -- Automatically recorded when a guest pays through a payment link (Mollie or Stripe). You typically do not need to select this manually.
- Other -- Any other payment method not listed above.
Recording a manual payment
When a guest pays outside of hejGuide (cash at check-in, bank transfer, card on your terminal), record it manually to keep the booking financials accurate:
- Open the booking and go to the Payments tab.
- Click "Record Payment".
- Enter the payment details:
- Amount -- The exact amount received.
- Payment method -- Select from the list above.
- Date -- The date the payment was received (defaults to today).
- Notes -- Optional but recommended. Use this for reference numbers, receipt IDs, or context (e.g., "Bank transfer ref: SEPA-2026-4812" or "Cash at check-in").
- Click Save.
The payment appears immediately in the payment history and the balance remaining updates.
WARNING
Recording a payment in hejGuide is a bookkeeping action -- it does not move money. If a guest says they sent a bank transfer, verify the funds have arrived in your account before recording the payment. hejGuide records the fact that payment was received; it does not confirm it.
Deposit and balance workflow
Most vacation rental hosts collect payments in two stages: a deposit to secure the booking and the remaining balance before or at check-in. hejGuide supports this naturally -- simply record each payment as it comes in.
Example: two-stage payment collection
Consider a booking with a total of EUR 1,200:
Stage 1 -- Deposit (at time of booking)
The guest books and you want to collect a 30% deposit (EUR 360). You have two options:
- Send a payment link for EUR 360 via Mollie or Stripe. The guest pays online, and the payment is recorded automatically.
- Receive a bank transfer for EUR 360 and record it manually on the Payments tab.
After the deposit, the Payments tab shows:
| Total due | EUR 1,200 |
| Total paid | EUR 360 |
| Balance remaining | EUR 840 |
Stage 2 -- Balance (before check-in)
Two weeks before check-in, the guest pays the remaining EUR 840 by bank transfer. You record this as a second manual payment.
After the balance payment, the Payments tab shows:
| Total due | EUR 1,200 |
| Total paid | EUR 1,200 |
| Balance remaining | EUR 0 |
The booking is now fully paid and shows as such on the bookings list.
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You can mix payment methods freely. A deposit collected via an online payment link and a balance paid in cash at check-in both appear together in the same payment history. There is no limit to the number of payments you can record on a booking.
Automated payment reminders
If you use the Guest Journey feature, you can set up automated emails that remind guests about upcoming payments:
- Deposit reminder -- Sent shortly after booking to prompt the guest to pay their deposit. Can include an online payment link.
- Balance due reminder -- Sent a set number of days before check-in to remind the guest about the outstanding balance.
These automations work hand-in-hand with the Payments tab. When the guest pays (either through a payment link or manually recorded by you), the balance updates automatically. The automations reference the booking's payment status, so they only send when there is still an outstanding balance.
For details on setting up these automations, see Guest Journey.
Payments for OTA bookings
For bookings that come from Booking.com, Airbnb, or other OTA channels:
- The OTA typically handles payment collection from the guest.
- You may still want to record payments in hejGuide to maintain a complete financial record -- for example, when the OTA pays out to your bank account.
- Some OTAs send the full amount; others deduct their commission before paying you. Record the amount you actually receive.
WARNING
For Channel Manager bookings, payment and pricing changes should generally be made on the original OTA platform. Modifying charges in hejGuide does not sync back to the OTA.
Viewing and filtering payment history
The payment history on each booking shows all transactions in chronological order:
- Date -- When the payment was recorded.
- Amount -- How much was paid (refunds show as negative amounts).
- Method -- The payment method used.
- Status -- For online payment links: Sent, Paid, or Expired.
- Notes -- Any notes attached to the payment.
This gives you a complete audit trail for each booking that you can reference for accounting, tax reporting, or guest inquiries.