Eight checks for Airbnb and vacation-rental hosts who keep their own records. Work from platform reports to bank deposits, expenses, and one final monthly result.
Do the steps in order. A later total is only useful when the earlier records agree.
Use one start and end date across every platform, bank view, card statement, and expense list. Keep late payouts visible instead of moving bookings to make totals match.
Done when: every report covers the same month and you know which payouts crossed the boundary.
Pull the earnings or payout detail from Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, your direct-booking processor, and any other channel used that month. Keep gross booking amount, host fee, adjustment, and payout visible.
Done when: every channel has a source report, including channels with only one booking.
Compare completed stays with your booking log. Add direct bookings and off-platform payments now; they do not arrive with a platform reminder.
Done when: each completed stay has one record with the booking total, exact platform fee, adjustments, and expected payout.
Compare each expected payout with what reached the bank. If one deposit covers several reservations, group those rows before comparing. Use the free payout difference calculator for a quick check.
Done when: every deposit is matched, or its difference has a written reason such as a refund, adjustment, split payout, or timing boundary.
Look for cleaner payments, supplies, utilities, repairs, insurance, permits, software, professional fees, mileage records, and any mixed purchase that needs a rental-only amount.
Done when: each rental cost has a date, amount, category, property, and source document. Use the free category checklist when “other” is doing too much work.
Check that refunds reduce the right booking, platform-remitted lodging tax is not counted as spendable cash, and transfers between your own accounts are not new income or expense.
Done when: unusual cash movement has a label and is not counted twice. Ask a qualified professional when the correct treatment depends on your facts.
Review gross booking income, platform fees, operating expenses, and the amount left after costs. Compare with the prior month and investigate a large change instead of smoothing it away.
Done when: you can explain the month's profit or loss and identify the property, fee, or cost that moved most.
Save the reports and receipts with the month, back up the workbook, and write one plain note about anything still open. Do not silently replace last month's finished file.
Done when: the month has a dated copy, an open-items note, and a clear starting point for next month.
Track one property for one month with 12 payout rows, 20 expense rows, payout differences, and a simple cash summary. Sample data shows where each number goes.
Download the one-month LiteNo email · Excel and Google Sheets · no macrosStaySums adds up to five rentals, 400 booking rows, 600 expense rows, monthly P&L, dashboard, tax summary, mileage log, and a setup guide.
See the workbook · $49 onceOne-time purchase · 30-day full refundRecord activity during the month if possible, then run one short close after the calendar month ends. The close confirms that bookings, payouts, deposits, expenses, refunds, and the monthly result agree.
Use the platform payout detail to group those reservations, then compare their combined expected payout with the one deposit. Do not force one deposit to match one booking when the platform batched them.
No. This is an organizing and review routine for small hosts. It does not decide tax treatment, file a return, or replace professional accounting advice.
No. StaySums does not submit or save the selected month or completed checks. Print the page if you want a record before closing the tab.
One property, one month, 12 payout rows, 20 expense rows, payout-difference formulas, and a simple cash summary. It deliberately leaves out the full-year dashboard, tax summary, and five-rental reporting in the paid workbook.
Yes. Download the Excel file, upload it to Google Drive, and open it with Google Sheets. Its simple formulas work in both Excel and Google Sheets.