This screen allows you to:
Change the Control File settings shown.
Before you begin
Choose the File Maintenance option from the Main Menu, then choose the Control File option. Choose the Commissions, Taxes & Charges option.
Each screen item description will be discussed.
Min. Commission Amount:
This item is used to establish a minimum commission. If you want to always receive at least a certain commission, enter that dollar amount here. If any commission is calculated at less than the minimum entered, the minimum will be used. If you do not wish the system to enforce a minimum, enter the amount as zero and the calculated commission will always exceed the minimum.
Guest Commission Daybreak:
Enter a value if you want to set commissions based on the number of days a guest is staying or select "Not Used".
A Status Commission %:
This is the normal commission percent for an ‘A’ reservation. This commission percent will be used for all ‘A’ reservations unless the unit being booked has its own commissions entered. An ‘A’ reservation is the standard short-term guest reservation.
B Status Commission %:
This is the normal commission percent for a ‘B’ reservation. This commission percent will be used for all ‘B’ reservations unless the unit being booked has its own commissions entered. A ‘B’ reservation is an owner referred reservation.
C Coordination Fee:
This is the normal flat commission charge for a ‘CY’ reservation. This is a dollar amount to charge, since there is no rental amount for ‘C’ reservations. This commission charge will be used for all ‘CY’ reservations unless the unit being booked has its own commissions entered. A ‘CY’ reservation is a friend of owner reservation.
E Status Commission %:
This is the normal commission percent for an ‘E’ reservation. This commission percent will be used for all ‘E’ reservations unless the unit being booked has its own commissions entered. An ‘E’ reservation is a long-term reservation.
Referral Fee Percent:
This is the normal referral commission paid to a travel agent. This percent is also used as the company discount percentage. This percent will be used for all referral reservations unless the unit being booked has its own commissions entered.
Compute Commission Default:
This field directs the system on what dollar amount to use when calculating the commission. There are three dollar amounts that can be subtracted from the gross rental amount prior to computing commission. The cleaning charge to the owner (C), the credit card discount (D) and the referral fee (R). Any percentage of these three items can be subtracted from the gross rental amount prior to computing commission. For example, C1.00-D0.50-R0.00, would subtract 100% of the cleaning, 50% of the credit card discount and 0% of the referral fee from the gross rental amount prior to computing commission. This formula will be used for all units except those that have their own commission structure.
Compute Deposit Default:
This field establishes the dollar amount to use when calculating the deposit. You can base the amount on the rent amount, the total amount due or the rent and tax amount.
Include all tax in Deposit:
This setting only applies if the deposit is computed on the rental amount. If "Rental" is chosen for the previous setting of ‘Compute Deposit Default’ then this field allows "Yes" if you want to collect the total tax with the deposit or "No" if you do not.
Security Deposits Default:
This field tells the system whether the security deposit is due with the final balance with the rental deposit, or security deposits are not used. Security deposit amount is set up in the Unit file, screen #4. The system will automatically set up the checks for you via the Payables Menu. It will print the checks for you and allow you to deduct charges from the amount prior to the refund or deduct the entire amount held and refund nothing to the reservation.
Choose [Balance] if you want the security deposit money to be due when the rest of the reservation money is due. This is either on arrival or a number of days prior to arrival and is determined by a setting in the Control file in Reservation Deposit Info.
Choose [Deposit] which means the security deposit amount is due with the rental deposit. The rental deposit setting is in the Control file, Reservation Deposit Info.
Choose [Not used] if you do not charge a security deposit. If you choose this option, you may wish collect credit card information for security. Follow these easy steps:
1. Add a statement to your license agreement about credit card information. Here is an example: "Renter agrees that management may charge the renter’s credit card for all damages caused by the renter to the rental unit and the renter understands that credit card information was provided for this purpose."
2. Then you can go to the Control file, General Accounting, Screen #4 and set the "Ask credit card info at check type deposit" to ‘Yes’. This setting will allow you to store credit card information. It will not automatically process a payment with this information.
3. Require every reservation to give you a credit card whether paying by credit card or not.
4. Explain to every reservation made that their credit card is being used as the security deposit. You may choose to do this when explaining your cancellation policy.
5. If you have damage, charge the card and send the guest a letter and receipt telling them of the charge and the items they paid for.
6. Be prepared for some charge disputes. It is important to have a clear and signed policy such as your guest license agreement.
Round deposit to nearest $:
This setting tells RMS to round the deposit nearest to the dollar amount entered. For example, if "10" is entered and a deposit amount totals to $137.99, RMS will round the deposit amount up to $140.00.
Charge Sales Tax 1 To Resv Income:
This item tells the system whether to charge the Sales Tax 1 percent to short-term reservations. Valid settings are Yes or No.
Charge Sales Tax 2 To Resv Income:
This item tells the system whether to charge the Sales Tax 2 percent to short-term reservations. Valid settings are Yes or No.
Charge Sales Tax 3 To Resv Income:
This item tells the system whether to charge the Sales Tax 3 percent to short-term reservations. Valid settings are Yes or No.
Amenity Key for Reservation Fee:
If you are using the reservation fee feature you must establish an amenity, using the Amenities File option on the Files Menu, and enter the amenity number (key) in this field. The system uses the amenity method to track the reservation fee on a per reservation basis. This field lets the system know which amenity to use for the tracking of reservation fee amount.
Deduct Referral from commission:
If you would like to deduct the travel agent referral fee from the commission rather than the owner gross choose "Yes", if not choose "No"
Sales Tax 1:
This is the first sales tax percentage available. When creating equipment, amenities and charges you will be asked whether to charge this tax. You also specify (on this screen) whether the reservation rental amount is to be charged this tax. The function of multiple taxes is to allow you to accommodate different tax percentages being charged different items. For example, your state sales tax may be 5% and an accommodations tax 2%. You would set tax 1 to 5% (0.05) and tax 2 to 2% (0.02). To correctly charge tax on reservation rent you would set charge tax 1 and tax 2 to resv income to yes. When creating an equipment item, for which you only charge the 5% state sales tax, you would only set the tax 1 to yes. This setup would only charging 5% tax for equipment rentals but 7% tax for reservation rent.
Sales Tax 2:
This is the second sales tax percentage available. When creating equipment, amenities and charges you will be asked whether to charge this tax. You also specify (on this screen) whether the reservation rental amount is to be charged this tax.
Sales Tax 3:
This is the third sales tax percentage available. When creating equipment, amenities and charges you will be asked whether to charge this tax. You also specify (on this screen) whether the reservation rental amount is to be charged this tax.
State Income Tax %:
This is a withholding tax that can be charged the owner. This tax percentage will be charged against the net reservation income on the owner statement. This tax is only charged to owners whose state withholding tax field is set to yes. Choose "Gross" or "Net" to charge tax against.
Deposit Percentage:
This item description depends on the value assigned. If you want the system to calculate your standard reservation deposit based on a percentage of the gross rent, enter the percentage using a period and then the percentage amount. For example, .50 would tell the system you required a fifty percent deposit. Any amount entered over 1.0 tells the system to charge the deposit based on a weekly charge. This means that each week, and partial week, of a reservation would require this deposit amount. For example, if you entered 100.00 the system would charge a deposit of $100.00 for each week of the reservation, so a two-week reservation would be charged $200.00 for the deposit. Each unit can override this deposit setting.
Charge tax > = x days: