Account Codes
Setup > Configuration > Guest Ledger > Account Codes
Account codes are used to manage charges, payments and other accounting transactions that are used in the guest, city and advance deposit ledgers. The system is installed with a default set of account codes but you have the ability to modify most of them.
Account codes 1 through 109 are used by the system and cannot be deleted because they are used internally by roomMaster, but you are able to change the descriptions and other settings.
The Account Codes form consist of the following topics:
Overview Account Information Tax Options Account Code Options Account Code Defaults Room Revenue Accounts Inventory Items
Accounting Overview
roomMaster uses a standard accounting "T-Account" process. Double entry accounting happens behind the scenes according to which ledger is open (Guest Ledger, City Ledger or Advance Deposit Ledger). Any type of charge (such as room and tax) is a debit while any type of payment (such as cash or a credit card) is a credit.
The guest ledger normally will have a debit balance (amount of money owed to you at the present time from all guests at your property). The city ledger will normally have a debit balance as well (amount of money owed to you at the present time by previous guests at your property. That is also accounts receivable). The advance deposit ledger usually carries a credit balance because the amount of money given to you is in advance. Advance deposits are "pre-payments" Your "net worth" would be the guest ledger plus the city ledger minus the advance deposit ledger.
Accounts must have a zero balance when the guest checks out of your property. Reservations with advance deposits will carry a credit balance, and if the reservation is cancelled, the reservation can never be deleted until the advance deposit is properly removed. Deposits are usually removed from a reservation by a debit transaction such as a transfer to a guest folio at check-in time, a cash refund or an advance deposit forfeited transaction. As you transfer a debit from the reservation, a transfer credit is automatically posted to the guest ledger giving the guest a credit balance on their folio.
Any type of void transaction will have the opposite affect as the original transaction. For example, a room and tax charge will produce at least two debit transactions (one for room, the other for tax). If you decide to void a transaction, you must void the original (or parent) transaction which will produce two credit transactions.
Again, roomMaster follows general accounting principles to effectively stop any type of errors that can occur unintentionally or by fraud from employees. General accounting knowledge should be understood by management when setting up these account codes. These checks and balances are used to maintain the integrity of your data. The user is not allowed to just delete a cash transaction or remove an advance deposit transaction without the system properly adjusting all the correct ledgers.
Account Information(General Tab)
Account Code Account codes must be unique.
Account codes 1 through 109 are used by the system and cannot be deleted because they are used internally by roomMaster, but you are able to change the descriptions and other settings.
When adding new account codes, be sure to follow the following standard:
- 001-109 = Internal accounts used by InnQuest
- 110-199 = Charges/Sales
- 200-299 = Payments, refunds and deposits
- 300-349 = Internal accounts used by InnQuest
- 350-399 = InnQuest Gift Card accounts only
- 400-499 = Coupons, adjustments, discounts against sales
- 500-599 = Paid Outs/Expenses
- 600-699 = Special use (Custom Use for Property)
- 700-799 = Spa/Massage Outlets
- 800-899 = Restaurant Outlets
- 900-999 = Previous Balance Debit/Credit accounts
When using iQ-POS When using iQ-POS, create each item and attach it to one of the 700's or 800's account. The system comes preset with a group for SPA and a group for RESTAURANT. This allows split account billing breakdown on the Guest Folio. If you have multiple outlets, you can redo them for each outlet. For example:
- 800 - Olives Restaurant - Food
- 801 - Olives Restaurant - Liquor
- 802 - Olives Restaurant - Gratuity
- 803 - Olives Restaurant - Room Service
- 809 - Olives Restaurant - Discounts
- 810 - Franks Restaurant - Food
- 811 - Franks Restaurant - Liquor
- 812 - Franks Restaurant - Gratuity
- 813 - Franks Restaurant - Room Service
- 819 - Franks Restaurant - Discounts
- 820 - Jazz Night Club - Food
- 821 - Jazz Night Club - Liquor
- 822 - Jazz Night Club - Gratuity
- 823 - Jazz Night Club - Room Service
- 829 - Jazz Night Club - Discounts
Description The account code's description appears on folios, account lists, and reports. You can change the description on any account code including the tax descriptions. If you have a second or third tax such as resort tax or county tax, you would probably want to change that description.
Category Select the correct Accounting category which determines how this affects your accounting in roomMaster. Use the drop down menu to further specify what type of account it is for account filtering. Accounts marked as Room Revenue will be used to calculate room revenue in reports and so forth. Account categories are hard coded in the system and cannot be changed are removed.
Group/Subgroup Account groups and subgroups must be specified for each account code. The description for each group/subgroup appears to the right of the group/subgroup number as you click through the list.
Sales Center Select the appropriate sales center this account will tally to when display sales income in Groups, Travel Agents and City Ledger. Payment and transfer accounts should not be assigned a sales center, as they are not income accounts. You can setup your Sales Centers by pressing the Sales Center button on the main Guest Ledger setup tab. The system comes preset with five sales centers.
Lodging Indicator If you use Shift4 or an integrated credit card processing system, you must assign sales/charge accounts to a lodging indicator. This allows roomMaster to send standard data to the processor to indicate what the guest has purchased for chargeback inquiries. These cannot be changed, as they are dictated by what credit card processors require.
Posting Type Debit account codes include charges incurred by guests as well as refunds; credit account codes include payments made by guests, as well as discounts and coupons.
Level Each account code can be safeguarded against unauthorized charges and changes by specifying the lowest security level able to access/use the account codes. This setting corresponds with the security level setting in each User Profile.
Accounting Package The External Account Code can be used in the "Export to Quickbooks™" option or the "Export Data" function located on the reports menu. The External Code corresponds to the account or category in Quickbooks™ or maybe your General Ledger Account/Cost Center in your accounting package.
Click here for more information about setting up Quickbooks
Click here for more information about setting up PeachTree
Tax Options
The Tax Options tab is where you select which taxes should be applied each time the account code is used. Check the box for each applicable tax account to have it added to any charges made with the account code. If a guest is not tax exempt, each tax rate, percentage or flat amount will be charged accordingly.
Tax Account Codes The Tax Information tab appears for account codes 105-109 instead of the Tax Options tab and is where you configure the taxes to be applied to charges. Click here for how to configure your tax account codes.
Account Code Options (Other Options Tab)
Account codes can be further configured by clicking on the Other Options tab.
Incidental charge Incidental charges can be controlled by indicating if an account code is used for incidentals. The Charge Incidentals option on the check-in screen specifies whether or not a guest can charge incidentals to their room. This works well for cash-paying customers.
Show transaction number This option shows the clerk the transaction number from the journal for recording on a paper voucher, such as a laundry ticket. This is useful for cross-referencing paper vouchers to the computer system. It is recommended to select this option only for account codes that are posted manually. Using this option with account codes posted through an interface or as part of the Auto Post, Room Taxable and Room Non-Taxable, will decrease the efficiency of the interface and the Auto Post.
Voucher is required Transactions involving certain account codes can be required to have voucher numbers. For example, payments by check could require the check number or drivers' license information to be entered.
Zero value code Account codes can be flagged to make sure transfers balance during the dayend close. All account codes with the option checked are combined and totaled. If the total does not equal zero, roomMaster does not allow the auditor to close out the day. An example would be transfer debit and transfer credit, since these accounts should equal zero at the end of the day. See Zero balance accounts for more information.
Prompt Foreign Currency If an account is used and this box is checked, the Foreign Currency window will appear once the transaction is posted.
Make account unusable Account codes are made inactive instead of being deleted — otherwise, account history integrity cannot be ensured. An account code can be closed by checking the Make account inactive option. Accounts codes marked as inactive no longer appear in pick-lists on folio screens. If the account code has already been added to an existing folio or reservation as a daily charge, it can continually be used since it was entered prior to it being marked as unusable. Checking this box only prevents FUTURE use of this account code being attached and use, posting will still occur.
Open Cash Drawer Mark this item if you wish the cash drawer to open once this account has been used. This is usually only assigned to payment accounts and if a cash drawer is integrated in to the workstation.
Credit Card Processing Interface Mark this item if you are using an integrated credit card processing system (includes RMPayments, roomMaster Payments, Windcave and Shift4.) This indicates to the system to prompt for additional information when this code is used, and send the data to the processor.
InnQuest Gift Card Interface Mark this item if you are using InnQuest Software's InnQuest Gift Card System. For more information, contact InnQuest Software or your sales representative.
Account Code Defaults and Warnings
Default amount The default amount will appear every time a transaction is made with the account code. For example, if parking is always $6.00, errors could be reduced by setting the parking account code's default amount to $6.00.
Modify default amount Checking this option allows you to enter an amount for each individual transaction. Use this option for account codes that will not be the same amount every time.
About Complimentary Rooms For Room Revenue account codes 100 or 101, you have the ability to indicate if Complimentary Rooms are included in the Average Daily Sales and Rooms Sold total on the Dayend Close Report. If the room rate is zero (0), and if the rate should affect Average Daily Sales and Rooms Sold, on the Dayend Close report, check the Include zero room rate in ADR option on the Other Options tab for account codes 100 and 101.
Warning amount Clerks are alerted with a beep and message advising them to change the amount entered if it exceeds the Warning amount.
Pre-Posting Surcharge/Fee From the drop down box, select whether to apply a pre-posting surcharge/fee.
The Pre-Posting Surcharge/Fee option is ONLY to be used to post credit card processing surcharges for properties OUTSIDE of North America. It cannot be used for gratuities, taxes or any other surcharges.
Notes:
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The Pre-Posting Surcharge option can ONLY be applied to Credit/Payment account codes and no tax options can be selected.
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When used with a credit card processing system, the surcharge amount is included in the amount approved before all postings are made.
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The surcharge posted is a separate entry from the credit card posting. If the credit card charge is voided, the surcharge will not be voided automatically. Each posting would need to be voided separately, as necessary.
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When checked, the Pre-Posting Surcharge will be applied to any credit card posting from an InnQuest Software product EXCEPT WorldLink. Credit card charges from iQ-POS or through roomMaster.net will have the surcharge added automatically.
City Ledger
Checking the Affects City Ledger option means that transactions of an account code can be specified to affect the city ledger in the opposite way of the guest ledger. For example, if the option is selected for an account code configured as a credit and a posting is made using that account code for $100, a $100 credit will appear on the guest folio in the guest ledger AND a $100 debit will appear in the company master for the company selected in the city ledger. If the option is checked, and the Account to always use: filed is blank, select the proper company master from the city ledger accounts that appear. Enter a company master account number in Account to always use: if the account code should always be applied to the same company master.
Room Revenue Accounts
You can have an unlimited number of room revenue account codes besides just Room Taxable and Room Non-Taxable. This is useful for meeting rooms, marinas, boat slips, cabins, or any other type of revenue you would want to track separately. You can specify the room revenue account to use for the posting account for each reservation, walk-in and rate code.
For example, if a property has an account code for Boat Slips, the account code can be configured as a room revenue posting account. Open the account code in Setup > Configuration > Guest Ledger > Account Codes and select the Use as Room Revenue account option and select whether the account code should have taxes applied or not. Now rate codes for the Boat Slip room type can be configured to use "Boat Slips" as the Revenue Account. Daily postings will use the Boat Slips account code instead of 100 or 101.
For each Room Revenue Account you create, it will add the entry to the Taxable options on the reservation and guest properties. Simply select which account type to post and it will use the specific account code when posting room revenue (room and tax during the autopost)
Languages
If you have setup multiple languages in Folio Setup or Sign-in Sheet Setup (Setup > Configuration > Reservations) these languages will appear on this tab. You can then type in the account description in this language which will print on the guest folio.