Bookkeeping for Travel Agencies

Yes — that is the point of setting the books up by industry. Travel businesses handle very large gross amounts and keep a small commission from them, and the single most common bookkeeping failure is recording the gross as revenue. Client funds held for a supplier are a liability, commission is earned on travel rather than on booking, and cancellations claw it back. Books built on deposits alone show a business several times its real size, with a bank balance mostly belonging to travelers who have not gone anywhere yet.

Commission recorded as revenue, with client funds held as a liability until paid on; Commission earned at travel date rather than at booking, so cancellations are handled; Supplier and consortium overrides tracked as they are earned; and 2 other recurring pieces. It is done monthly rather than reconstructed at year end, so the numbers are usable while the decisions are still open.

The three we see most: gross bookings recorded as revenue, overstating the business enormously; client funds spent as operating cash before the supplier is paid; commission recognized at booking, then reversed messily on cancellation; overrides and incentives arriving with nothing accrued against them. A hundred thousand dollars of bookings might be six thousand dollars of income.

Yes. We work inside your file so you keep ownership and full visibility. If you do not have one set up yet, we build it around your industry from the start, including a chart of accounts that matches how you actually earn.

That is our specialty. Cleanup is quoted at a fixed price after a short no-obligation review, so you know the cost before any work begins. Scope varies enormously, so we look first and quote second.