You get a statement every month. Do you know what's in it?

Most owners read their statement the same way: skip to the bottom, see the amount paid to you, move on.

But that one number can't tell you if a booking is missing, or if the fee came from the wrong amount.

This guide shows you how to sort every line and check 5 numbers. It also shows you how to ask about anything odd, without sounding like you don't trust your manager.

It's step 3 of our 3 guides to hiring an Airbnb manager.

Where we stand: we're RoomGuru. We earn a share of the income when owners hire us to run their unit.

Everything here applies to us too. We built this guide from the real partner reports of Airbnb, Booking.com and Agoda.

1. Can't follow your statement? Every line fits one of 8 steps

Whatever a line is called, it belongs to one of these 8 steps. Think of them as one road your money travels, from the guest to your bank.

Money in

• 1. Booking income. Each booking: dates, nights and booking number (Airbnb calls it the confirmation code). Plus what the guest paid for the stay and the cleaning fee.
• 2. Platform fees. What Airbnb, Booking.com or Agoda keeps.

Money out

• 3. Cleaning. What the cleaner costs: one charge for each clean after a guest leaves. The cleaning fee the guest paid is income, in step 1.
• 4. Management fee. A percentage of an amount, so ask which amount: before platform fees, or after platform fees and cleaning. The same 20% can leave you with very different money. The statement should show both the % and the amount.
• 5. Other costs. Repairs, linen, toiletries, each with a receipt. Your contract may set a repair limit: how much the manager can spend without asking you. Anything above it needs your OK first.
• 6. Your bills. Electricity, water or internet, if the manager pays them for you.

Money to you

• 7. Adjustments. Changes after a booking: refunds, cancellations, money added or taken off. Each one has a reason and the booking it belongs to.
• 8. Paid to you. What reached your bank account. Money carried over from last month, or kept for next month, shows here too. Some statements call it the opening and closing balance.

Here's one made-up month on that road.

The money road, one month

RM100 of bookings goes in. At every step, a slice comes out. What’s left at the end is yours.

Money inMoney outMoney to you

Paid to you, from RM100 of bookingsRM47.20

Play again

2. Same money, 3 statements: can you see where it went?

Same month, 3 statements

One made-up month: 3 bookings, RM100 in all. 3 managers write it up 3 ways. Pick one, then sort it into the 8 steps.

Detailed Totals only Mixed names

Owner statementRM

Sort into steps

1. Booking income–
2. Platform fees–
3. Cleaning–
4. Management fee–
5. Other costs–
6. Your bills–
7. Adjustments–
8. Paid to you–

All 3 end on RM47.20. But only the detailed one lets you check every number. Here's how.

3. Does your statement add up? 5 checks, and what to ask

Once every line has a step, check these 5. If one doesn't match, you get a polite question to send.

5 checks, and what to ask

Each check compares 2 numbers. The grey box shows it with the same made-up month. Then try it on your own statement and tap what you find.

0/5

For the platform check: on your own Airbnb account, download the earnings report. If you're a co-host on the manager's listing, ask for full access so you can see earnings. Otherwise, ask the manager to export the report for your unit.

4. Asked for the platform report? Here's what its words mean

Platform words, translated

Each platform names the same things differently. Here’s what you’ll see on their reports, and which step each one belongs to.

Airbnb Booking.com Agoda All

Platform report labels and the step of the money road they belong to

Label	What it means	Step
Airbnb: Price × nights, Cleaning fee	What the booking earned before Airbnb’s cut.	1 · Booking income
Airbnb: Service fee	Airbnb’s cut. For customers in Malaysia, Airbnb adds 8% Service Tax to its fees. On the reports we checked, this one line already includes that tax.	2 · Platform fees
Airbnb: Payout	One bank transfer: what’s left after Airbnb’s cut. It can bundle several bookings, each with its own confirmation code. It can also be lower if Airbnb takes back a refund from an earlier booking.	= 1 − 2 · What’s left
Booking.com: Amount	What the guest paid for the stay, including extras like cleaning. If tourism tax has its own column, it may be inside this amount. It shouldn’t count toward your management fee.	1 · Booking income
Booking.com: Commission	Booking.com’s cut, a percentage set in your contract. It can be higher if you joined a Booking.com promotion programme.	2 · Platform fees
Booking.com: VAT	The label says VAT. On the Malaysian reports we checked, it was the tax on Booking.com’s own fees.	2 · Platform fees
Booking.com: Payments Service Fee	A % of each booking, charged when Booking.com collects the guest’s money for you.	2 · Platform fees
Booking.com: Payment charge	On the commission invoices we checked, this was the commission, not a card fee. If yours looks different, ask Booking.com.	2 · Platform fees
Booking.com: Tourism tax	Only foreign guests pay it, RM10 a night. When Booking.com collects the guest’s money, it keeps this tax back and pays it for you (if it pays you by bank transfer or card). It was never your money.	Not yours
Booking.com: Net	What’s left for that booking after Booking.com’s cut.	= 1 − 2 · What’s left
Agoda: Reference sell inclusive	On the reports we checked, the selling price with taxes. Agoda’s cut is worked out from it.	1 · Booking income
Agoda: Compensation	Agoda’s cut.	2 · Platform fees
Agoda: Base rate	On the reports we checked, what was left from that booking after Agoda’s cut.	= 1 − 2 · What’s left

5. Last month's booking on this month's statement? Here's why

A check off by one booking? Look at the dates first.

Each platform pays your manager at a different time. Airbnb usually sends the money about 24 hours after check-in. Booking.com and Agoda pay after check-out, for bookings where they took the guest's money.

So a stay at the end of a month may be paid the next month. Which statement it lands on depends on how yours counts. Is it by check-out date, or by payout date (the day the platform sends the money)?

Which month does it land in?

One stay: in on 27 September, out on 30 September. Pick the platform, and see where the stay lands both ways of counting.

Paid through AirbnbBooking.comAgoda

Sep statementOct statement

Counted by check-out date

The stay

Counted by payout date

The stay

Either way is fine, as long as the statement says which one, and sticks to it. Late refunds work the same way. Airbnb takes them from a later payout, so they show up later, as step 7.

6. Before you read your next statement

Next time, don't skip to the bottom. Start at the top:

• Put every line into one of the 8 steps.
• Run the 5 checks.
• If one doesn't match, copy its question and send it.

Still choosing who runs your unit? Read run your Airbnb yourself, or hire a manager.

7. Questions owners ask

What should a monthly statement from an Airbnb manager include?

Every booking with its dates, nights, booking number and earnings. Then platform fees, cleaning, the management fee and how it was worked out, every other cost with a receipt, and bills paid for you. Last, refunds with a reason, anything carried over, and the amount paid to you.

How do I check my statement if the listing isn't on my own Airbnb account?

Ask the manager for the platform's report for your unit each month, then match each booking by its number. On your own Airbnb account, you can download the earnings report yourself. Booking.com and Agoda have similar reports for whoever holds the account.

Why is last month's booking on this month's statement?

Airbnb usually pays your manager about 24 hours after check-in. Booking.com and Agoda pay after check-out, when they took the guest's money. So a stay at the end of a month can be paid next month, and lands there if your statement counts by payout date.

What do "VAT" and "Payment charge" mean on Booking.com?

On the Malaysian reports we checked, "VAT" was the tax on Booking.com's own fees. On the commission invoices we checked, "Payment charge" was the commission itself, not a card fee. If yours looks different, ask Booking.com.

Is the management fee worked out on the total or after fees?

It depends on your contract. Some take it from booking income, before platform fees; others from what's left after platform fees and cleaning. The same 20% can leave you with very different money, so ask which amount yours is taken from.

My unit has a long-term tenant. Does this work for my agent's statement?

Yes, with fewer lines: rent is step 1, the agent's fee step 4, repairs step 5 and bills paid for you step 6. Check what the fee is worked out from, and that each repair has a receipt. The deposit stays the tenant's money, on its own line with where it's kept, unless it's used for unpaid rent or damage.

Sources: Airbnb service fees: Airbnb Help Centre. Service tax on Airbnb's fees in Malaysia: Airbnb Help Centre. When Airbnb releases payouts: Airbnb Help Centre and payout holds. Refunds after payout: Airbnb Help Centre. Earnings reports: Airbnb Help Centre. What co-hosts can see: Airbnb Help Centre. Tourism tax on Airbnb: Airbnb Help Centre. Booking.com commission: Booking.com Partner Help. Booking.com payouts: Booking.com Partner Help. When Agoda pays out: Agoda Partner Hub. Booking.com and Malaysian tourism tax: Booking.com Partner Help. Agoda commission: Agoda Partner Hub. Who must make sure tourism tax is paid: Royal Malaysian Customs, Public Ruling 1/2025. Platform labels: from the partner reports of Airbnb, Booking.com and Agoda as they appeared in October 2026. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.