HOW TO process Airbnb in XERO – sales, fees

How to Prepare Airbnb Export for Xero Sales Invoice Import

Follow these steps to prepare your Airbnb export for seamless import into Xero’s sales invoices:

1. Log into Airbnb: Access your Airbnb account and navigate to the “Transaction History” section under the “Payouts” tab.  – the document will be in format airbnb_mm_yyyy-mm_yyyy.csv

2. Export Data: Select the date range for the transactions you want to import. Download the report in CSV format, ensuring it includes all necessary details like guest names, booking dates, and transaction amounts.

   

3. Clean the Data: Remove any unnecessary rows or columns that do not pertain to the invoicing process. Check that the amounts and dates are accurate and formatted correctly (e.g., currency format for payments).

   Once you’ve exported the Airbnb transaction history, you may find that the CSV file needs some formatting adjustments before it can be imported into Xero. Here’s what you’ll need to do to clean and organize the data for Xero:

   1. Use necessary Data and Delete Data you won’t need if you want to:
      We’ll be using the following columns: A – date, E, F, I for invoice description, J for reference to show property name, N total due on invoice, P to calculate fees airbnb takes, S for total fees (you can split them between cleaning and accommodation, but for our purposes we’ll keep it simple) Click  on  the  thumbnail  below  to  view  a step  by  step  instruction

      

      The exported Airbnb CSV file may contain extra columns and rows that are not needed for invoicing. Review the columns and delete any irrelevant information, such as:

      • Guest details (unless required for invoicing purposes)
      • Cancellation details (if you don’t need to track this in your invoices)
      • Host earnings details (unless necessary for calculating the invoice amount)

   2. Reformat the Date and Amount Columns:
      Xero requires specific formats for dates and currency amounts. Ensure the following:

      • The date column must be in a format that Xero recognizes, such as DD/MM/YYYY.
      • The amount columns should have the correct decimal points for currency (e.g., 100.00 for £100 or $100).
      • Ensure that the payment amounts are separated correctly into relevant columns, such as gross income and Airbnb service fees.

   3. Adjust Invoice Numbers and Descriptions:
      If your Airbnb export includes information that isn’t suited for Xero invoicing, such as generic service descriptions, you’ll need to adjust these. Make sure to:

      • Edit the invoice number column to align with your own invoicing system. If your export doesn’t contain invoice numbers, generate and add your own.
      • Ensure the description column accurately reflects the nature of the service provided (e.g., “Short-term rental for [Guest Name]”).

   4. Consolidate Payments and Fees:
      Airbnb may list payments and fees separately. You’ll want to consolidate these items into a single payment record for each transaction. For example:

      • Net payment: This would be the final amount paid after Airbnb’s service fees, cleaning fees, etc.
      • Add separate fee lines (if needed) to reflect the Airbnb commission or other associated charges.

   5. Check for Missing or Incorrect Entries:
      After adjusting the data, double-check for any missing information or inconsistencies:

      • Ensure that no guest transactions are omitted.
      • Confirm that the amounts match what you expect based on your Airbnb earnings.

   6. Save and Review:
      Once you’ve cleaned and formatted the data, save the CSV file. It’s a good idea to preview it one last time before importing it into Xero, ensuring everything looks accurate and correctly aligned with Xero’s import requirements. You’ll be using the following columns to tally with XERO IMPORT template currenlty shown  in  red  below:

4. Format the Data: The downloaded CSV file may need some adjustments to match Xero’s sales invoice format. Ensure that the columns are correctly aligned with Xero’s requirements. This typically includes details like invoice number, description of the service, amounts, and dates.

5. Import into Xero (you’ll find this on link here) : Once your data is properly formatted, use Xero’s import feature to upload the CSV file as sales invoices. Make sure to map the columns in the CSV file to the correct fields in Xero for a smooth import process.

6. Review and Adjust: After importing the invoices into Xero, review them for accuracy. Make any necessary adjustments, such as adding or editing invoice details, to ensure your financial records are accurate.

By following these steps, you can easily transfer your Airbnb sales data into Xero, simplifying your bookkeeping and saving time.