How do you read an OTA commission statement?
Last reviewed 2026-07-01
An OTA commission statement lists each reservation the platform billed you for, the stay dates, the amount it based commission on, the commission rate, and the total charged. To read it for errors, match each line to a real, completed stay in your PMS and confirm the rate and the base amount are correct.
- Key fields: reservation id, stay dates, commissionable amount, rate, and total charged.
- Commission should be based on room revenue, not taxes and fees.
- Cancelled and no-show reservations should not carry commission.
- The base amount is where hidden overcharges most often sit.
What each field means
You will see a reservation identifier, the guest stay dates, the amount commission was calculated on, the rate applied, and the charge. The commissionable amount is the field that matters most, because it decides everything downstream.
Reading it for errors
Match each line to a completed stay in your PMS, confirm the commissionable base excludes taxes and fees, check the rate against your contract, and flag cancellations, no-shows, and duplicates.
Where overcharges hide
Commission charged on the tax-inclusive total, stale rates left in place after a renegotiation, and commission on reservations that cancelled or never happened. These are the recurring, recoverable errors.
Common questions
Should commission include taxes and fees?
Generally no. Commission is meant to apply to room revenue. Commission charged on the tax-and-fee-inclusive total is a common and recoverable overcharge.
What if a guest cancelled?
A cancelled or no-show reservation should not carry commission unless your agreement specifically says so. Commission charged on cancellations is disputable.
How do I match statements to my PMS?
By reservation id and stay dates. Any commission line without a matching completed stay in the PMS is a flag.
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