Year end, and a question with no quick answer
Your accountant emails before the year end asking for the total of unredeemed vouchers at the balance sheet date, split by expiry. The spa manager pulls a report from the spa system's voucher module. The online shop has its own report of vouchers sold. There is also the paper voucher book from the gift shop at the front desk, and a batch of vouchers given away for charity raffles. Redemptions are partly in the spa system, partly ticked in the paper book.
Three days later there is a figure, with a note saying it is probably about right. Nobody is comfortable with that, least of all the person who signed it off.
Sales and redemptions recorded in different places
The outstanding balance is simple arithmetic: everything issued, less everything redeemed, less anything expired under your terms. The problem is that the inputs live in different places with different codes, and some redemptions are never recorded against the original sale.
| Source | Sales recorded? | Redemptions recorded? |
|---|---|---|
| Spa system voucher module | Yes | Yes, if used at the till |
| Online voucher shop | Yes | No, redeemed in the spa system |
| Paper voucher book | In the book | Ticked, sometimes |
| Complimentary and raffle vouchers | Rarely | Rarely |
| Reseller vouchers | By the reseller | In their portal |
Partly redeemed monetary vouchers add another layer, because the remaining balance needs tracking, not just a used or unused flag.
Why a guessed figure hurts
Time goes into building the number at the busiest point of the financial year. Management decisions, such as how many spa days to hold back for voucher bookings in the new year, are based on a figure nobody trusts. Complimentary vouchers are forgotten until they turn up at the desk. And if you ever sell the business or bring in investors, the voucher position will be one of the first things they ask about.
How we build a voucher register that reports itself
- We gather voucher sales from every source into one register, with a unique code, type, value or package, sale or issue date and expiry. Past paper and complimentary vouchers are entered once.
- Redemptions are recorded against the original voucher, from the spa system, the redemption screen at the desk or reseller validations, including partial use.
- Expiry follows the terms recorded against each voucher. Whether and when an expired voucher leaves the outstanding figure is set by rules your accountant confirms.
- An outstanding balance report can be run at any date, split however your accountant needs it, for example by type, by month of sale or by expiry band.
- The same register gives the spa manager a forward view of voucher bookings likely to arrive by month.
- A monthly export to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage can carry the summary if your accountant wants it, rather than retyped figures.
We build the reporting. We do not decide how voucher income is recognised or taxed; that stays with your accountant.
What year end looks like instead
The accountant's question is answered with a report run for the balance sheet date, with the underlying list behind it if they want to sample it. Complimentary vouchers are visible, not forgotten. Month by month, the manager can see how much voucher business is due to be redeemed and plan availability.
Because every redemption points back to its sale, questions that used to need a search through binders, such as whether a particular raffle voucher was ever used, take seconds. Staff at the desk stop keeping their own side lists, because the register is the list.
A quick test for your spa
- Totalling unredeemed vouchers takes more than an hour.
- Vouchers are sold in more than one system or on paper.
- Redemptions are not always recorded against the original sale.
- Part-used vouchers are tracked by the guest's memory.
- Your accountant has queried the voucher figure before.