Payment Activity .ng | HotelKey Knowledge Base

Payment Activity Report Overview

Parent Hub: 💰 Finance & Accounting Reports

Category: 💳 Payments & Transactions

Target Roles: Directors of Finance & Controllers, Night Auditors, Front Office Managers, Cashiers & Revenue Accounting Staff

Key Value: Maintain granular line-item payment transaction auditability by tracking every payment, pre-authorization, refund, and transfer posted across transient guest stays, group blocks, house accounts, misc revenue, and corporate accounts, complete with payment tokens, gateway approvals, and staff attributions.

Executive Summary

The Payment Activity Report is a primary financial control and line-item payment transaction audit tool within the 💳 Payments & Transactions category of the 💰 Finance & Accounting Reports suite. Designed for comprehensive cash governance and merchant gateway reconciliation, it logs every payment receipt, refund reversal, and folio transfer executed across all operational account categories.

By organizing transactions across five distinct operational sections (Reservation, Group, House Accounts, Misc Revenue, and Company Account Settlements), this report captures detailed transaction metadata—including card tokens (Last 4 Digits), gateway approvals (Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number), cashier attributions (Username), tax documentation (Tax Invoice, Check Number, POS Check Number), and transfer remarks (Remarks). This enables controllers and night auditors to verify cashier shifts, reconcile credit card processing gateway batches, and audit folio adjustments with zero variance.

Key Capabilities

Five-Section Transaction Audit: Fully itemizes payment transactions across transient bookings (Reservation), convention group blocks (Group), internal administrative folios (House Accounts), non-room income postings (Misc Revenue), and corporate receivables (Company Account Settlements).
Gateway & Token Traceability: Captures exact authorization tokens (Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number), capture modes (Entry Mode), and masked card details (Last 4 Digits) for merchant chargeback defense.
Granular Staff & Audit Tracking: Attributes every transaction to the processing user (Username) alongside system time stamps (Date, Time) and detailed transfer/refund explanations (Remarks).

Report Views & Functional Breakdown (All 5 Sections)

The Payment Activity Report organizes transaction activity across five structured operational sections:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      PAYMENT ACTIVITY REPORT                           │
├──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬──────────────────┤
│ 1. Reservation           │ 2. Group                 │ 3. House Accounts│
│    (Transient Guests)    │    (Convention Blocks)   │    (Non-Guest)   │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┴──────────────────┤
│ 4. Misc Revenue          │ 5. Company Account Settlements              │
│    (Ancillary Income)    │    (AR City Ledger Payments)               │
└──────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Reservation

Itemizes all payment transactions, advance deposits, refunds, and transfer entries posted to individual transient guest folios.

Primary Use: Reconciling front desk cashier shift drops, auditing guest credit card captures, investigating chargebacks, and verifying folio transfer entries.
Key Metrics: Date, Time, Confirmation Number, Folio Number, Guest Name, First Name, Last Name, Company Name, Room Number, Payment Type, Last 4 Digits, Amount, Entry Mode, Username, Remarks, Check Number, Tax Invoice, POS Check Number, Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number.

Image 9-30-26 at 9.12 AM.png — Reservation Section

2. Group

Isolates payment receipts, pre-paid group deposits, wire transfers, and settlements applied to convention group blocks and master folios.

Primary Use: Auditing group block prepayments, verifying catering/event deposit receipts, and reconciling group master folio settlements.
Key Metrics: Date, Time, Group Code, Group Name, Folio Number, Company Name, Payment Type, Last 4 Digits, Amount, Entry Mode, Username, Remarks, Check Number, Tax Invoice, POS Check Number, Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number.

Image 9-30-26 at 9.18 AM.png — Group Section

3. House Accounts

Tracks payments, retainer deposits, and administrative settlements posted to internal, permanent, or temporary house account folios.

Primary Use: Auditing internal departmental payments, banquet house account settlements, and manager account clearances.
Key Metrics: Date, Time, House Account Name, House Account Code, Folio Number, Company Name, Payment Type, Last 4 Digits, Amount, Entry Mode, Username, Remarks, Check Number, Tax Invoice, POS Check Number, Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number.

Image 9-30-26 at 9.23 AM.png — House Account Section

4. Misc Revenue

Captures direct payments collected for non-room ancillary revenue postings and miscellaneous sales.

Primary Use: Auditing walk-in purchases, retail sales, and non-guest departmental cash/card receipts.
Key Metrics: Date, Time, Company Name, Folio Number, Payment Type, Last 4 Digits, Amount, Entry Mode, Username, Remarks, Check Number, Tax Invoice, POS Check Number, Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number.

5. Company Account Settlements

Details direct-bill payments, corporate check receipts, wire transfers, and city ledger settlements applied to contracted corporate accounts.

Primary Use: Reconciling incoming corporate accounts receivable payments, matching check numbers against city ledger invoices, and auditing B2B account settlements.
Key Metrics: Date, Time, Company Name, Payment Type, Last 4 Digits, Amount, Entry Mode, Username, Remarks, Check Number, Tax Invoice, POS Check Number, Approval Code, Transaction Reference Number.

Image 9-30-26 at 9.29 AM.png — Company Account Settlements Section

Data Dictionary (Dynamic View Columns Across All 5 Sections)

Customize your default view using the Configure (⚙️) icon on the report page. Below is the full data dictionary representing every column available across all five sections of this report:

💡 Tax & Monetary Treatment Note: The Amount field across all sections represents Gross Monetary Values (Includes Taxes & Fees) processed through the PMS payment gateway or ledger posting engine.

Column Name	Section(s) Where Column Appears	Description	Data Source / System Mapping	Includes Taxes & Fees?
Date	All Sections	Official date when the payment transaction or refund was posted.	Transaction Timestamp	N/A
Time	All Sections	Exact system time when the transaction was executed.	Transaction Timestamp	N/A
Confirmation Number	Reservation	Unique system confirmation code assigned to the individual booking.	System Reservation ID	N/A
Group Code	Group	Unique master identifier code assigned to the convention group block.	`Group Profile > Group Code`	N/A
Group Name	Group	Official title of the convention block or group event.	`Group Profile > Group Name`	N/A
House Account Name	House Accounts	Official title or operational purpose of the house account.	`House Account Profile > Name`	N/A
House Account Code	House Accounts	Unique master identifier code assigned to the house account.	`House Account Profile > Code`	N/A
Folio Number	Reservation, Group, House Accounts, Misc Revenue	System folio identifier receiving the payment or transfer posting.	Folio Engine ID	N/A
Guest Name	Reservation	Combined full primary guest name (`Last Name / First Name`).	`Guest Profile > Full Name`	N/A
First Name / Last Name	Reservation	Individual guest first name and last name.	`Guest Profile > First / Last Name`	N/A
Company Name	All Sections	Contracted corporate account name receiving or paying the folio/invoice.	`Company Profile > Name`	N/A
Room Number	Reservation	Physical guest room number assigned to the stay.	`Reservation > Room Number`	N/A
Payment Type	All Sections	Payment tender description (CASH, VISA, MASTER, AMEX, BILL TO COMPANY, CHECK).	Tender Code Configuration	N/A
Last 4 Digits	All Sections	Masked payment card digits or check reference number.	Payment Gateway Token	N/A
Amount	All Sections	Gross monetary value collected, transferred, or refunded (negative for refunds/transfers).	Transaction Ledger Engine	🟢 Yes
Entry Mode	All Sections	Method used to capture card details (Payment Source, Swiped, Keyed, EMV Chip).	Payment Gateway Interface	N/A
Username	All Sections	User email or staff ID of the employee who processed the payment entry.	System Audit Log	N/A
Remarks	All Sections	Explanatory notes, refund justifications, or folio transfer audit details.	Transaction Notes Field	N/A
Check Number	All Sections	Physical check reference number for check payments.	Cashier Entry Field	N/A
Tax Invoice	All Sections	System tax invoice reference number linked to the settlement.	Tax Invoicing Engine	N/A
POS Check Number	All Sections	Point-of-sale check number for outlet or dining room charges.	POS Interface Engine	N/A
Approval Code	All Sections	Payment gateway authorization code generated upon card approval.	Payment Gateway Response	N/A
Transaction Reference Number	All Sections	Unique gateway transaction token ID used for card batch reconciliation.	Payment Gateway Response	N/A

Customization & Platform Features

User & Property Preferences

Personal Preference: Tailor your individual view by hiding or dragging columns. Your preferences save automatically for future sessions.
Property Defaults: System Admins can configure standard default layouts across all property users to streamline operational reporting. To maximize audit efficiency, group the columns into the below logical blocks:
- Section 1: Reservations
  - Reservation & Room Identifiers (Cols 1–3): Room Number | Confirmation Number | Folio Number
  - Guest & Account Context (Cols 4–7): Guest Name | First Name | Last Name | Company Name
  - Audit Timestamps & Tender (Cols 8–12): Date | Time | Payment Type | Last 4 Digits | Entry Mode
  - Payment Settlement Amount (Col 13): Amount
  - Invoice & Gateway Audit Metadata (Cols 14–20): Check Number | Tax Invoice | POS Check Number | Approval Code | Transaction Reference Number | Username | Remarks
- Section 2: Group
  - Group Identifiers (Cols 1–3): Group Code | Group Name | Folio Number
  - Account Context (Col 4): Company Name
  - Audit Timestamps & Tender (Cols 5–9): Date | Time | Payment Type | Last 4 Digits | Entry Mode
  - Payment Settlement Amount (Col 10): Amount
  - Invoice & Gateway Audit Metadata (Cols 11–17): Check Number | Tax Invoice | POS Check Number | Approval Code | Transaction Reference Number | Username | Remarks
- Section 3: House Accounts
  - House Account Identifiers (Cols 1–3): House Account Code | House Account Name | Folio Number
  - Account Context (Col 4): Company Name
  - Audit Timestamps & Tender (Cols 5–9): Date | Time | Payment Type | Last 4 Digits | Entry Mode
  - Payment Settlement Amount (Col 10): Amount
  - Invoice & Gateway Audit Metadata (Cols 11–17): Check Number | Tax Invoice | POS Check Number | Approval Code | Transaction Reference Number | Username | Remarks
- Section 4: Misc Revenue
  - Posting Context (Cols 1–2): Folio Number | Company Name
  - Audit Timestamps & Tender (Cols 3–7): Date | Time | Payment Type | Last 4 Digits | Entry Mode
  - Revenue Amount (Col 8): Amount
  - Invoice & Gateway Audit Metadata (Cols 9–15): Check Number | Tax Invoice | POS Check Number | Approval Code | Transaction Reference Number | Username | Remarks
- Section 5: Company Account Settlements
  - Account Context (Col 1): Company Name
  - Audit Timestamps & Tender (Cols 2–6): Date | Time | Payment Type | Last 4 Digits | Entry Mode
  - Settlement Amount (Col 7): Amount
  - Invoice & Gateway Audit Metadata (Cols 8–14): Check Number | Tax Invoice | POS Check Number | Approval Code | Transaction Reference Number | Username | Remarks

Use the top-right toolbar icons on the report page to manage and export your data view:

Icon	Action / Feature	Description
	Knowledge Article	Opens the knowledge base article to learn how to interpret this report.
	Saved Views	Saves your column filtering, sorting, and highlight preferences so you can easily reload your custom view later without reconfiguring the report.
	Bar Chart	Displays report data in a visual bar chart format.
	Filter	Opens filter controls to isolate specific data within a column based on your selected criteria.
	Highlight	Highlights column values in a designated color based on selected conditions.
	Export	Exports and downloads the report in various formats (Excel, PDF, CSV) for offline analysis or printing.
	Configure	Opens column selection controls to toggle visibility, reorder columns, or hide rows with all zeros.
	Additional Configuration	Provides advanced report configuration and display formatting options to customize data presentation.
	Group By	Summarize and group report data dynamically in real time.

Interactive Visualizations & Grouping Controls

Dynamic Section Grouping: Group transaction entries on the fly by Payment Type (CASH, VISA, MASTER, AMEX, BILL TO COMPANY) or Username, to evaluate cashier shift distributions.

Image 9-30-26 at 10.12 AM.png — Example of **Group By** View

Visual Chart Display: Displays the total payment amount collected per business day.

Image 9-30-26 at 10.14 AM.png — Example of **Bar Chart** View

Advanced Controls

Exporting & Gateway Reconciliation: Download in Excel or PDF format to support daily cashier drop envelope auditing, merchant gateway batch tie-outs, or night audit documentation.
Filtering: Filter data by specific Username, Payment Type, date ranges, or minimum payment amounts.
Highlighting (Conditional Formatting): Apply custom rules to automatically highlight negative refund entries (Amount < $0.00), high-value payments, or manual card entries.

Within 💳 Payments & Transactions & ⚖️ Ledgers & Trial Balance:

All Payments Report – Complete payment summary logging all cash, check, credit card, and direct-bill payment receipts.
Authorized Payments Report – Audit credit card authorization holds, capture approvals, and card refund processing.
Control Report – Audit cashier shift drops, cash drawers, paid-outs, and credit card processing gateway batches.
Adjustments & Refunds Activity Report – Track rate write-offs, charge adjustments, and cash/card refund transactions.
Day End Summary Report – Review consolidated daily revenue, tax, payment, and deposit blueprints at business date close.

Cross-Pillar Deep Dives:

🏛️ Taxes & Expenses: To audit employee paid-outs or cash drawer float balances, review Paid Out Activity Report.
📬 Billing & Receivables (AR): To inspect corporate direct-bill settlements transferred to city ledger invoicing, review Direct Bill Ledger Details Report.