Airbnb payouts to a QuickBooks journal entry

1. Export the file from Airbnb

1. On airbnb.com (desktop) click Today > Menu > Earnings.
2. Open the Paid tab (Upcoming lists money not paid yet).
3. Filter the dates and listings you want.
4. Click Export CSV, choose what to include, and click Export CSV again.

Why a raw Airbnb export fails in QuickBooks Online (journal entry import)

Each Airbnb payout combines one or more reservations, minus the host service fee and any adjustments. A journal entry per payout records the reservation income, fees and adjustments separately and nets to the deposit.

Importing every sale from a payment platform straight into the bank account never matches the bank, because the platform pays out one net amount after taking its fees and refunds. The usual fix is one summary journal entry per payout (or per month when the export does not link sales to payouts): gross sales counts only money received, payments you sent get their own line, fees on a payout or instant transfer are expensed so the bank line is only what arrived, payments the export clearly marks as funded by a card go to a card account instead of the bank (unclear funding labels go to the bank, with a note), and a chargeback you win reduces refunds. You then match the bank line against the deposit in your bank feed.

What is unusual about the Airbnb file

• Each Payout row comes first and is followed by the reservations and adjustments it pays; Paid out equals the sum of their Amount.
• Amount is after the host service fee; Gross earnings includes the cleaning fee.
• Occupancy taxes are collected and paid by Airbnb and are not part of your payout.
• Dates are short, like 11/30/25.
• Column names are translated into your Airbnb language; English and Spanish are recognized.
• A long stay can appear in several Reservation rows.

What QuickBooks Online (journal entry import) requires

• Each entry shares one Journal No. and date, and its debits equal its credits.
• Lines show gross sales (money received), refunds, fees, taxes, payments you sent (on their own line, not deducted from sales), transfers between the platform and your bank (booked as transfers, never as income or expense), and the deposit that hit your bank.
• Account names must match your chart of accounts exactly; subaccounts as Parent:Sub.
• Up to 1,000 lines per file (we split bigger files without breaking an entry).

2. Before and after

Date,Arriving by date,Type,Confirmation code,Booking date,Start date,End date,Nights,Guest,Listing,Details,Reference code,Currency,Amount,Paid out,...
11/30/25,12/5/25,Payout,,,,,,,,"Transfer to Pat Example, Checking 0000 (USD)",G-TESTPAYOUT2,USD,,190.95,,,,,,
11/30/25,,Reservation,HMTEST0001,10/29/25,11/2/25,12/7/25,35,Lee Fakeguest,"2-bedroom, garden view",,,USD,190.95,,5.91,,0,196.86,19.05,2025
10/11/25,10/17/25,Payout,,,,,,,,"Transfer to Pat Example, Checking 0000 (USD)",G-TESTPAYOUT1,USD,,2581.58,,,,,,
10/11/25,,Adjustment,HMTEST0002,8/29/25,9/24/25,10/8/25,14,Kim Testperson,New studio,,,USD,-629.53,,-19.47,,-32.14,,-104.29,2025
10/11/25,,Resolution Payout,HMTEST0003,,9/17/25,9/27/25,10,Jo Mockguest,Lovely 2-bedroom,,,USD,95,,,,,95,,2025
10/11/25,,Reservation,HMTEST0004,9/29/25,10/10/25,11/10/25,31,Sam Notreal,Cozy getaway,,,USD,3116.11,,96.37,,110,3212.48,310.94,2025

3. Import the converted file into QuickBooks Online (journal entry import)

1. Make sure every account named in the file exists in your chart of accounts (or change the account names before downloading).
2. In QuickBooks Online go to Settings (gear) > Import data > Journal entries.
3. Upload this CSV and map Journal No., Journal Date, Account Name, Debits, Credits, Description and Name.
4. Review and import. Each payout (or month) becomes one balanced entry.

Questions

Are occupancy taxes in the Airbnb export my income?

Occupancy taxes that Airbnb collects and pays for you appear in the export without ever reaching you, so the converter does not count them in your payout. Where you collect and pay them yourself, ask your tax preparer how to record them.

Why record payouts as a journal entry instead of importing every sale?

Your bank receives one deposit per payout, already reduced by fees and refunds. If each sale goes into the bank account separately, the bank feed shows one deposit you cannot match to dozens of entries. A journal entry per payout records gross sales, fees and refunds in their own accounts, and a bank line of exactly the deposit amount.

Should I import payouts or reservations?

Match the bank with payouts, and record income from the reservations inside them. The journal entry does both: one entry per payout, with reservation income and fees as separate lines.

Which accounts should the journal entry use?

Every account named in the file has to exist in your QuickBooks chart of accounts already, so set the account names in the options to the ones you use: sales, fees, payments you sent, the clearing account for money still held by the platform, the bank account that receives transfers, and the card account for payments the export clearly marks as paid from a card. This is not accounting advice; ask whoever prepares your return if you are unsure.

Other ways to convert Airbnb

• Convert a Airbnb earnings CSV to QuickBooks Online
• Import a Airbnb earnings CSV into Xero

Other exports to QuickBooks journal entry

• Stripe payouts to a QuickBooks journal entry
• Etsy payouts to a QuickBooks journal entry
• Gumroad payouts to a QuickBooks journal entry
• Square payouts to a QuickBooks journal entry
• Shopify Payments payouts to a QuickBooks journal entry
• Amazon settlement report to QuickBooks
• eBay transaction report to a QuickBooks journal entry

Common import problems

• Your Airbnb payout does not match your reservations
• Your Stripe payout does not match your sales
• Your Etsy deposit does not match your sales