Hookset tracks the financial status of each booking through deposits, balances, and payment history. Understanding how these work helps you configure your payment settings correctly.
Deposits and Balances
Every booking has two key financial values:
- Total price -- The full cost of the trip including package, day rates, gear, and add-ons.
- Balance due -- Total price minus all recorded payments. Starts at the full amount and decreases as payments come in.
The deposit amount is calculated from your package and variant settings and represents the minimum payment required to secure the booking.
Deposit Rules by Category
Deposit rules are configured in Settings > Policies for three categories:
| Category | What It Covers | |----------|---------------| | Day rates | Guided fishing rates per trip day | | Lodging | Room charges per night | | Gear | Equipment rental charges per day |
For each category, you set:
- Percentage -- A percentage of the category total (e.g., 25%).
- Fixed amount -- A flat dollar amount regardless of the total.
- None -- No deposit required for this category.
The total deposit is the sum of deposits across all categories included in the booking.
Balance Due Date
The balance due date is calculated as: check-in date minus balance_due_days. Configure balance_due_days in Settings > Policies (default: 30 days).
For example, if balance_due_days is 30 and check-in is July 15, the balance is due by June 15.
Charge Full Balance Within Window
When the Charge full balance if within window toggle is enabled in Settings > Policies, bookings created within the balance_due_days window require full payment upfront instead of just the deposit. This prevents last-minute bookings from having an outstanding balance.
Payment Status Flow
- Unpaid -- Booking created, no payments recorded.
- Deposit Paid -- Deposit received, balance still outstanding.
- Paid in Full -- Balance due is zero.
When the balance reaches zero, Hookset automatically advances the booking to Confirmed status.