Tern gives you two ways to record commission you've received. This article explains which one applies to your agency, walks through both in the commission drawer, and covers what changed if you used the older commission screen.
Before we jump in
A few terms used throughout this article:
Received commission: money a supplier or host agency has actually paid you, recorded against a booking. This is different from expected commission, which is what you anticipate being paid.
Supplier statement: a single payment from a supplier that often covers several bookings at once. You log it once, then match it to the bookings it covers.
Payout: the share of a received commission that goes to an agent (and the share your agency retains).
Statement status: a statement is either open (still being worked on) or closed/approved (finalized). This matters when you need to change something, covered below.
If you used to use the old commission screen
If you previously recorded commission directly on the booking and that screen looks different now, your agency has moved to the updated commission drawer. Everything you did before is still here, in a side panel:
Recording a payment: click "Create related payout" (this is the updated name for the old "Add payment" action).
Removing a payment: use the trash icon on the payment.
Changing a payment: delete it with the trash icon, then record it again with the correct details.
The rest of this article walks through each of these.
Which flow applies to you
There are two ways to record commission, and which one you use depends on how your agency is set up.
Per booking. You open an individual booking and record the payment in its commission panel. Use this if you record commissions one booking at a time.
By supplier statement. You record a supplier's payment once on the Commission page, then match it to the bookings it covers. Use this when a supplier sends one payment covering several bookings.
If you're not sure which setup your agency uses, contact Tern support.
Record commission per booking
Use this when you're entering commission for one booking at a time.
Before you start
The booking must be marked as Booked.
You need admin access to your agency to record commission.
Steps
Open the booking and go to the commission panel.
Click "Create related payout."
This opens the drawer to record a payment. If the booking already has a payment recorded, this adds another one.Enter the amount you received, the currency, and the date received.
Enter only the amount you actually received, not the full expected amount.Confirm the agent split.
The split reflects each agent's percentage of what your agency received. Don't reduce an agent's split to account for a host agency's cut. See the reconciliation guidance later in this article.Save. The payment appears in the booking's Payouts list with a status for each recipient.
Record commission by supplier statement
Use this when a supplier pays one lump sum covering multiple bookings.
Before you start
You need admin access to your agency.
You must have the commission statement from the supplier.
Each booking you want to match must be marked as Booked before it appears in the matching flow.
Steps
Go to the Commission page in the main navigation.
Click Add in the upper-right corner to start a new statement.
Name the statement using a consistent convention (for example, "DISNEY090725").
Select the payment type: ACH, Wire, Check, Mobile Payment, Credit Card, Cash, or Other.
Enter the sender name (the supplier that sent the commission).
Enter the total amount received and its currency.
Select the date received.
Attach the statement document (optional).
Click Create. Tern takes you to the statement detail page to match payments to bookings.
Match each booking to its portion of the payment. Log any leftover amount as unclaimed if needed.
You'll know it worked when
Each matched booking shows its recorded commission, and the statement totals reconcile against the amount you received.
Recording more than one payment (the "Partial" status)
Some suppliers pay a commission in installments. Tern shows a status next to each booking's expected commission so you can track this:
Received means you've recorded the commission and aren't expecting more.
Partial means you've recorded at least one payment and the "Expecting additional payments" checkbox is still checked.
To add another payment to a booking that already has one, click "Create related payout."
To move a booking from Partial to Received, either record the final payment or uncheck "Expecting additional payments." The change saves automatically.
Removing or changing a payment
To remove a payment you recorded, click the trash icon on that payment and confirm.
To change a payment, remove it with the trash icon and record it again with the correct details.
When a payment is locked
If a payment is part of a statement that's been closed or approved, it's finalized and can't be removed or changed directly. To adjust it, an agency admin reopens the statement first, makes the change, then closes it again. If you don't have admin access, ask your agency owner. If the statement is open and you still can't make a change, contact Tern support.
Reconciliation best practices
Enter the full amount you received, then let agent splits reflect their percentage of that amount.
Don't reduce an individual agent's split to cover a host agency's cut. That causes a double reduction and underpays the agent.
Commission split changes apply to future bookings only. Update existing bookings manually in the Booking & Pricing tab.
Common issues
A booking isn't showing up in the statement matching flow
The booking must be marked as Booked first. Open the booking, set its status, then return to the statement.
The commission screen looks different than it used to
Your agency has moved to the updated commission drawer. See "If you used to use the old commission screen" above for where each action moved.
I need to fix a payment but there's no edit option
Remove the payment with the trash icon and record it again. If it's part of a closed or approved statement, it's locked until an admin reopens the statement.