In most Australian marinas the operations system and the accounting file describe two slightly different businesses. The berth diary says the pen is occupied; the ledger says the tenant left in March. Casual takings sit in a cash tin and appear as a single journal at the end of the month. Power recharges get missed for a quarter and then billed in one lump that generates three complaints. None of this is an accounting failure — it is a data flow failure, and it is fixable. This article sets out how berthing revenue should reach MYOB or Xero, and what to reconcile so the two systems stay honest.
Get the revenue lines right first
Before any integration, agree the revenue categories and map them to the chart of accounts. Marina income is not one line, and reporting it as one line makes performance analysis impossible.
- Contracted berthing, split by length band if the board wants revenue per metre by band.
- Casual and visitor berthing.
- Sublet and release nights, which should be visible separately because the margin profile differs.
- Metered electricity and water recharges.
- Hardstand, slipway and lift fees.
- Key deposits, gate cards and administration fees.
- Late fees and interest on arrears.
GST and the mechanics that trip marinas up
Berthing supplied to Australian customers is a taxable supply and invoices must meet the ATO's tax invoice requirements — supplier identity, ABN, date, description, GST amount or a statement that the total includes GST. Any system issuing invoices on your behalf must produce a compliant document, including for a casual booking paid at 2100 on a Saturday.
The recurring issues are less about the rate and more about timing. Annual berthing paid in advance is income received in advance and should not be recognised in a single month. Deposits held against key cards or damage are a liability, not revenue, until they are forfeited or applied. Credit notes issued after an amended invoice must flow to the ledger, not just to the marina system. Get these three right and the reconciliation stops being an argument.
What the integration should actually do
A useful MYOB or Xero integration is not a CSV export. It is a live, two-way link on the records that matter.
- Push invoices with line detail and the correct account and tax codes, not a single summary line.
- Push credit notes and amendments so the ledger matches the document the customer holds.
- Pull payment status back, so the dockmaster can see at the berth whether an account is current.
- Match customers one to one, with the marina system holding the vessel and the ledger holding the payer — often not the same name.
- Handle part payments and payment plans on arrears without breaking the invoice record.
- Batch card and cash takings to a clearing account that reconciles to the bank feed daily.
Metered recharges: bill monthly, always
Electricity recharging is where marinas quietly lose money and goodwill at the same time. Readings taken irregularly and billed in arrears produce large, disputed invoices. Read monthly, bill monthly, show the opening and closing reading on the invoice, and publish the rate.
If the marina resells electricity, check the position under the relevant state framework and make sure the rate and the disclosure comply. It is a small compliance item that becomes an expensive one when a tenant complains formally.
The monthly reconciliation that keeps everyone honest
Run the same three checks every month and the two systems cannot drift far.
- Occupied metres in the berth diary reconciled to contracted berthing invoiced for the month. Any difference should be explainable berth by berth.
- Casual nights sold in the diary reconciled to casual revenue banked, including the clearing account.
- Aged receivables in the ledger reconciled to the arrears report in the marina system, with the same names in the same buckets.
Who should do what
The dockmaster should never be a bookkeeper, and the bookkeeper should never be guessing who is berthed where. Set the boundary in the system's permissions: operations records occupancy, arrivals, departures and meter readings; the office issues, amends and chases; the manager approves write-offs and payment plans; the owner sees the reporting.
That separation is also a fraud control. Cash casual takings, key deposits and manual credit notes are the three places marinas lose money internally, and all three are prevented by roles plus an audit trail rather than by trust.
BerthPoint syncs berthing, casual and recharge revenue to MYOB or Xero with the audit trail intact. Ask us to review how your marina's revenue currently reaches the ledger.
Category tags