When you use Stessa to collect rent, you’ll see specific entries on the Transactions page. This article explains how Stessa processes and categorizes rent payments and answers common questions about those entries.
Overview of Rent Payment Transaction Flow
Stessa processes rent payments through its payment processor and adds matching entries to the Transactions page for tracking and categorization. When a tenant makes a payment, two key entries are created:
'Rent Payment | [TENANT NAME]': This system-generated entry reflects a rent payment submitted by a tenant. It’s recorded in the tenant’s ledger for tracking and categorized as Rent. It intentionally doesn’t show an account in the Account column because it isn’t a direct bank transaction.
'Stessa Payout': This entry represents the actual movement of funds from Stessa’s payment processor into your Stessa Cash Management account (or an external account, if connected). It’s categorized as a Transfer and shows the receiving account in the Account column.
Why Some Entries Have a Blank Account Field
You may notice that some rent-related entries have a blank Account column. Here’s why:
'Rent Payment | [TENANT NAME]' entries intentionally don’t show an account. They’re ledger entries assigned to the tenant, not actual bank movements.
The matching bank movement appears as a 'Stessa Payout' entry, which includes the account details.
How Rent Transactions Are Classified
'Stessa Payout' entries represent deposits into your Cash Management account and are always classified as Transfers.
'Rent Payment | [TENANT NAME]' entries are assigned to tenant ledgers and categorized as Rent. These entries may not appear directly under the Operations account.
This design keeps tracking accurate at both the tenant and landlord ledger levels.
Where Rent Payouts Come From and Go
Rent payments are processed by the rent payment processor and deposited into your Stessa Cash Management account. If you’ve connected an external bank account for rent collection, funds go there instead.
For more on handling payouts and avoiding double-counted rent, see Managing Rent Payments.