What it is
The business date is the hotel's working day. It is shown at the top of every hotel screen as Business date, and on the cashier shift.
- Before the first night audit it is today's date in Nepal.
- After that it is the day after the last day the night audit closed.
- It moves forward only when the night audit closes the day, never at midnight.
What is dated on it
Everything the hotel records: payments and deposits, refunds and paid-outs, charges, invoices, credit notes, stock movements and cashier shifts. A payment taken at 1 am, before the night audit, belongs to the previous business date.
A closed day
Once the night audit closes a day, nothing more can be posted on it. Trying to post on a closed day is refused with a message that names the date. To correct a closed day a manager reopens it (see Reopen a closed business date); most corrections are simply posted today instead.
Checking out after midnight
A guest who leaves after midnight but before the night audit has used that night: check-out charges the night itself, and the check-out screen shows it before you confirm. A guest who arrives and leaves on the same business date is charged the night too; the desk can waive it (day use or a complimentary stay) with a reason, under the hotel's approval rules. See Check out a guest and issue the invoice.
AD and BS dates
Dates on the screens follow the company's date setting (Bikram Sambat or AD), and so do the dates in messages. The business date itself is one day, whichever calendar shows it.
Common questions
Can I change the business date by hand?
No. It moves on only when the night audit closes the day. A manager can move it back by reopening the last closed day (Reopen a closed business date).
A payment I took after midnight is dated yesterday.
That is correct while the night audit has not closed yesterday: the payment belongs to the hotel's day, not the calendar day. Once the night audit runs, new payments take the new date.
We forgot the night audit and the date is two days behind.
Run it now. Each close moves the date on by one day, so close each missed day in turn (Run the night audit and close the day).