What are the Commission Levels?
We have listed our Commission Levels on the site and if you do not see a certain commission level you can contact us or the vendor. Levels sometimes change and we do try to update when notified from the vendor.
What form do I fill out to claim my commissions?
The form that is used to claim your commission is an online electronic form called a CBS Form. This stands for "Central Booking System" which is our Commission Claim Form.
Click here to learn about the CBS Form
When do I fill out the CBS Form?
You should fill out the CBS Form after each booking regardless if any payment is made on that booking. The reason is because a vendor may contact us and we use it to figure out which agency the vendor needs to contact. Also we feel that if you fill out the form right after each booking the chances of forgetting to fill out are smaller. Remember you can always delete the form if the booking does cancel.
Do I need a CBS Form for each booking?
Yes, you need to fill out a CBS Form per booking. So each booking number will need its own CBS Form as we get paid per reservation number.
Once I fill out a CBS Form, what happens?
Once you fill out the CBS Form you should receive an email copy of the CBS Form and it should also appear in your Commission Reporting Wizard. Checking the wizard is the best way to ensure that the CBS Form has been recorded in our system.
When do I get paid my commissions?
We pay out our agents by the 25th of each month unless noted otherwise. Our cutoff date is around the 20th of the month as we reconcile and release the commissions about 2 days before the 25th of the month so the commission is in your account. The commission may show up in your account before the 25th of the month.
How do I get paid?
We pay out commissions via Direct Deposit to your bank by the 25th of each month unless otherwise noted. We do not mail out checks because it is more efficient and less time consuming to receive your commissions. You will never hear from us that "the check is in the mail"
Are there any fees to deposit my commissions?
No, we do not charge any fees to direct deposit your travel commissions. Your bank may charge you a fee for a direct deposit. However, if the direct deposit bounces because of providing us with an incorrect bank account information we will deduct a fee of $5 from your commission upon re-deposit.
How will I know what you paid me for?
We will send an email along with the direct deposit payment detailing the payment. This email is sent on the 25th of each month. The commission payment may be in your account before you actually receive the detailed email. Make sure that your email address is correct in your profile as this is where we will send the email.
In addition, you can look at the Commission Reporting Wizard to see what was paid. If you enter the 25th of month to the 25th of the month in the Payment Field of the Commission Reporting Wizard you will see your current payment in case you do not receive the email. You can do this for any month. There may be times when we deposit commissions on a different date.
Producing a Commission Statement for your Records
Can I see my bookings online?
Yes, we provide a Commission Report Wizard listing all of your CBS Forms. This online report is located on the homepage of the agent site and you can see all the bookings you have entered.
I am booking a group cruise, what forms do I fill out?
When booking a group cruise, we want you to fill out one CBS Form under the Group Booking Number and one CBS Form under each individual reservation booking number. There are times when we get paid commission on the individual booking vs the group booking number. In addition, if the cruise line calls looking for a certain reservation we can look up the CBS Form.
When do vendors pay us the commisson?
Each vendor has a different payment schedule. The timing of payouts could differ on whether the booking is an individual or a group booking.
Click Here to see a Schedule of Payouts
Posting of Your Commissons
Here is some information to understand how we post commissions to your CBS Form.
Posting of Your Commissions
Can I call the vendor about a commission?
Yes, you can call the vendor to make sure that the vendor has paid us the commission. This is not required to do but some agents like to double check. Most vendors are good at paying commissions.
How does the vendor pay the commission to Travel Network Vacation Central?
Most of our travel vendors are set up with us for direct deposit. This helps in you the agent getting paid quicker since we receive the commissions quicker on our end. However, a few vendors still pay only by check and therefore this might delay payment to you. We are able to deposit those checks in-house in order to speed up the process.
Can I delete a CBS Form?
Yes, you may be able to delete the CBS Form if you have not received any commission on it. Once we receive commissions from the vendor and apply to the form you can not delete the CBS Form.
Once you click on the Commission Reporting Wizard and display all your bookings, you will then be able to delete the CBS Form by clicking on the trash can icon that is located on the right hand side of the screen.
If I make an error on the CBS Form, can I correct it?
No, unfortunately you can not modify the CBS Form. Instead you can delete the form as long as we have not applied any commission on that booking and you can create a new CBS Form. Since the form is simple to complete this is the only option to correct.
Why have I not been paid?
There are three specific reasons that you might not have been paid on a particular booking.
- You did not fill out a CBS Form and therefore we do not know which agent the commission belongs to. We do try to figure out who the commissions belong to by calling the vendor and seeing if there is an Agent ID # or an email address to identify the agent for that booking.
- We do not have your direct deposit bank information and therefore could not pay out your commissions. We do notify the agent of this but sometimes we do not collect your information in time to be paid out for that month. Please provide if you have not already provided so we have on file and you can get paid on time.
- The commission came in after we have reconciled and released the commissions and will be paid out the following month.
The commission amount does not look correct, why?
Sometimes a vendor pays the commissions out to us in two payments. This could happen if the booking changes, say an upgrade of a cabin and therefore more commission is earned. So the second payment could come later on and we suggest you first call the vendor to check.
In order for us to display the proper payments in the Commission Reporting Wizard, we will add to the booking number for the second payment a .A after the booking number.
For example, the booking number will be 12345 for the first payment and 12345.A for the second payment.
What if I do not see commission paid on a booking?
If it has been longer than usual you should call the vendor to see if and when the commission will be paid out from them to us. We do not hold any commissions as long as we can apply to a CBS form.
Why is there no commission being displayed on the booking?
Until the commission comes in, we do not know the exact dollar amount and therefore a zero balance will appear on that booking.
I can not fill out the CBS Form, system states already done, why?
When we are reconciling the commissions we cross reference the booking number against the CBS Form. If the form is not entered when we are reconciling the commission, we will enter the CBS Form and mark that booking as LOST until the agent contacts us. This is why you need to enter the CBS form after each booking.
Is it possible that a booking was paid?
Yes, sometimes the vendor pays the booking on a different confirmation number versus the confirmation number you entered on the CBS Form as there are two numbers. For example, hotels.com has a hotel invoice number and an itinerary number. They pay us on the itinerary number. So you may have entered the CBS Form but we had to create another CBS to apply the commissions. Click Here for proper booking confirmations.
What if I forgot to enter a CBS and the commission probably came in but I did not receive it?
We probably have filled out a CBS Form and marked it as LOST in our system. You can see if it is in the system by filling out the Lost Commission Form on the homepage of the site. When we receive the form we will find it and apply to your account.
What if I do not enter a CBS Form?
We have instituted a new policy if you do not enter a CBS Form and we have to enter. Click Here
What if I do not know the gross sale or expected commissions?
These fields on the CBS Form are used for your internal records and do not impact the commission that will be paid on that booking. We will apply what we receive from the vendor to the CBS Form. We realize that sometimes the booking does change and therefore the commission will change.
Why do Hotels & Cars take so long to get paid?
These vendors typically pay 60-90 days after check-out. Sometimes it depends on the booking engine that is used to make the booking. If it is a prepaid booking (known as a merchant rate) then we will get paid quicker as the vendor has collected the money from the client and therefore can pay out the commission quicker.
How do I track down a Hotel Commission?
Certain hotels or hotel chains pay us through 3rd Party Payment Processors such as Pegasus, TACs, or WPS via Direct Deposit and you can research the hotel booking if you feel the booking has not been paid to us in a reasonable amount of time.
Click Here to Research a Hotel Commission
Why does Holland America & Princess show only 10%?
For all Holland America & Princess bookings made in 2024 for sail date in 2025, our commission level will initially be listed on your confirmations at the base level of 10% but once Holland America & Princess updates our account (around November) we will receive our full commission level of 16% for Holland and 15% for Princess on all 2024 bookings. So we will get paid the additional commission sometimes with a second commission payment.
Do you take out any taxes on my commissions?
No, we do not take out any taxes. We pay you commissions minus our fee and you are issued a 1099 if you earn more than $600 in a calendar year. You will handle any taxes on your own tax return.
When do you send out my IRS 1099 Form?
After an agent earns $600 in net commissions in a calendar year with us, we will send you an IRS 1099 Form at the end of January of the following year.
Who do I email if I have a question on commissions?
You can send an email to accounting@vacationcentral.net
Please be very specific in your email so we can do the proper research.
After reading all these FAQs, I still have questions, what do I do?
You can Click Here. Please be specific on this form.
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