What happens if I miss the ARC reporting deadline?

The weekly close runs on a fixed clock. Here is when the report is due, what ARC can do when it's late, and the habits that keep it on time.

When is the ARC sales report due?

Every Tuesday at 1:59 p.m. Eastern, for the sales week that ended on Sunday. ARC moved the deadline from 11:59 p.m. to 1:59 p.m. on January 14, 2025, so settled data reaches agencies and airlines sooner. ARC says more than 85 percent of reports already arrived by the earlier time.

Holidays move it:

• A Monday holiday moves the deadline to Wednesday at 1:59 p.m. Eastern.
• A Tuesday holiday moves it to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

What does the weekly report cover?

Every transaction issued from Monday to Sunday. The Sunday is the period ending date, or PED. Each report is named by it. ARC drafts the agency's account from the fifth calendar day after the PED, which is the Friday.

Voids run on their own clock. A ticket issued through a GDS can be voided in IAR until 11:59 p.m. Eastern the next business day. A transaction entered by hand in IAR can be voided the same day, up to 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

What happens if the report is late?

ARC notifies the agency first. If the report is still outstanding, ARC's agreement lets it act:

• The airlines hear about it. ARC may notify the carriers.
• Ticketing can stop. ARC may ask the GDSs to stop the agency issuing tickets until every report and payment is in.
• A fee applies. ARC's late reporting fee is $25 in 2026, charged once per late report, from its published agency fee schedule.
• Errors roll forward. Any transaction still in error moves to the next open report and shows as out of period.

Airlines can add their own charges as well. ARC's handbook notes that carriers may charge late reporting fees on transactions in a report authorized after Tuesday at 1:59 p.m. Eastern.

Can a late report lead to default?

Yes, if it stays late. ARC's agreement ends automatically if the missing reports or payment are still outstanding on the 31st calendar day after ARC's written default notice.

Repeated lateness has its own rule. Two reports in 12 months that miss the next business day after ARC's notice bring additional requirements for at least 12 months:

• a larger bond or other financial instrument, sized by ARC
• a personal guaranty, signed within 7 days
• a written action plan
• a pause on new location applications

The requirements lift after 12 clean months, and an agency can appeal to the Travel Agent Arbiter.

What if the week had zero sales?

ARC files the report for you automatically. It does this when a report has zero transactions at the deadline, as long as every earlier report with transactions was authorized.

When does ARC waive the fee?

When the agency can show it submitted on time, or when an ARC malfunction stopped the report. During a regional disaster, ARC excludes the agencies in the affected area from the fee.

How do agencies close the week on time?

ARC's own guidance comes down to a few habits:

1. Reconcile every day. ARC recommends correcting errors and discrepancies in IAR daily, so Tuesday holds a single day's work.
2. Use two people. One person accounts for every ticket in the report and a second checks it. A backup covers both.
3. Run the checklist before you authorize. Each exchange carries its penalty or waiver code, residual value documents are linked, voids are done inside their windows, and the cash, credit and net remit totals are checked.
4. Wait for the GDS. Authorize once every transaction from the GDS has arrived in IAR.
5. Keep the money side ready. ARC suggests a separate bank account for ARC drafts, with an automatic overdraft agreement.

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