What Is APA on a Yacht Charter? How to Track, Top Up and Reconcile It

On every crewed yacht charter, two payments matter: the charter fee and the APA. The charter fee pays for the yacht and her crew. The APA pays for almost everything the guests use during the week: fuel, food and drinks, berths, and the extras that make the trip.

For guests, APA is often the most confusing part of the contract. For captains, it is one of the most demanding parts of the job: tens of thousands of euros of someone else's money, spent in cash, by card and by bank transfer, across several ports and currencies, and accounted for to the last receipt before the guests leave.

This guide explains what APA is, what it covers, how much it usually is, and how captains and management companies track and reconcile it without a late night with a shoebox of receipts.

What does APA mean?

APA stands for Advance Provisioning Allowance. It is an amount the charterer pays in advance, on top of the charter fee, to cover the variable costs of the charter. The captain holds it and spends it on the guests' behalf, keeps every receipt, and accounts for it at the end of the charter.

APA is standard on crewed charters under the MYBA charter agreement, the contract most used for superyacht charters in the Mediterranean. Under these terms, APA purchases are charged at cost: there is no mark-up on what the captain buys (IYC).

What does APA cover?

APA covers the costs that depend on how the guests use the yacht:

• Fuel for the yacht, the generators and the tenders.
• Food and drinks, including wine and special orders.
• Marina and port fees, berths, anchorage fees and agents.
• Communications, such as satellite airtime for the guests.
• Activities and special requests: excursions, guides, restaurant bookings, transfers, flowers, extra water toys.

What APA normally does not cover: the yacht and her equipment, crew salaries, insurance and routine maintenance. Those are included in the charter fee. Crew gratuity is also separate from the APA and is at the guests' discretion (IYC).

Always check the charter contract: what is included in the fee and what is charged to the APA varies from yacht to yacht.

How much is APA?

APA is usually set as a percentage of the charter fee:

• 25–40% of the charter fee is the range quoted by IYC, with motor yachts at the higher end because of fuel.
• Around 20–25% for a sailing yacht and 30–35% for a motor yacht, according to YachtCharterFleet.
• 30% is a common starting point for a motor yacht in the Mediterranean.

So a week on a motor yacht with a €120,000 charter fee might come with an APA of around €36,000. The real figure depends on the itinerary, the number of guests and their tastes: a week of long passages and fine wine will spend far more than a week at anchor in one bay. Ask the broker for an estimate based on what the guests plan to do.

When is APA paid?

APA is paid before the charter starts, usually with the final charter payment, so the captain can provision the yacht before the guests board. Check the contract for the exact date: some charters pay it a few weeks before embarkation, others closer to the start.

For the captain, the first rule is simple: do not start spending on a charter until the APA has arrived, or keep any early expenses clearly marked so the balance is correct once it does.

How captains track APA during the charter

A good APA process is boring, and that is the point. Captains who settle on time tend to follow the same habits:

1. Keep the APA separate. A dedicated bank account, card or cash float for the charter, never mixed with the yacht's own running costs.
2. Log every expense the same day. Date, description, category, amount, currency and how it was paid (APA card, cash or bank transfer), with the receipt attached.
3. Know the balance at all times. Received, spent and remaining, updated with every expense, not rebuilt at the end of the week.
4. Convert foreign currencies on the day. A dinner paid in another currency should be recorded at the rate that applied when it was paid.
5. Share the running balance with the charterer. A short update halfway through the week avoids surprises at the end.

What happens if the APA runs out?

If spending is heading past the APA, the captain should tell the charterer early and ask for a top-up. Many captains raise it when about half the APA is spent with several days still to go.

Any amount still owed at the end of the charter is settled before the guests disembark (YachtCharterFleet). A top-up request made on day three, with a clear statement of what has been spent, is a much easier conversation than a bill on the last morning.

APA reconciliation: settling at the end of the charter

At the end of the charter, the captain prepares the APA reconciliation: a full statement of every expense with its receipt, the total spent, and the balance. Then the APA is settled:

• Money left over is refunded to the charterer, usually by bank transfer.
• If the charterer asks, part of the remaining balance can be paid to the crew as a gratuity before the refund. This is the charterer's decision, and it should be recorded on the statement.
• If more was spent than received, the charterer pays the difference before leaving.

The statement should be easy to read: every line with its date, category and amount, the receipts behind it, and the final figures (received, spent, gratuity, refund) at the bottom. A charterer who receives a clean statement on the last day is a charterer who comes back.

Common APA mistakes

• Receipts collected at the end of the week. By then some are lost, and nobody remembers what the €340 at the marina office was.
• APA mixed with the yacht's money. The yacht's diesel and the charter's diesel end up on the same invoice and nobody can split them.
• No running balance. The captain finds out on the last night that the APA was overspent two days ago.
• Currencies converted at the end. The total no longer matches what was actually paid.
• Spreadsheet copied from the last charter. Old lines, wrong totals and formulas that broke months ago.

How Nauticare helps

In Nauticare, the charter module and the finance module work together, so APA is tracked as part of the yacht's accounts:

• Create the charter with its dates, ports, charter fee and expected APA, with a one-click suggestion of 30% of the fee.
• A checklist to get ready: add guests, choose the lead charterer, check passports and record the APA when it arrives. Nauticare warns you if a guest's passport expires before disembarkation.
• Every expense in one place. Each APA expense has its category, vendor, currency and exchange rate, and how it was paid. Upload the receipt and AI fills in the expense for you.
• A live balance: expected, received, spent and balance, always up to date, on the charter and in the yacht's finances.
• Settle the APA in a few clicks. Enter the crew gratuity if the charterer wants one, and Nauticare calculates the refund to the lead charterer and records the settlement.
• A statement ready to send, with every expense listed, to export and share with the charterer or the management company.

Because every APA expense also sits in the yacht's accounts, budgets and owner reports stay complete without copying anything twice. Planning the year ahead? Read our guide to building a yacht operating budget.

FAQ

What does APA stand for on a yacht? Advance Provisioning Allowance: money the charterer pays in advance to cover fuel, food and drinks, berths and other variable costs of the charter.

Is APA included in the charter fee? No. APA is paid on top of the charter fee. The fee covers the yacht and her crew; the APA covers what the guests use.

How much APA should I expect to pay? Usually 20–40% of the charter fee, depending on the yacht and the itinerary. Motor yachts are at the higher end because of fuel; around 30% is common in the Mediterranean.

Do I get unused APA back? Yes. At the end of the charter the captain reconciles the APA and refunds whatever is left, unless you ask for part of it to go to the crew as a gratuity.

Is the crew tip paid from the APA? Not by default. Gratuity is separate and at the charterer's discretion, but charterers often ask the captain to take it from the remaining APA before the refund.

What is an APA reconciliation? The statement the captain prepares at the end of the charter: every expense with its receipt, the total spent, and the balance to be refunded or paid.

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