Airbnb host fees
How much does Airbnb take from hosts?
Most hosts pay 15.5% of every booking. Put in your own numbers to see what that adds up to in a year, then read how the fee works and what a direct booking costs instead.
Airbnb fee calculator
Your rental details
What most hosts pay now. Guests pay no separate Airbnb fee.
Your estimated fees
If the same stays were booked direct
Card processing at about 2.9% would cost around $1,305 a year, about $5,670 less than the Airbnb host fee.
An estimate, not a promise. Stripe also charges 30 cents a booking, not counted here, and this leaves out the cost of your website and of finding the guest yourself.
The short answer
Airbnb charges most hosts a single service fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal. The subtotal is your nightly price plus any fees you add, such as a cleaning fee. It does not include taxes. Airbnb says the remaining hosts on this structure typically pay 14% to 16%, and hosts in Brazil and Mexico pay 16%.
Some hosts are still on the older split fee: 3% from the host, and a separate guest service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% that the guest pays at checkout. Airbnb is phasing it out, and the single fee is already mandatory for most hosts, including anyone who connects property management software.
Figures checked against Airbnb's Help Center in October 2026. Airbnb can change them, so treat your own payout screen as the final word.
Airbnb's two fee structures
Take a stay of 3 nights at $200 with a $150 cleaning fee. The subtotal is $750 before taxes.
| Fee structure | You pay Airbnb | Your payout | Guest pays (before tax) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host-only fee (15.5%) | $116.25 | $633.75 | $750.00 |
| Split fee (3% host, 14.1% guest) | $22.50 | $727.50 | $855.75 |
The two structures cost the guest and the host a similar total. The difference is who sees it. On the host-only fee your price is the price, so a guest comparing listings sees a lower number at checkout and you absorb the fee. Many hosts raise their nightly rate when they move to it. To keep the same payout, multiply your old rate by about 1.15: you used to keep 97% of it and now keep 84.5%.
What the fee is charged on
- Included: the nightly price and any fee you set, such as a cleaning fee, an extra-guest fee or a pet fee.
- Not included: taxes, and the guest service fee on the split structure.
- Taken from: your payout. You never pay Airbnb separately.
- Switching: once a listing is on the single fee it cannot go back. Bookings made before the switch keep the old structure even if the stay happens after it.
The same stay on Vrbo and Booking.com
The other two big platforms charge differently. On the same $750 stay:
| Platform | How it charges hosts | On this stay |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | 15.5% host-only fee | $116.25 |
| Vrbo | 5% commission plus 3% payment processing. Guests pay a separate service fee. | about $60.00 |
| Booking.com | Commission of about 15%, set by your agreement and country. No separate guest fee. | about $112.50 |
| Direct, paid by card | Card processing only, about 2.9% plus 30 cents with Stripe | about $22.05 |
Vrbo's processing fee is charged on the whole payment including taxes, and some regions pay a higher commission. Booking.com's rate varies from roughly 10% to 25% depending on country, property type and the programmes you join, and its own payment service adds a processing charge. Both platforms publish the rate for your listing in their host dashboards; use that, not the averages here.
What a direct booking costs instead
A direct booking is not free. When a guest pays by card on your own website, the card network and the payment processor take their cut. With Stripe in the US that is 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. You also pay for the website or booking tool, and you do the marketing that Airbnb would otherwise do for you.
What a direct booking does not have is a platform commission. RentalCal charges no booking commission on the bookings you take through its booking widget or a hosted booking page; the free plan covers one property with up to 3 booking requests a month, and Pro is $9 a month. The guest pays by card through Stripe into your own Stripe account, and Stripe's processing fees apply.
One rule worth knowing: Airbnb's off-platform policy prohibits moving a guest who contacted you through Airbnb to a booking outside it. Direct bookings come from somewhere else, your own website, your Instagram or TikTok bio, a past guest who kept your card. Keep your Airbnb listing, keep your calendars in sync, and let the guests who find you directly book directly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Airbnb take from hosts?
Most hosts pay a single service fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal, which is the nightly price plus any fees the host charges, such as a cleaning fee. Airbnb says the remaining hosts on this structure typically pay 14% to 16%, and hosts in Brazil and Mexico pay 16%. Taxes are not included in the subtotal.
Does Airbnb charge its fee on the cleaning fee?
Yes. The host fee is calculated on the nightly price plus any fees charged by the host, and a cleaning fee is one of those. It is not charged on taxes or on the guest service fee.
What is the difference between the split fee and the host-only fee?
On the split fee, the host pays 3% and the guest pays a separate service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% at checkout. On the host-only fee, the host pays 15.5% and the guest pays no Airbnb service fee. Airbnb is phasing the split fee out, the single fee is mandatory for most hosts including anyone using property management software, and a host who switches cannot switch back.
What percentage does Airbnb take from guests?
On the host-only structure, nothing: the guest sees the host's price plus taxes. On the split structure, guests pay a service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal, and up to 16.5% when the booking is in a different currency from the listing.
Do direct bookings avoid fees entirely?
No. A card payment costs processing, about 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction with Stripe in the US, and you pay for whatever software and marketing brings the guest to you. RentalCal charges no booking commission on direct bookings, and the free plan covers one property with up to 3 booking requests a month; payment processing fees apply when you accept payments.
Can I lower what Airbnb takes?
Not on a given booking: the fee is set by Airbnb. What you can change is your mix. Price your Airbnb listing with the fee in mind, list on more than one platform, and give repeat guests and people who find you on social media a way to book with you directly. Airbnb's off-platform policy prohibits moving a guest who contacted you through Airbnb off the platform, so direct bookings have to come from your own website, your socials and past guests.
Sources
- Airbnb Help Center: Service fees, read October 2026.
- Vrbo Help: How the booking fee is calculated.
- Booking.com Partner Hub, commission varies by agreement.
- Stripe pricing, US card rate.
Keep more of each direct booking
On your numbers, the same stays booked direct would cost about $1,305 a year in card processing instead of $6,975 in Airbnb host and guest fees.
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