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Airbnb Fee Stack Calculator
The nightly rate on your Airbnb listing is nowhere near what the guest pays — or what you receive. Airbnb's host-only 15% model (vs split-fee 3%/14%) plus cleaning, local occupancy tax, tourism tax, and mandatory permit fees can add 25-40% to the guest's total. This calculator lays out the full stack so you can see your payout and what the guest actually pays.
Host payout
$663
Total guest pays
$874
Effective guest nightly
$291
Host service fee
$117
Guest service fee
$0
Local tax collected
$94
Booking subtotal (rent + cleaning)
$780
Payout % of guest total
75.9%
How the math works
On a $215/night × 3-night stay with a $135 cleaning fee and 12% local tax at split-fee, the guest pays ~$895 and the host gets ~$756 — almost $140 in platform + tax wedge. Switch to host-only 15%, the guest total drops to ~$843 (-6%) and your payout drops to ~$661 (-13%). Host-only often boosts booking conversion enough to overcome the higher host take — test it before committing.
Key insight: tax is on the pre-tax subtotal including guest fee, so high guest service fees compound into higher tax collected. In a 12% tax market, the tax alone on platform fees adds 1.7% to the guest total. Consider bundling more into nightly rate and less into cleaning to shrink the taxable base.
How to Use
- Enter nightly rate and nights in the stay.
- Choose host-only fee model (15%) or split fee (3% host + 14% guest).
- Add cleaning fee, local occupancy tax %, and any flat permit / tourism fee.
- See the full fee stack, guest total, and your net payout per booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Host-only 15% vs split 3/14%?
Most traditional hosts in the US are on split fees: 3% of gross taken from the host, 14.2% added to the guest bill. Host-only 15% is mandatory for professional hosts (>4 listings or software-managed) and optional elsewhere. Host-only gives the guest a lower visible total, usually improving conversion 5-10%.
Who pays local occupancy tax?
The guest, but it flows through the host in many jurisdictions. Airbnb collects-and-remits in most major US cities (NYC, SF, LA, etc) — it shows as a line on the guest's bill and is never touched by the host. In cities without collect-and-remit (many small towns, some states), the host must register, collect, and file quarterly.
What about cleaning fee on short stays?
A $150 cleaning fee spread across a 2-night stay adds $75/night to the guest's effective rate. Airbnb's algorithm ranks listings on total price, so high cleaning fees on short-stay listings tank visibility. Either increase minimum stay to 3-4 nights or cut cleaning fee and bury cost in nightly rate.
Are service fees negotiable?
Not with Airbnb. Vrbo is similar. The only lever is switching to host-only 15% vs split to reshape what the guest sees. Going direct (your own booking site) avoids platform fees but costs you the search traffic and trust signal — direct works only after you've established a repeat-guest base.
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