Airbnb host fee calculator

What the 15.5% is actually charged on

The fee applies to the booking subtotal, not the nightly rate. That subtotal includes your cleaning fee, pet fee and extra-guest charges. Only taxes sit outside it.

This is where most fee estimates go wrong. A $180 × 4-night stay with a $90 cleaning fee has a $810 subtotal — so the fee is charged on $810, not on the $720 of room revenue. The cleaning fee you collect and hand straight to a cleaner is charged commission too.

Where the rate differs

• Most hosts: 15.5% of the booking subtotal.
• Brazil and Mexico: 16%.
• Some hotel-style or contracted accounts: between 14% and 16%.
• Airbnb Experiences: 20%.
• VAT/GST markets: tax can be applied on top of the service fee itself, lifting the effective rate above the headline number.

The calculator's fee field is editable for exactly this reason — set it to your own rate and the maths follows.

The repricing formula hosts get wrong

To keep the same take-home after a fee rise, divide by (1 − the fee). Do not add the percentage back on.

At 15.5% that is a division by 0.845 — about an 18.3% increase, not 15.5%. Adding 15.5% back leaves you roughly 2.5 points short, because the fee is then charged on the bigger number.

The honest comparison with booking direct

A direct booking is not free either. You still pay card processing — Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ in the US — and whatever your booking software costs. The calculator shows those on our side of the comparison rather than quietly leaving them out.

What disappears is the marketplace commission. BnB Console's Free plan charges 2% per booking; Pro charges none and costs a flat monthly fee. On the numbers above that is the difference between keeping about 84% of a booking and keeping about 95%.

Most hosts do not choose between the two. They keep the listing for discovery and send repeat and word-of-mouth guests — the ones Airbnb did not find for them — to their own booking page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 15.5% host fee on Airbnb?

It is Airbnb's host-only service fee: a single 15.5% commission deducted from the host's payout, which replaced the older split model of roughly 3% from the host plus 14–16% added to the guest. It is charged on the whole booking subtotal — nightly rate plus cleaning, pet and extra-guest fees — with taxes excluded.

Does the Airbnb host fee apply to the cleaning fee?

Yes. The service fee is calculated on the booking subtotal, which includes your cleaning fee and any pet or extra-guest fees. Only taxes are excluded. This is why hosts who calculate the fee on the nightly rate alone consistently under-estimate what Airbnb takes.

How do I reprice my listing after the host fee change?

Divide your target payout by (1 − the fee), rather than adding the percentage back on. At 15.5% that means dividing by 0.845, which raises the listed price by about 18.3%. Simply adding 15.5% leaves you short, because the fee is then taken from the larger re-priced total.

How do I avoid paying the Airbnb service fee?

The only way to avoid a platform's commission is not to take that booking through the platform. Hosts who take repeat and word-of-mouth guests through their own direct booking page pay card processing and whatever their booking software charges, but no marketplace commission. Most keep their listing live as well and use it for discovery.

Is the Airbnb host fee different in some countries?

Yes. Most hosts pay 15.5%, but listings in Brazil and Mexico are charged 16%, and some hotel-style or contracted accounts fall between 14% and 16%. Airbnb Experiences are charged at 20%. In markets with VAT or GST, tax may be applied on top of the service fee itself.