Your guests no longer see separate Airbnb service fees, and you are the one paying the fee: 15.5% for most hosts. If you rent in Europe and did not adjust your price before 13 October 2026, each night now earns you less than before, and the guest sees no difference at all. Here is what changed, the calculation to get your net income back, and what it means for VAT and for tax.
This article is based on the official Airbnb pages read for the occasion: the help page "Airbnb service fees", the resource centre articles "Simplifying service fees on Airbnb" (published on 7 July 2026, updated on 24 August 2026) and "How much does Airbnb charge hosts?" (dated 13 October 2026), as well as the service-public.gouv.fr sheet on income from a furnished letting (in France). The Airbnb pages are in English: the statements below are paraphrases, in our own words (own translation).
Last verification of sources: 29 October 2026. This is not personalised tax or accounting advice: check it against your own situation.
What changes with the single fee?
Airbnb's fees, previously split between the host and the guest, become a single fee paid by the host. According to Airbnb's help page, there were two structures: split fees (the host generally paid 3%, the guest 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal) and a host-only fee, deducted entirely from the host's payout. With the host-only structure, most hosts pay 15.5%, the others generally between 14% and 16%. Airbnb writes that it is moving all hosts of homes to this structure, that the old one will disappear once everyone has been migrated, and that you cannot go back once you have switched to the host-only fee.
Airbnb's resource centre, in an article dated 13 October 2026, sums it up: in 2026 Airbnb moved from a split fee to a single 15.5% fee paid by hosts, which applies to the nightly price and to the optional fees you add (cleaning, pets) and which is deducted from your price to calculate your payout.
From when, and for whom?
The deadline depended on where you live: 15 September 2026 outside the European Economic Area, 13 October 2026 in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. This is what the article "Simplifying service fees on Airbnb" says. The single fee only applies to bookings made after the host moves to the new structure: bookings already made before do not change, even if the stay takes place afterwards. For hosts who use management software, the host-only fee structure is mandatory, according to the help page.
To find out whether your listing has already moved to the single fee, open a recent booking in your calendar, or a transaction in your earnings: the price breakdown shows the fee on a separate line.
What do you earn if you have not changed your price?
You earn 84.50 for every 100 displayed, instead of about 97. Airbnb illustrates the change with these figures (an example in dollars, same proportions in any other currency, excluding optional fees and taxes):
| Before (split fees) | After, price not adjusted | After, price adjusted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price you set | 100 | 100 | 115 |
| Price seen by the guest | 115 | 100 | 115 |
| Your payout | 97 | 84.50 | 97 |
Airbnb warns that if you do not act before the deadline, your prices and your payouts per night will be lower. The guest sees the same total: that is the point of the change, according to Airbnb, to make the price clearer and easier to compare.
How do you recalculate your price to keep the same income?
Divide the payout you want by 0.845, instead of adding 15.5% to it. The reason: the fee is taken on the displayed price, not on what you want to receive. Airbnb offers a tool to adjust all your prices at once, and its example (100 becomes 115 to receive 97) matches this calculation. Here is the calculation for a few net incomes per night (Majordia calculation based on the 15.5% rate, rounded to the cent, before VAT and taxes):
| Net income wanted per night | Price to set (net divided by 0.845) |
|---|---|
| €80 | €94.67 |
| €100 | €118.34 |
| €120 | €142.01 |
| €150 | €177.51 |
This price also covers the optional fees: the fee applies to your cleaning and pet fees, which must therefore be recalculated the same way if you want to receive the same net amount. To then set prices by season, see our article on pricing for a small portfolio.
And what about VAT on the fee?
In some countries, the fee is subject to a VAT-type tax, which Airbnb's tool includes automatically. According to the resource centre, some countries charge a tax on service fees, often called VAT, and the adjustment tool includes this tax unless you are registered for VAT and reverse-charge it yourself. Airbnb takes the example of 20% VAT for a host who is not registered: a price of 100 becomes 119, with 17.83 of fee, 3.57 of VAT, and a payout of 97.60. If you are registered for VAT and reverse-charge it, the tool does not account for it: the guest sees 115 and you receive 97, with the VAT left for you to handle. Airbnb continues to issue you VAT invoices or the equivalent, and the breakdown of each booking shows the fee and the VAT.
We did not read Airbnb's page on VAT by country: the "VAT" line in your booking breakdown tells you what applies to your case, and your accountant what to do with it.
Should you worry about tax and thresholds?
A higher price increases your gross revenue, which can make you reach a threshold sooner. Airbnb warns that the adjustment can raise your gross income, and so make you reach the VAT threshold sooner, and that it may not increase your taxable income if you can deduct the fee as an expense. Under the micro-BIC regime in France, there is no deduction of expenses: according to service-public.gouv.fr, the profit equals the revenue reduced by a flat-rate allowance (50% for a classified tourist furnished property, 30% for an unclassified one), and expenses are not deducted. In our reading, for a host under micro-BIC in France who raises the price to keep the same net, the taxable base therefore rises with the price, and the revenue thresholds (€15,000 for an unclassified tourist furnished property, €77,700 for a classified one, according to the sheet, on 2025 revenue) get closer. Under the real regime, you can deduct your costs and expenses (service-public.gouv.fr), including, in principle, this fee.
Check with your accountant, according to your situation. For the details of the regimes, see our guide to declaring furnished letting income (in France), and to simulate the allowance, Majordia's free micro-BIC allowance and Le Meur law calculator, which is not advice.
What if you also rent on other sites?
Review your prices on each channel: if you raised the price on Airbnb to keep your net, the gap with another site may become visible to a guest who compares. We did not read the terms of Booking or other platforms for this article: check your fees there and any parity rules. To compare platforms, see our Airbnb, Booking and Abritel comparison, and to reduce the share of fees, our article on direct bookings.
Your plan in five steps
- Check that your listings have moved to the single fee: "fee" line in the breakdown of a recent booking.
- Calculate the price that gives you your reference net (net divided by 0.845), for nights and for optional fees.
- Adjust your prices with Airbnb's tool or by hand, including seasonal prices and promotions (see our article on the new listing promotion).
- Review your prices on the other channels.
- Talk to your accountant about any VAT and the revenue thresholds.
Majordia does not manage your prices: it takes care of the welcome. Its free welcome guide with no sign-up, accessible through a QR code and automatically translated into 6 languages, reduces arrival-day questions, which matters when each booking earns you a little less.
Key takeaways
Information
- Change: single 15.5% fee paid by the host (other hosts: 14% to 16% in general), in place of split fees (host 3%, guest 14.1% to 16.5%); irreversible, applied to new bookings (Airbnb pages).
- Deadline: 15 September 2026 outside the EEA, 13 October 2026 in the EEA and Switzerland.
- Without adjustment: you receive 84.50 for every 100 displayed, instead of about 97.
- Calculation: price to set = wanted net divided by 0.845; the fee also applies to cleaning and optional fees.
- VAT: Airbnb's tool includes it for a host who is not registered, not for a host who reverse-charges it; check it on your booking breakdown.
- Tax: under micro-BIC in France, no deduction of expenses (service-public.gouv.fr): a higher price increases the taxable base, in our reading.
- Not read: Airbnb's page on VAT by country, Booking's terms, detailed tax rules: check them against your situation.
FAQ
Is Airbnb's fee really 15.5% for all hosts?
For most, yes: according to the help page, most hosts pay 15.5%, the others generally between 14% and 16%, and 16% for Brazil and Mexico.
Can I stay on the old split-fee structure?
No, according to the help page: Airbnb is moving all hosts of homes to the single fee, the old structure disappears, and you cannot go back once migrated.
Are my already confirmed bookings affected?
No: the single fee only applies to bookings made after the move to the new structure, even if the stay takes place afterwards.
How do I keep the same net income?
Divide your wanted net by 0.845. Airbnb's example: a price of 100 becomes 115 to receive 97. Airbnb offers a tool to do it on all your listings.
Does the fee apply to cleaning?
Yes, according to the resource centre: it applies to the nightly price and to the optional fees you add, such as cleaning or pets.
Do I have to pay VAT on the fee?
It depends on the country and on your status: Airbnb states that VAT may apply and that the amount appears in the breakdown of each booking. Ask your accountant.
Recalculate, adjust, then compare
A single fee does not necessarily cost more than before: it shifts the deduction onto you and forces you to raise the displayed price to keep your net. Do the calculation for each listing, check VAT and thresholds, then compare with your other channels. For welcoming your guests, the welcome guide generator of the Essential offer (free, add-ons à la carte) creates a guide and its QR code with no sign-up.
Image credits. Cover: photo "euro banknote collection on wooden surface" by Markus Spiske, Unsplash, Unsplash licence. Photos in the text: "Pink pig coin bank on brown wooden table" by Andre Taissin, Unsplash, and "a person sitting at a desk with a calculator and a notebook" by Jakub Żerdzicki, Unsplash, Unsplash licence.
