Two fee structures, one going away
Airbnb has charged hosts in two ways. Under the split fee, Airbnb took a small fee from the host and added a separate service fee to the guest's total. Under the single fee (often called the host-only fee), the entire fee comes out of the host's payout and the guest pays no separate service fee.[1] Airbnb says it's moving all home hosts to the single fee, and once you've switched, you can't switch back.[1]
| Split fee | Single (host-only) fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Host pays | Usually 3% (4% for listings in Brazil and Mexico)[1] | Usually 15.5%; other hosts typically 14%–16%; 16% in Brazil and Mexico[1] |
| Guest pays | A service fee of 14.1%–16.5% of the booking subtotal, on top of your price[1] | No separate guest service fee; the guest sees the price you set[2] |
| Charged on | Nightly price plus fees you charge, excluding taxes[1] | Nightly price plus fees you add, like cleaning, pet or extra-guest fees[2] |
| Status | Hosts who connect through property management software were moved to the host-only fee on October 27, 2025.[3] Airbnb's deadline for everyone else was September 15, 2026 outside the European Economic Area, and October 13, 2026 inside the EEA and in Switzerland.[2] | |
The same $100 night under each fee
Airbnb's own example: under the split fee, a $100 price shows guests $115 and pays you $97. Under the single fee, you'd set $115, guests still see $115, and you still get about $97.[2] With the guest fee at each end of Airbnb's range, it looks like this:
| Guest pays | Airbnb keeps | You keep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split fee, $100 price, 14.1% guest fee | $114.10 | $17.10 | $97.00 |
| Split fee, $100 price, 16.5% guest fee | $116.50 | $19.50 | $97.00 |
| Single fee, $114.79 price, 15.5% fee | $114.79 | $17.79 | $97.00 |
| Single fee, price left at $100 | $100.00 | $15.50 | $84.50 |
So if you reprice, the guest total lands inside the range guests paid before. Airbnb says the 15.5% "is based on Airbnb's global average service fees."[2] If you don't reprice, you absorb the whole difference. Airbnb's own example of leaving the price at $100 pays you $84.50.[2]
What changes in practice
- Your price is the guest's price. In most places, there's no service fee added at checkout, though in some countries taxes are added or included.[2]
- Your extra fees are charged too. The single fee applies to cleaning, pet and extra-guest fees, so reprice those as well, not just the nightly rate.[2] See fees on cleaning fees.
- Old bookings keep the old fee. The single fee applies only to reservations made after you switch.[1]
- VAT. In countries that charge VAT or GST on service fees, Airbnb's price adjustment tool adds that tax to your adjusted price unless you're VAT-registered and self-assess.[2]
Is the host-only fee worse for hosts?
Not by itself. With a matching price increase, your payout is the same and the guest total sits inside the old range. What hurts is not repricing, or repricing only the nightly rate. Our explainer on how much to raise prices covers the formula, and why the answer is about 14.8%, not 15.5% or 18.3%.