Fixfolder · Airbnb payout questions
Why is one Airbnb host fee 3% and another 15.5%?
Airbnb has 2 different fee structures for stays: a split fee and single fee
; under the split fee Most hosts pay a 3% service fee, but some pay more
, and under the single fee Most hosts pay 15.5%
. A booking keeps the structure that applied when it was made: Bookings made before the switch are unaffected, even if they occur after the switch.
The two fee structures, in Airbnb’s words
| Split fee | Single fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | This fee structure is split between the host and the guest. | With this structure, the entire fee is deducted from the host's payout. |
| Host fee | Most hosts pay a 3% service fee, but some pay more. | Most hosts pay 15.5%, remaining hosts typically pay 14%-16%, and hosts pay a 16% fee for listings in Brazil and Mexico. |
| Charged on | service fees are a percentage of the nightly price and any fees charged by the host, but exclude the guest service fee and taxes | The single fee applies to your nightly price and any fees you add, like a cleaning, pet, or extra guest fee. |
Who is on the single fee: This fee structure is mandatory for most hosts, including traditional hospitality listings (e.g., hotels, serviced apartments, etc.), hosts who use property management software, and hosts in countries subject to this fee structure.
Help 1857
On the switch, Help 1857 says We're in the process of transitioning all home hosts to a single service fee structure.
and Once you’ve switched to the single fee structure, you can’t switch back.
A Resource Center article dated October 13, 2026 says Airbnb moved from a split fee to a single fee structure in 2026.
The two pages are worded differently, so check each booking instead of assuming one rate. Help 1857, RC 288
How it shows in your Airbnb report
In the free example workbook (fictional data), one bungalow has both fee structures in September:
| Booked | Check-in | Gross earnings | Service fee | After the fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-20 | 2026-09-08 | 532.00 (example) | 15.96 (example) | 516.04 (example) |
| 2026-09-16 | 2026-09-23 | 571.00 (example) | 88.51 (example) | 482.49 (example) |
Both bookings have a cleaning fee of 85.00 (example). The workbook reads the first fee as 3.0% and the second as 15.5% of gross earnings. In the example Settings, the account switched on 2026-09-15: the booking made before that date has the 3% fee, and the one made after it has 15.5%.
Check it yourself in 3 steps
-
Find the fee line
Open any booking in your calendar, or any transaction in your earnings dashboard, to see a price breakdown. You’ll find the service fee on its own line.
RC 288 -
Work out the rate
Divide the service fee by the booking amount before fees: the nights plus the fees you charge, such as cleaning. Compare the result with Airbnb’s figures above: 3% for most split-fee hosts, 15.5% for most single-fee hosts.
-
Check the booking date
Look at when the booking was made, not when the guest stays. A booking made before your switch keeps the split fee.
What the workbook flags
In Settings you record each property’s Airbnb fee model (for example Split (about 3%) or Unknown) and your switch date, used only as a hint. The workbook checks each reservation’s fee against them. The settings and codes are the workbook’s, not Airbnb’s.
AB-FEE(Info): one property has both rates in the same month. The example’s note on the second booking: “Airbnb's fee on HMJVMVAHS1 is 15.5% of gross earnings; other reservations this month are at 3.0%. The fee depends on the fee model in place when the guest booked (2026-09-16).”AB-FEE(Warning): a fee doesn’t fit the model in Settings, such as a 15.5% fee on a property set to Split.AB-CLEANING(Info): how much of the fee relates to the cleaning fee; in the example, about 13.18 (example) of the 88.51 (example) fee. More on the cleaning fee in a payout.
On the owner statement, Airbnb’s fees appear under Platform fees.
The free example is a read-only copy with fictional data. It does not work with your own reports.
Sources
- Airbnb service fees, Airbnb Help Center (Help 1857). Read 2026-10-30.
- Simplifying service fees on Airbnb, Airbnb Resource Center (RC 771). Read 2026-10-30.
- How much does Airbnb charge hosts?, Airbnb Resource Center (RC 288). Read 2026-10-30.
Quotes are copied word for word from these pages as read on the dates shown. Airbnb may change its pages.