The short version
- The date: "The deadline to adjust your prices is September 15 if you live outside the European Economic Area and October 13 if you live within it or in Switzerland."[1] Airbnb also says hosts using property management software who aren't on the single fee yet "will switch to the single fee on October 13."[4]
- The fee: a single service fee paid by hosts, 15.5% for most (remaining hosts typically 14%–16%), charged on your nightly price and any fees you add, like cleaning, pet or extra-guest fees.[1][5]
- The VAT: Airbnb says VAT is charged on the host service fee for a reservation, depending on your country of residence or where your listing is.[2] The fee you see is VAT-inclusive where VAT applies.[5]
- The tool: Airbnb's price adjustment tool builds that VAT into your new prices "unless you're VAT/GST registered and self assess VAT."[1]
- Not a new EU tax: Airbnb describes October 13 as a deadline to adjust prices; we found nothing from Airbnb calling it a change in VAT law. The EU's separate platform VAT reform starts no earlier than 1 July 2028.[7]
Why VAT matters more on the single fee
Under the old split fee, the host paid a small fee (3% for most hosts) and the guest paid a service fee on top of your price.[5] Airbnb's VAT page has a section for each: for guests, "VAT is charged on the guest service fee"; for hosts, "VAT is charged on the Host service fee."[2] The single fee combines both into one fee paid by hosts and deducted from your payout,[1][5] so, if you aren't VAT-registered, all the VAT on Airbnb's fee is now charged to you.
Airbnb's own example uses a country with 20% VAT and a host who isn't VAT-registered:[1]
| Line | Airbnb's example |
|---|---|
| Adjusted price without VAT | $115 |
| Single service fee | $115 × 15.5% = $17.83 |
| VAT | $17.83 × 20% = $3.57 |
| Adjusted price with VAT | $115 + $3.57 = $119 (rounded to the nearest dollar) |
| Your payout | $119 − $17.83 − $3.57 = $97.60 |
So the tool raises a $100 price to $119 instead of the $115 it uses when no VAT applies.[1] Airbnb's example works the fee out on $115; if the 15.5% is charged on the full $119, as it is on any price you set, the exact price that keeps a $97 payout is $97 ÷ (1 − 0.155 × 1.20) = $119.16 (fee $18.47, VAT $3.69). Either way it rounds to $119.
If you're VAT-registered and self-assess VAT, Airbnb says the tool won't account for VAT: "Guests will see $115, you'll earn $97, and you'll continue to account for VAT yourself."[1]
VAT on Airbnb's fee, country by country
These rates come from Airbnb's VAT help page, which lists the rate it applies to its service fees in each country.[2] The last three columns are our arithmetic for a host who isn't VAT-registered and pays the 15.5% fee: the fee plus VAT as a share of your price is 15.5% × (1 + VAT rate), and the price that keeps a 97 payout (Airbnb's example payout, in any currency) is 97 ÷ (1 − that share).
| Where you're a customer | VAT on Airbnb's fees | 15.5% fee + VAT, as a share of your price | You keep from 100 | Price that keeps a 97 payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 20% | 18.60% | 81.40 | 119.16 |
| Belgium | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Bulgaria | 20% | 18.60% | 81.40 | 119.16 |
| Croatia | 25% | 19.38% | 80.63 | 120.31 |
| Cyprus | 19% | 18.45% | 81.56 | 118.94 |
| Czech Republic | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Denmark | 25% | 19.38% | 80.63 | 120.31 |
| Estonia | 24% | 19.22% | 80.78 | 120.08 |
| Finland | 25.5% | 19.45% | 80.55 | 120.43 |
| France | 20% | 18.60% | 81.40 | 119.16 |
| Germany | 19% | 18.45% | 81.56 | 118.94 |
| Greece | 24% | 19.22% | 80.78 | 120.08 |
| Hungary | 27% | 19.69% | 80.32 | 120.77 |
| Iceland | 24% | 19.22% | 80.78 | 120.08 |
| Ireland * | 23% | 19.07% | 80.94 | 119.85 |
| Italy | 22% | 18.91% | 81.09 | 119.62 |
| Latvia | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Lithuania | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Luxembourg | 17% | 18.14% | 81.87 | 118.49 |
| Malta | 18% | 18.29% | 81.71 | 118.71 |
| Netherlands | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Norway | 25% | 19.38% | 80.63 | 120.31 |
| Poland | 23% | 19.07% | 80.94 | 119.85 |
| Portugal | 23% | 19.07% | 80.94 | 119.85 |
| Romania | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Slovakia | 23% | 19.07% | 80.94 | 119.85 |
| Slovenia | 22% | 18.91% | 81.09 | 119.62 |
| Spain | 21% | 18.76% | 81.25 | 119.39 |
| Sweden | 25% | 19.38% | 80.63 | 120.31 |
| Switzerland * | 8.1% | 16.76% | 83.24 | 116.52 |
* Airbnb says that in Ireland and Switzerland it's "required to apply VAT on your behalf regardless of your VAT status," so registered businesses there are charged VAT on the fee too.[2] Airbnb's page doesn't list Liechtenstein, the third non-EU EEA country, and lists the Canary Islands separately at 7% IGIC.[2] Airbnb notes the page isn't updated in real time, so check that the rate is still current.[2] If your fee is 14% or 16% rather than 15.5%,[5] use your own rate in the Airbnb fee calculator.
If you're VAT-registered
In most countries on the list, Airbnb says you "may not be charged VAT on Airbnb service fees" if you're registered for VAT, "but you may be required to declare VAT on your VAT filing." To tell Airbnb you're registered, add your VAT or tax ID to your account under Taxes.[2] That matters for the price tool, which only leaves VAT out if you're registered and self-assess.[1]
Airbnb says it "will continue to issue you VAT invoices (or the equivalent)," and the price breakdown for each booking shows the service fee and the VAT.[1]
Using the price adjustment tool before October 13
- The tool makes a one-time adjustment to all your active and inactive listings. It changes your prices and additional fees (cleaning, pet and other host-set fees, but not discounts) for the next two years in your calendar, using a ratio that "considers applicable taxes (such as VAT, GST, or other local taxes)."[3]
- Once you use it to change your fee structure, you can't go back to the split fee.[3][5]
- Reservations booked before the adjustment aren't affected, even if they're changed later.[3]
- Co-hosts can't make this one-time adjustment; the listing's host has to.[1]
- If you use property management software, Airbnb says to make the changes on October 13 in your software, or switch your fee structure manually in the Payments section of your Airbnb account if you want to change earlier.[4] Airbnb built the price tool for hosts who don't use property management software,[3] so your software's markup sets the price; if you aren't VAT-registered, build the VAT on the fee into it. Our repricing explainer has the formula.
- If you do nothing, Airbnb says your prices and payouts per night will be lower: a $100 price earns $84.50 after the 15.5% fee.[1] If VAT is charged on the fee, our table shows you keep less than that (81.40 per 100 at 20% VAT).
Some European hosts already switched. Airbnb's UK resource page from March 2026 said hosts living in Germany or the UK would switch on June 22.[6] You can check which fee you pay on any reservation under Today > Menu > Earnings, then open a transaction and find the Airbnb service fee under Earnings.[5]
Other tax points Airbnb flags
The price tool "doesn't include other taxes, like income tax." Airbnb also warns that raising your prices "can increase your gross income, which means you could reach your VAT threshold sooner," though it "may not increase your taxable income if you can deduct the service fee as an expense."[1] If you're close to your country's VAT registration threshold, that's worth raising with a tax adviser before you reprice.
What's not known yet
- Registered hosts in Ireland and Switzerland: Airbnb charges them VAT on the fee regardless of status,[2] but its tool article only says VAT is left out for hosts who are registered and self-assess.[1] Airbnb hasn't said how the tool treats this case, so check the preview the tool shows before you confirm.[3]
- Your exact rate: Airbnb says most hosts pay 15.5% and the rest typically 14%–16%.[5] It doesn't publish who pays which, so confirm yours in Earnings.
- Anything else changing on October 13: we found no EEA-specific Airbnb announcement beyond the deadline itself and the switch date for software-connected hosts.[1][4] We'll update this page if Airbnb publishes more.
- The EU platform rules: under the VAT in the Digital Age package, platforms for short-term accommodation will be responsible for collecting and remitting VAT when the host doesn't, for example because they're a small business or an individual.[7] The Commission says these deemed-supplier rules apply from 1 July 2028 and that EU countries can delay them until 1 January 2030.[7] How each country will apply them, and how Airbnb will, hasn't been published.
A checklist for EEA and Swiss hosts
- Check whether you've already switched: open a recent reservation in Earnings and look at the Airbnb service fee.[5]
- If you're VAT-registered, make sure your VAT ID is under Taxes in your account before you use the price tool.[2][1]
- Run the price adjustment tool (or update your property management software on October 13) and check the preview.[3][4]
- After your first new booking, open its price breakdown and check the service fee and VAT lines.[1]
- Keep the VAT invoices Airbnb issues for your records, and ask a tax adviser about thresholds and self-assessment.[1]