Airbnb fees for hosts in the UK: what Airbnb takes in 2026

If your Airbnb payouts dropped this summer, this is why. UK hosts have moved from paying Airbnb 3% to paying a single fee of 15.5% of each booking. Guests no longer see a separate service fee. The whole charge now comes out of your payout. Here's what changed, and how to set your prices so you don't lose out.

What changed with Airbnb's host fees?

For years, Airbnb split its fee. Hosts paid about 3%, and guests paid their own service fee on top. Hostfully explains that Airbnb now charges most hosts a single host-only service fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal, deducted from the payout.

For UK hosts, the switch has already happened. TabiVista reports that the change rolled out from April 2026, with a final deadline of 22 June 2026, and that the old split fee is gone for UK hosts.

What is the 15.5% fee charged on?

The fee isn't just on your nightly price. Hostfully says it applies to the nightly rate plus cleaning, pet, and extra-guest fees, but not taxes. So a £60 cleaning fee also carries the 15.5% charge.

RoomRaccoon notes that 15.5% is Airbnb's standard figure, but that remaining hosts typically pay between 14% and 16%. Check your own rate in the Earnings breakdown for any booking.

Do you pay VAT on Airbnb's fee?

If you're not registered for VAT, the real cost is higher. TabiVista explains that non-VAT-registered hosts pay an effective 18.6%, because Airbnb adds 20% VAT on its fee, which they can't reclaim.

What does the fee cost on a real booking?

Take a three-night stay at £160 a night, with a £60 cleaning fee. That's a booking subtotal of £540.

• Airbnb's 15.5% fee: £83.70
• VAT on the fee, if you're not VAT-registered: £16.74
• Your payout: £439.56

Under the old 3% fee, the same booking would have cost you £16.20 in fees. That's why so many hosts saw their payouts shrink.

How should you price for the new fee?

Guests now see one price with no separate service fee added, so you can raise your listed price without guests paying more than they did before. The maths matters. Hostaway advises that to keep your payout the same, you should divide your target earnings by (1 - 0.155), not just multiply by 1.155.

For example, if you want £140 a night in your pocket, list at £140 ÷ 0.845, which is about £166, not £140 × 1.155, which is about £162. The difference looks small, but across a year of bookings it adds up. If you're not VAT-registered, you'll need to allow for the VAT on the fee too.

Does it matter which platform guests book on?

Yes. Different platforms charge different fees, and a booking taken directly, from a returning guest for example, carries no platform fee at all. Read our guide to Booking.com for hosts for how its commission compares.

What if a manager runs your listing?

If a management company runs your listing, the Airbnb fee comes out of the booking before their own fee, or alongside it, depending on how they calculate it. The questions to put to the company are which fees come off first, and whether prices were raised when the switch happened. Read How much do management companies charge?

If this all sounds like hard work

It is. Pricing every night, answering guests at midnight, chasing cleaners and keeping up with fee changes is a job in itself. That job is what we do, for 12% + VAT of what each booking earns. If your home doesn't earn, neither do we.

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This is general information, not legal, financial, tax or insurance advice. Market figures are averages as of the date shown above and change every month. Speak to a qualified professional before you act on anything here.