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Airbnb co-host fee calculator

Agreeing a co-hosting deal? Compare a percentage of the payout, a percentage of the booking total and a flat monthly fee, with cleaning passed through or not, and see what the owner nets and what the co-host earns.

A typical month

The co-host deal

Commonly 10–25%

Mortgage, utilities, supplies

Who gets what

Owner net / month$38
Co-host earns / month$548
Co-host fee as share of guest bookings14.0%
Guest bookings (18 nights, 6.0 stays)$3,900
Platform fee (15.5%)−$605
Payout to host account$3,296
Co-host fee−$548
Cleaner−$510
Owner's other costs−$2,200
Owner net$38

Same month, three deals

DealCo-hostOwner net
20% of payout$548$38
20% of booking total$648−$63
Flat $600$600−$15

The flat fee and 20% cost the same when the fee base reaches $3,000 a month. Above that, the flat fee is cheaper for the owner; below it, the percentage is.

What to put in a co-hosting agreement

  • The fee base, in writing: payout or booking total, and whether cleaning fees, pet fees and taxes count.
  • The scope: messaging, pricing, check-in, cleaning coordination, restocking, maintenance call-outs, reviews. Full service usually justifies the top of the range.
  • Who pays for what: supplies, repairs above a set amount, and damage claims.
  • How they are paid: an Airbnb payout split or a monthly invoice, and the notice period to end the deal.

Owner still deciding whether hosting is worth it? Run the profit calculator with the co-host fee in costs, or check what Airbnb itself keeps with the fee calculator.

Questions hosts ask

How much does an Airbnb co-host charge?

There is no official rate; it is whatever owner and co-host agree. Percentage deals commonly fall somewhere around 10–25% of revenue, with lower rates for handling only messaging and pricing and higher rates for full-service management including cleaning coordination, restocking and maintenance. Some co-hosts charge a flat monthly fee instead. Treat 10–25% as a common range seen in the market, not a standard.

Is the co-host fee a percentage of the payout or the booking total?

Either, and it makes a real difference. A percentage of the payout is taken after Airbnb's host fee (about 15.5% under host-only pricing), so the same percentage of the booking total costs the owner more. Agree in writing which figure is used, and whether cleaning fees are included. The calculator shows both bases side by side.

Do co-hosts get a share of the cleaning fee?

Usually not. The common arrangement is that the cleaning fee is passed through to pay the cleaner and is excluded from the co-host percentage. If the co-host does the cleaning themselves, they often keep the cleaning fee as separate payment for that work. Toggle pass-through to model either.

How does Airbnb pay co-hosts?

Airbnb lets the primary host set up payout splits so a co-host receives a fixed amount or a percentage of each reservation directly, depending on the options available in your region. Check the current Airbnb Help Center for how payout splits work where you are. Otherwise the owner pays the co-host from the payout.

Flat fee or percentage: which is better for the owner?

A percentage aligns the co-host with revenue: they earn more when the place books well and less in slow months. A flat fee is predictable but the owner carries all the risk of a bad month and the co-host has less reason to push the rate. The break-even shown below is the revenue at which a flat fee and the percentage cost the same.

Is co-host income taxable?

Yes. In the US, a co-host's fees are generally self-employment income and the owner can usually deduct them as a rental expense. Airbnb may issue a 1099-K to whoever receives the payouts. Ask a tax professional about your situation.

Run the other numbers