Commission
Commission is the percentage of a booking that a platform, booking agent or property manager keeps for bringing in or handling the reservation. It comes out before the host is paid. On Airbnb, the commission is the host service fee: 15.5% of the booking subtotal for most hosts and 16% for listings in Brazil and Mexico, according to Airbnb's Help Center.
Commission on the main platforms
Each platform charges on a slightly different base, which matters as much as the rate.
| Platform | Host commission | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | 15.5% single fee (16% in Brazil and Mexico); the old split fee was 3% plus a 14.1%–16.5% guest fee | Nightly price plus cleaning, pet and extra-guest fees; not taxes |
| Vrbo (pay-per-booking) | 5% commission plus 3% payment processing | Commission: rent plus your fees, not taxes or refundable deposits. Processing: the full payment, taxes included |
| Booking.com | Set by country, property type and agreement; no single published rate | Total booking amount including your fees; not local taxes such as city tax, but VAT or GST in most countries |
Sources: Vrbo and Booking.com for Partners.
Commission on a booking
On a $700 booking, three nights at $200 plus a $100 cleaning fee, Airbnb's 15.5% commission is $108.50 and the host keeps $591.50. On Vrbo's pay-per-booking model with no taxes, the same booking pays out $644. A property manager's cut comes on top of either, and how it's calculated is covered under management fee.
Commission vs related fees
- Host service fee: Airbnb's name for the commission it takes from hosts. The switch from the 3% split fee to the 15.5% single fee, with dates and payouts, is in how much Airbnb takes from hosts.
- Guest service fee: what Airbnb charged guests on top of the host's price under the split fee. The single fee removes it.
- Management fee: what a property manager charges to run the rental, usually a percentage of bookings.
- Payment processing: the card-processing cost, such as Vrbo's 3%. Airbnb says its service fees help cover payment processing, along with marketing and customer service.
Frequently Asked Questions
On the published rates, yes. Vrbo's pay-per-booking model charges a 5% commission plus 3% payment processing, so a $700 booking with no taxes pays out $644, against $591.50 on Airbnb. Vrbo's processing fee also applies to taxes and refundable deposits.
Not a single one. Booking.com says the exact percentage depends on the property's country, property type and accommodation agreement. Its commission applies to the total booking amount, including fees such as cleaning, but not to local taxes such as city tax.
Commission is the per-booking percentage kept by the platform or agent that secured the reservation. A management fee is what a property manager charges for running the rental. Many managers charge it as a percentage of each booking, so the two are easy to confuse, and both come out before the owner is paid.