Contents
Key points
- Since 13 October 2026 Swiss hosts have faced a single rate of 15.5 per cent instead of the previous host share of around 3 per cent.
- The 15.5 per cent also hits the cleaning fee: only 84.5 per cent is paid out — over 70 stays a year, the cost of almost eleven cleans goes missing.
- The formula against that gap: actual cost divided by 0.845 — the cleaning fee has to be set 18.34 per cent higher.
- On the nightly rate 15.5 per cent is not enough: the same net amount needs plus 18.34 per cent. Do nothing and you lose around 13 per cent.
What has changed
Until now Airbnb split the service fee: around 3 per cent was borne by the host, 14 to 16.5 per cent by the guest. Since 13 October 2026 a single rate of 15.5 per cent has applied for Swiss hosts, borne by the host.
The guest sees a lower final price as a result, because their share falls away. For you it means: 15.5 centimes go out of every franc of booking revenue, instead of around 3 as before.
Reservations confirmed before 13 October 2026 keep the old model. Bookings made since then use the new rate.
The point that gets overlooked: the cleaning fee
The 15.5 per cent is charged on the entire booking subtotal — including the cleaning fee you charge the guest.
That produces a gap visible on no statement: of every cleaning fee you charge, 15.5 per cent goes to the platform — only 84.5 per cent is paid out. You still pay the cleaning service in full. Loss per stay: 15.5 per cent of the cleaning cost.
Over 70 stays a year that adds up to the cost of almost eleven cleans — money nobody notices, because it does not appear as a line item but as a smaller payout.
The cleaning fee therefore has to be grossed up. The formula is simple: actual cost divided by 0.845, that is plus 18.34 per cent. Only then does the amount the cleaning really costs remain after the fee is deducted.
Your figures, not our examples
The calculator takes the number of rooms, the neighbourhood and the fit-out and shows you a range — with the arithmetic beside it, not as a single figure you have to take on trust.
Estimate the returnAnd the nightly rate: 15.5 per cent is not enough
The second error of arithmetic many will make: charging 15.5 per cent more does not produce the same payout. The reason is that the fee is charged on the new, higher price.
There are two sensible objectives, and they lead to different factors.
- To receive the same net amount per night as before: price divided by 0.845, that is plus 18.34 per cent.
- To receive the same payout as under the old model with the 3 per cent share: price times 1.1479, that is plus 14.8 per cent.
- Doing nothing: around 13 per cent less payout at the same price.
What this means for demand
The most important point last, and it gets overlooked in the excitement: the final price for the guest does not necessarily rise. Their fee share of 14 to 16.5 per cent falls away, after all. If you raise your nightly rate by 18 per cent and the guest no longer pays their fee, the final price for them is roughly the same.
Anyone omitting the adjustment is therefore giving away not demand but income. Anyone who has not adjusted prices yet should do so now. Autumn and winter bookings are made early; more on the season is under autumn in Zurich.
Airbnb’s own adjustment tool aims by default at the more conservative of the two factors. Anyone wanting full compensation has to calculate it themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Since 13 October 2026 the host-only model has applied to Swiss hosts. Until then the host bore around 3 per cent and the guest 14 to 16.5 per cent; the host now pays 15.5 per cent on the booking subtotal and the guest pays no service fee. For the guest the final price stays roughly the same if the host adjusts their price. Anyone doing nothing loses around 13 per cent of the payout. Reservations confirmed before that date keep the old model.
That depends on the objective, and both factors are larger than 15.5 per cent — because the fee is charged on the new price. For the same net amount per night: price divided by 0.845, that is plus 18.34 per cent. For the same payout as under the old split model: price times 1.1479, that is plus 14.8 per cent. Airbnb’s own tool aims by default at the more conservative figure. Anyone who has not adjusted prices yet should do so now, including for winter dates already open.
Yes, and that is the point most frequently overlooked. The 15.5 per cent is charged on the entire booking subtotal, including the cleaning fee. Of the fee charged, only 84.5 per cent is paid out, while the cleaning service still costs the full amount — a loss of 15.5 per cent of the cleaning cost per stay, and over 70 stays a year the cost of almost eleven cleans. The fee has to be grossed up: actual cost divided by 0.845, that is plus 18.34 per cent.
And for your property?
Sources
State of our research: 31 July 2026. Official rules change — check the current position with the competent authority.
