Where to raise prices for Airbnb's fee: tool, PMS or Airbnb
Make the price change for Airbnb's 15.5% host-only fee in one place only: your pricing tool if you connect one directly, your property-management system if you use one, or Airbnb's own tool if you set prices by hand. Adjusting in two places stacks the markup and overprices the listing.
If your prices didn't change for the 15.5% fee
$0a month
$26,210 a year, or $33 on every booked night.
Price that keeps your take-home flat
$298
x1.148 from a 3% fee
The common "divide by 0.845" rule
$308
About 3% too high, so fewer bookings
For 6 listings, a Stayvane plan is $399 a month, flat. This is an estimate: it ignores cleaning fees and your real occupancy.
Where should you make the price change?
Make it in the system that sets the price Airbnb receives. PriceLabs gives the same instruction: adjust in one place only, because adjusting in both Airbnb and your pricing tool stacks the markup (PriceLabs). The right place depends on your setup.
| Your setup | Where to adjust | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing tool connected directly to Airbnb, no PMS | Inside the pricing tool, as an Airbnb-specific channel markup | Raise your minimum price by the same multiplier |
| Property-management system or channel manager | The Airbnb channel markup in the PMS | Cleaning and other fees are marked up too, not only the nightly rate |
| You set prices by hand on Airbnb | Airbnb's one-time price adjustment tool, or by hand | Compare the tool's result with your own math |
| Airbnb Smart Pricing | Smart Pricing already accounts for the new fee, per PriceLabs | Your minimum price rose and no old manual overrides remain |
How much should the markup be?
There are two correct numbers, and they answer different questions. To keep your old payout, multiply by about 1.148 (14.8%): 0.97 divided by 0.845. To keep your full current price as the payout, multiply by about 1.183 (18.34%): 1 divided by 0.845. PriceLabs lists both (PriceLabs).
| Goal | Multiplier | $200 night becomes | Host keeps at 15.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep the old payout (from a 3% fee) | x1.148 | $229.60 | $194.01 |
| Keep the full current price as payout | x1.183 | $236.70 | $200.00 |
| Raise by 15.5% only | x1.155 | $231.00 | $195.20 |
Raising prices by 15.5% is a common mistake. It does not work because Airbnb takes the fee from the higher price, so the host ends up at about $195, not $200.
Which multiplier should you choose?
Choose x1.148 if your goal is to keep take-home level. Choose x1.183 only if you were paying no host fee before, or if you deliberately want a higher payout and accept the booking risk. For most hosts coming from the split fee, x1.183 overprices by about 3% against the old payout, and guests see that in the total.
What do you do about cleaning and other fees?
Apply the same multiplier to cleaning, pet and extra-guest fees. The 15.5% applies to the whole subtotal, so a cleaning fee left unchanged loses 15.5% of its value on every booking (Rental Scale-Up). Check this in a PMS in particular, because some systems adjust only the nightly rate.
When is the simple markup the wrong answer?
A flat markup is the wrong answer for listings that were already overpriced, for off-season weeks where you are filling gaps at a discount, and for markets where nearby listings did not move. A markup restores the old payout per booking. It does not tell you whether guests will still book at the new price. Compare each listing with its nearest comparables before you apply it everywhere.
The free payout audit does that comparison from public data. The fee calculator gives the math for other starting fees.
Questions hosts ask
Hosts ask the questions below most often on this topic. Each answer is complete on its own, with the figure and the condition that changes it. We last checked them on October 23, 2026.
Should I adjust in PriceLabs or in Airbnb?
If PriceLabs is connected directly to Airbnb with no PMS, adjust inside PriceLabs and not through Airbnb's tool. PriceLabs advises adjusting in one place only so the markup does not stack.
Is the right increase 14.8% or 18.34%?
About 14.8% (x1.148) keeps your old payout when you paid 3% before. About 18.34% (x1.183) keeps your full current price as payout. Most hosts coming from the split fee want the first.
Do I raise my cleaning fee too?
Yes. The 15.5% applies to nightly rate, cleaning, pet and extra-guest fees. A cleaning fee left unchanged loses 15.5% of its value on every booking.
What about my minimum price in a pricing tool?
Raise the minimum price by the same multiplier. A minimum left at the old level can pull prices below the new break-even point on slow weeks.
Is the markup the same for Vrbo?
No. Vrbo's fee and the old fee differ, so the multiplier differs too. From 8% to 12% it is about x1.045, and from 5% to 12% about x1.080.
Sources checked
Every fee, date and rule on this page comes from the pages below, which we read on October 23, 2026. Platforms change their terms often, so confirm anything that affects your account against the current page.
Check the new prices against nearby listings
The free audit compares each listing with its 30 nearest comparables, so you can see whether a markup is still competitive. Paste your Airbnb link and email.
Market figures use public data from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). The fee math is arithmetic on the published rates, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Check each platform's current terms for your account.