What does the Airbnb fee change on 13 October 2026 mean for Swiss hosts?

What did Airbnb change on 13 October 2026?

On 7 July 2026, Airbnb announced it would abolish the guest fee. Until now, you set a price and paid 3% yourself, while the guest saw a higher total price because of their 14.1% to 16.5% service fee. Now there’s a single fee of 15.5%, which is deducted entirely from your payout. The guest sees exactly the price you set.

The deadline to adjust prices was 15 September for hosts outside the EEA, and 13 October for hosts in the EEA and Switzerland. The single fee has applied to new bookings since then. Bookings confirmed earlier still have the old fee.

According to Airbnb, VAT is added to the 15.5% where applicable. In Switzerland, Airbnb charges VAT on service fees even if you have a VAT number. At 8.1%, the total is 16.76%.

What does that mean in CHF?

Example in Grindelwald: 4 nights at CHF 180 plus CHF 120 cleaning add up to CHF 840 per stay. That’s 110 nights or CHF 23'100 a year.

Without an adjustment, you lose CHF 3'121 a year in this example. With the adjustment, you get the same as before. The guest then pays CHF 976, about the same as before with the service fee. The total price barely changes for them; only the way it’s displayed is more honest.

How do you get to around 16%?

Before, you kept 96.76% of the host price (100% minus 3.24%). Now you keep 83.24% (100% minus 16.76%). To keep your payout the same, divide 96.76 by 83.24. That gives you a factor of 1.162. If you’re VAT-registered and reclaim VAT as input tax, use 97 divided by 84.5, or around 1.148.

What should you do now?

1. Check your prices: Check your calendar to see whether your nightly rates have stayed the same since October. Airbnb offered a tool to adjust all your listings at once. If it’s no longer available, adjust them manually.
2. Raise your nightly rates by around 16%: CHF 180 becomes CHF 209, and CHF 150 becomes CHF 174. Don’t forget seasonal and weekend rates.
3. Adjust your cleaning fee: The fee also applies to cleaning. CHF 120 becomes CHF 139.
4. Check discounts and minimum prices: Weekly and monthly discounts are calculated from the new price. Update Smart Pricing and pricing tools with fixed minimums too.
5. Don’t include tourist tax: Airbnb doesn’t collect it in Bern, Valais, Graubünden or Ticino. If you collect it through the nightly rate, you’ll pay a 16.76% fee on it. Collect it separately, on site or by QR bill.
6. Encourage direct bookings: Every booking through your own website now saves you CHF 140.75 per stay, as in the example.

Why are direct bookings more worthwhile now?

Before, an Airbnb booking cost you 3.24%; the guest paid the rest of the fee. Now you pay 16.76%. Since 1 December 2022, Article 8a of the UCA has prohibited price parity clauses with accommodation providers. So you can charge less on your own website than on Airbnb.

Even with a 10% discount for returning guests, you keep CHF 40 to CHF 66 more with direct bookings than through Airbnb. Find out how to attract guests this way under direct bookings. For full details on payouts, tourist tax and cancellations, see Airbnb for hosts.