What are Vrbo's host fees after the October 29, 2026 change?
Vrbo now charges pay-per-booking hosts a 12% commission on the rental amount and any fees the guest pays, such as cleaning, with no separate card fee when Vrbo collects the payment. Before October 29, 2026 most hosts paid about 5% plus 3% processing, so a $1,000 booking now costs $120 instead of about $80.
By StayPerk Team · Last checked · Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com details checked against the sources below
What to do now
- Open the fee or payout page in your Vrbo account and check which rate applies to your new bookings. Hosts report Vrbo telling each account when the change reaches it.
- Put a typical stay into the calculator below. The commission is charged on cleaning and other guest fees, not only the nightly rate.
- Decide whether to change your Vrbo price. To keep the payout you had at about 5% plus 3%, raise it by about 4.5%.
- Before you raise prices, read the pricing rules in Vrbo's new host terms: reports say they ask that your Vrbo rates are no worse than on your own site.
- Keep your calendars linked, so a stay booked direct or on another site blocks the Vrbo dates.
Vrbo's fee on a $1,000 booking
| When | Commission | Card processing | Vrbo keeps | You get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before October 29, 2026 | 5% | 3% | $80 | $920 |
| Before, with connected software | 5% | Included | $50 | $950 |
| From October 29, 2026 | 12% | Included when Vrbo collects payment | $120 | $880 |
Vrbo pay-per-booking fees on a $1,000 booking (rent plus cleaning, before tax)
Before October 29, 2026
- Commission
- 5%
- Card processing
- 3%
- Vrbo keeps
- $80
- You get
- $920
Before, with connected software
- Commission
- 5%
- Card processing
- Included
- Vrbo keeps
- $50
- You get
- $950
From October 29, 2026
- Commission
- 12%
- Card processing
- Included when Vrbo collects payment
- Vrbo keeps
- $120
- You get
- $880
The earlier rates are as reported by Rental Scale-Up and Hostaway; the current rate is from Vrbo's help page. Your own account shows the rate that applies to you.
What the commission is charged on
Vrbo's help page says the 12% is charged on the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the traveller, and not on Vrbo's traveller service fee, taxes, refundable deposits or insurance. Where VAT applies it is added on top. In Australia and New Zealand GST also applies, unless your business is GST-registered and you have entered a valid GST ID.
When Vrbo collects the guest's payment, it does not charge a separate processing fee. If you use your own payment processor, that processor's fees still apply. Hosts on a legacy annual subscription are reported to move to pay-per-booking when their current term ends.
Compared with the other sites: most Airbnb hosts pay a 15.5% single fee, and Booking.com charges between 10% and 25%. A stay a guest books direct and pays through StayPerk costs 1% plus the card fee.
Vrbo fee calculator: before and after October 29
Enter one booking. The calculator shows what each booking site keeps and what reaches you, next to the same stay booked direct. Taxes are left out, because none of these fees apply to them.
nights
%
15.5% for most hosts on the single fee
%
12% pay-per-booking
Booking total
700
Airbnb (single fee): fee 108.50
You get 591.50
Vrbo (pay-per-booking): fee 84
You get 616
Vrbo before October 29, 2026: fee 56
You get 644
Direct, paid online through StayPerk (1% + card fee): fee 27.60
You get 672.40
Direct, you collect payment yourself: fee 0
You get 700
Card fees on Vrbo are included when Vrbo collects the payment. Booking.com can add a payments charge when it collects for you. Check the fee shown in your own account on each site.
What StayPerk does here
StayPerk doesn't change what Vrbo charges. It gives you a free calendar that shows Vrbo, Airbnb and Booking.com stays together, and a free booking page for guests who find you directly.
A direct stay paid online through StayPerk costs 1% plus Stripe's card fee; when you collect payment yourself, StayPerk takes nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vrbo's 12% charged on the cleaning fee?
Yes. Vrbo charges the commission on the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the traveller, which includes cleaning and pet fees. Taxes and refundable deposits are not included.
Is there still a separate 3% payment processing fee?
Not when Vrbo collects the payment: its help page says it does not charge a separate processing fee. If you take payment through your own processor, that processor's fees still apply.
Do guests still pay a Vrbo service fee?
Yes. Vrbo's guest service fee is a percentage of the reservation total that varies with the amount, and hosts cannot waive or reduce it.
When does the new rate apply to my listing?
Vrbo's updated host terms take effect on October 29, 2026. Hosts report that Vrbo tells each account when its rate changes, and annual subscribers move when their subscription ends, so check the fee shown in your account.
Still have a question?
Write to us and a person will reply, or look it up in the Help Center.
Sources
- About the pay-per-booking (PPB) model - Vrbo Help
- Host Terms of Service notice (effective October 29, 2026) - Vrbo
- What is the service fee? - Vrbo Help
- Airbnb service fees - Airbnb Help Center
- How much commission do I pay? - Booking.com Partner Help
- Vrbo 12% commission: what the new host terms mean for your pricing - Rental Scale-Up
- Vrbo's new 12% commission: what it means and how to prepare - Hostaway
- Vrbo's 12% commission: new host fees from October 29, 2026 - FutureStay