Base commission
The big platforms’ base commission for private accommodation is usually around 15% of the booking amount. Programmes that give a property more visibility raise the rate. Some platforms split the fee: the host pays a smaller share and the guest pays the rest; where the host pays the whole fee, it is a little over 15%.
Rates vary by country, property and programme. Find your exact rate in your platform’s partner area or statement.
What comes on top of commission
VAT on the commission. Platforms invoice their commission from another EU country, without VAT. Under the EU reverse-charge rules, the host then owes the VAT on the commission themselves, as a rule even as a small business or private host outside the VAT system, and needs a VAT identification number for it. A host who cannot deduct input VAT cannot recover it, so it is a real cost. The rate and the procedure depend on your country; the example below uses 25%, Croatia’s rate.
Payment fee. If guests pay through the platform, the platform may also charge a payment processing fee. Check the amount in your terms.
Source: Directive 2006/112/EC (the VAT Directive), Article 196, EUR-Lex. Confirm with your accountant.
Example: a €15,000 season through a platform
An illustration, not a calculation for your property: every booking through a platform at 15% commission and 25% VAT on the commission.
| Bookings in the season | €15,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Platform commission, 15% | −€2,250.00 |
| VAT on the commission, 25% | −€562.50 |
| Left before payment fees and tax | €12,187.50 |
In this example, commission including VAT comes to €2,812.50, or 18.75% of bookings. With your own country’s VAT rate the figure shifts a little.
Example: the same season direct
The same amount, ten stays, each paid in two instalments (deposit and balance) with a standard European card through Stripe, from 1.5% + €0.25 per payment.
| Bookings in the season | €15,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Stripe fees, 20 payments | −€230.00 |
| Our monthly fee | agreed on a call |
| Left before our monthly fee and tax | €14,770.00 |
With SEPA payments Stripe charges €0.35 per payment, so the cost is lower for larger amounts. Ask your accountant whether VAT also has to be calculated on the payment fee. We don’t call the difference between the two examples a saving until you subtract our monthly fee from it.
Source: Stripe’s pricing, November 2026.
When commission is worth it
Platforms bring guests who have never heard of you, from markets you would struggle to reach yourself. For a new property’s first season and for weeks you would not otherwise fill, commission is the price of that reach, and often a fair one. That is why you should not leave the platforms.
How to depend less on commission
Commission pays off for a new guest, and far less for a returning one. The aim is for regular guests and recommendations to book direct. How, we describe in the guide how to get more direct bookings, and the comparison and calculator are on the direct bookings page.
Whether you may offer a lower price direct: European Commission factsheet on price parity and the DMA.
