Vrbo 12% fee calculator
Vrbo is switching to a flat 12% commission on October 29. See what that does to your payout per booking and per year, and how much you'd need to raise prices to break even.
✅ Last updated Oct 1, 2026 (fee rules checked against the sources below) · By Joshua Gold · Free · No signup · Runs in your browser
Quick answer: from October 29, 2026, Vrbo charges a flat 12% commission (per Skift and Vrbo's help page). A $1,000 booking pays $880, compared with $920 on the old 5% + 3% pay-per-booking model or $950 for software-connected hosts at 5%. To keep your payout, raise prices about 4.5% (or about 8% if you paid 5%).
What's changing at Vrbo on October 29, 2026
According to Skift's September 29, 2026 report, Vrbo is moving hosts to a flat 12% commission starting October 29, 2026, while lowering the service fee guests pay. It's the second big fee change in six weeks — Airbnb's 15.5% host-only fee arrived on September 15.
Until the switch, Vrbo's pay-per-booking hosts pay a 5% commission on the rental amount and host fees plus a 3% payment processing fee on the total the guest pays, including taxes and refundable deposits (8% in total, as Skift puts it). Hosts connected through property management software pay 5%, so they see the biggest jump. Skift adds that the few remaining annual-subscription hosts also move to 12%.
Worked example: a $1,000 booking
- Pay-per-booking today: $1,000 − 8% = $920 (before taxes and deposits, which add to processing)
- Connected software today: $1,000 − 5% = $950
- After Oct 29 at 12%: $880
To keep the $920 from a pay-per-booking host's typical booking you'd need about a 4.5% raise; a software-connected host needs about 8%. Guests pay a smaller service fee, so some of that raise is absorbed.
What's still unclear
Vrbo's pay-per-booking help page has already been rewritten around "a flat, all-in 12% commission fee" on the rental amount and host fees (cleaning, pet and similar). That wording suggests the 3% processing charge is folded in, but the same page still has a leftover paragraph about a 3% processing fee. We treat 12% as all-in; tick the box above to see the worst case. The page also says bookings from Vrbo's "expanded distribution partners may have higher fees", and that software-connected hosts in some regions (such as Europe, Australia and New Zealand) may pay 12%–15%.
Guest fees are the other unknown. Skift reports Vrbo's guest service fee is currently 11–14% and will drop, but a smaller, flexible fee will remain in most cases.
Questions hosts ask
What is the new Vrbo host fee?
A flat 12% commission from October 29, 2026, reported by Skift and now described on Vrbo's own help page as a 'flat, all-in 12% commission fee'. Before that, pay-per-booking hosts paid 5% commission plus 3% payment processing, and software-connected hosts paid 5%.
Does Vrbo charge fees on taxes?
Vrbo's help page says the commission is charged on the rental amount and any fees you charge the traveler, not on taxes or refundable damage deposits. Under the old model the 3% processing fee also applied to taxes and deposits; whether any separate processing charge survives the move to an 'all-in' 12% isn't fully clear yet.
Is Vrbo now cheaper than Airbnb for hosts?
At 12% versus Airbnb's 15.5% host-only fee, Vrbo keeps more of the same booking for you — $880 versus $845 on a $1,000 booking. Use the channel comparison calculator to compare all options with your own numbers.
Should I raise my Vrbo prices?
If you want your payout to stay the same, yes: around 4–5% for typical pay-per-booking hosts and about 8% for software-connected hosts. Because guest fees are falling, guests may see little or no change in their total.
Is this an official Vrbo calculator?
No. HostFees is independent and not affiliated with Vrbo or Expedia Group. Figures are estimates based on published reporting; your Vrbo payout report is the final word.