Airbnb's host fee in Malaysia is 15.5% for most hosts, on bookings made from 15 September 2026. It is taken from your payout. It covers the nightly price plus your cleaning fee and any other fee you add. Taxes sit outside it. Before the switch most hosts paid 3% and the guest paid 14.1% to 16.5% on top. To keep the same payout, raise your price by about 14.8%. The guest then pays roughly what they paid before.
What leaves a RM 220 booking
Before and after, side by side
| Split fee, before | Single fee, from 15 Sep 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Host pays | 3% | 15.5% |
| Guest pays Airbnb | 14.1–16.5% | 0% |
| Charged on | Nightly price plus host fees, before taxes | Nightly price plus cleaning, pet and extra-guest fees, before taxes |
| Which bookings | Made before your switch | Made after your switch, whatever the stay date |
| Status | Being phased out | Mandatory for most hosts, and permanent |
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The price that keeps your payout the same
Your old payout was 97% of your price. Your new payout is 84.5%. So multiply your old price by 0.97 and divide by 0.845.
| Old nightly price | Your payout, before | New price, same payout | Guest paid before | Guest pays now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RM 150 | RM 145.50 | RM 172 | RM 171–175 | RM 172 |
| RM 200 | RM 194.00 | RM 230 | RM 228–233 | RM 230 |
| RM 300 | RM 291.00 | RM 344 | RM 342–350 | RM 344 |
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The guest barely feels the change. You feel all of it, if the price stays where it was. A host who kept the same price on 15 September took a 12.5-point cut on every new booking.
What to do this month
- Reprice. Use the table above. Check your next payout statement shows 15.5%, and on which bookings.
- Count your repeat guests. Every one of them booked through Airbnb now costs you 15.5% for an introduction you already made.
- Run your own numbers. The direct-booking calculator takes your nightly rate and occupancy and shows what moves if some guests book direct.
Questions hosts ask us
How much does Airbnb charge hosts in Malaysia?
Most Malaysian hosts pay 15.5% on bookings made from 15 September 2026. Airbnb takes it from the host payout. It is charged on the booking subtotal. That is the nightly price plus the cleaning fee and any other host fee, before taxes. Before the switch most hosts paid 3% and the guest paid the rest.
Which bookings does the 15.5% fee apply to?
Only bookings made after your listing switched. A booking made before the switch keeps the old split fee, even if the guest arrives later.
Is the switch to the single fee permanent?
Yes. Airbnb says the single fee stays once a host has switched. The split fee is being phased out for all home hosts.
Do guests still pay an Airbnb service fee?
On single-fee bookings Airbnb takes the entire fee from the host payout. The guest pays the price you set, plus any taxes. So if you raise your price by about 15%, the guest pays roughly what they paid before.
How much should I raise my Airbnb price to keep the same payout?
About 14.8%. Your old payout was 97% of your price. Your new payout is 84.5%. So multiply the old price by 0.97 and divide by 0.845. A RM 200 night becomes about RM 230. Under the old split fee the guest paid RM 228 to RM 233 for that night, so the guest's total barely moves.
Is SST or tax added on top of the 15.5%?
Airbnb says the service fee it shows hosts already includes VAT where it applies. So the 15.5% on your payout statement is the whole of the fee. Taxes you collect from guests are a separate matter and sit outside the subtotal.
Sources & dates
- Airbnb, Airbnb service fees (help article 1857), read 23 Sep 2026: the split fee, with the host at 3% and the guest at 14.1% to 16.5%. The single fee, with most hosts at 15.5% and others at 14% to 16%. New bookings only, permanent once switched, VAT included where it applies.
- Airbnb, Simplifying service fees on Airbnb (published 7 Jul 2026, updated 24 Aug 2026): the 15 September 2026 switch date for hosts outside the European Economic Area. Read 22 Sep 2026.
- Billplz pricing, FPX at RM 1.25 flat on the free Basic plan, read 22 Sep 2026.
- That the single fee reaches the cleaning fee: industry coverage (Rental Scale-Up, Smoobu, Futurestay), verified 18 Jul 2026, consistent with Airbnb's definition of the subtotal.
The fee lands hardest on the guests who already know you.
We help independent stays get found by name and booked direct, on their own site. Ask us what your repeat guests are costing you on Airbnb, and we will work it out with you.
It is the founder who replies, on both buttons, usually the same day.