While hitches and anomalies are bound to occur, Airbnb has put in place stable and reliable systems to stream the payment process for both the guest and the host. The company also offers a lot of flexibility with a variety of modes of payment to choose from. Hosts need to check the availability of a certain mode of payment in their regions before activating it in their Airbnb accounts.
Getting paid is one of the most exciting parts of being an Airbnb host. Like other businesses in the sharing economy, Airbnb has built a business model that allows people to make money by renting out idle property space.
Airbnb has a dedicated payment system that offers flexibility and financial security to guests and hosts. Part of Airbnb's growth is attributed to this simplified transaction process. Here are the steps to getting paid as an Airbnb host.
The Airbnb platform has a payment section where the hosts activate their preferred mode of payment. You can select from bank transfers, Payoneer prepaid debit cards, PayPal, and Western Union, to name a few.
In addition to entering your payment details, you'll also need to submit your taxpayer's information in order to get the correct tax documents.
To add a payout method, log in to your Airbnb account, select Account Settings, click on Payment Preferences, and finally click Add Payout Method.
After selecting your preferred payout method, it'll be verified by Airbnb to ensure the host is successfully paid. Depending on the payout method chosen, the verification process may last between 2 to 10 days.
The guests pay the total amount when booking on Airbnb. The hosts are paid 1-2 days after the guest has checked in.
Hosts pay a Host Service Fee of 3% from the total payout from each guest. The fee is deducted from the subtotal after deducting any security deposits received and is used to cover the costs of any services from Airbnb, such as its 24/7 customer support. The Host Service is reviewed every time the host changes the booking fee.
In addition to the 3% fee, the host also pays taxes based on where they are located. Airbnb helps hosts to streamline the tax payment by having your tax information filed in advance and walking you through the entire process.
The host's earnings vary depending on the guest's length of stay as well as any discounts that may apply.
When the host activates Host Early Pay, the account will take the amount for all bookings, and then the payment is released to the host within 48 hours of confirmation of the booking. The amount is deposited in the selected mode of payment within 1 to 3 days after the guest makes the payment. There is a Host Early Pay fee charged for the Host Early Pay program.
The Host Early Pay program is only available to hosts in the United States and is valid for between 14 to 90 days before the guest's check-in time.
While Airbnb has streamlined its systems to work smoothly, sometimes the payment systems may cause frustrations. Missing Airbnb host payments is a common source of frustration that many hosts encounter. To take care of missed host payout, Airbnb has put in place a tracking system that records all reservations and cancellations.
For hosts who are not on the early pay program, the payout is usually due within 2 hours. Hosts with guests checking in on the same day may experience payout delays as Airbnb will start counting the 24 hours starting from the last guest who checked in.
In addition, you may have guests staying for long. In such cases, the host is paid monthly. In a case of a genuine delay in payment, Airbnb always has a customer representative on standby. Sometimes the delay may be a result of inconsistencies in the payment system.
GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like AirBnB in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our What Is the Process for Getting a Payment as an AirBnB Host? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.