OTA commission calculator: how much each booking really costs you
Enter nightly rate, number of nights, your OTA contract commission percentage, and VAT rate: instantly see the commission, effective net, and real cost percentage. Works for private hosts, B&Bs, guesthouses, and property managers. Also available in "PM margin" mode with cleaning fees and owner share.
In sintesi
OTA commission is not a universal value. It changes by platform, listing type, premium programs, promotions, and contract. The correct reference is your contract or the platform's monthly report.
VAT on commission can be a real cost. If the VAT rate is not deductible under your tax regime, it adds to the commission and raises the effective cost above the nominal value. The exact treatment depends on regime and platform: check with your accountant (commercialista).
The percentage commission alone is not enough. The true OTA cost for your margin is (commission + non-deductible VAT + any gateway fee): account for all of it before comparing channels.
Calculator: how much do you actually keep?
Enter your booking data. All fields update live — nothing to submit, no signup.
Use the value from your OTA contract or the platform's monthly report.
Leave at 0 if VAT is deductible or not applicable to your case. Verify with your accountant.
Result
PM margin (on this booking)
Note: results are indicative. Actual commissions can vary for premium programs (Genius, Preferred Partner), promotions, cancellations, and contractual clauses. VAT treatment depends on your tax regime: verify with your accountant. For real aggregate margin (all properties, all months, all costs including business overhead), a structured management-control system is required. Try Dott.House free for 14 days →
Illustrative example: from gross to post-tax net
The numbers below are purely illustrative to show the calculation structure. Enter your real contract and tax-regime values into the calculator to get the result that applies to your case.
| Item | Amount (example) | % of gross |
|---|---|---|
| Booking gross (example) | 1.000,00 € | 100,0% |
| − OTA commission (example: 15%) | −150,00 € | 15,0% |
| − Non-deductible VAT on commission (example: 22%) | −33,00 € | 3,3% |
| Net after OTA (example) | 817,00 € | 81,7% |
| − Income taxes (illustrative example) | −210,00 € | 21,0% |
| Post-tax net (example, excluding running costs) | 607,00 € | 60,7% |
The key point isn't the exact value — it's the structure. Between the gross the guest pays and the actual post-tax net there are multiple layers (OTA commission, possible non-deducted VAT, income taxes, running costs). The tax base and deductibility of commissions depend on the tax regime: this determines how much of the gross actually ends up in the host's pocket. Always verify the calculation that applies to your case with your accountant.
What this calculator does NOT include
- Cleaning fee charged to the guest: typically the host collects it from the guest and passes it through to the cleaning provider ("zero margin" on the cleaning side). For PMs with a margin on cleaning, enable the "I'm a property manager" toggle.
- PM business overhead (PMS, software, marketing, employees): these should be allocated pro-rata across months and properties, not by single booking. See the full margin calculation.
- Cancellations and refunds: these affect the actual annual commission measured in OTA reports, not a single confirmed booking.
- Currency conversion and payment fees: for bookings in foreign currency or with dedicated gateways, there's an additional fee (~1-3%).
- Tourist tax: the host collects it on behalf of the municipality and remits it — pass-through, zero margin. It doesn't affect the OTA calculation.
When a calculator isn't enough
For a single booking, a calculator is perfect. For managing a portfolio of 5+ properties, where each property has different commissions, costs, and tax regime, and where you need to aggregate bookings and costs in real time, Excel starts to crack. That's where automated management control like Dott.House comes in. See Excel vs dedicated software.
Want to see the real margin across all your properties together?
14 days free trial, no credit card. Import bookings from your PMS or CSV, configure the tax regime per property, and see the real net margin (post-OTA, post-VAT, post-tax) in a single dashboard.
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