Your breakeven point is your fixed monthly costs divided by your net nightly rate — what's left of each night after the platform's 15.5% host fee. HostTally runs the full seasonal version of that math for you: enter your rates, costs, and occupancy, and see your breakeven nights and projected after-tax profit in seconds.
The calculator below is pre-filled with a sample property so you can see how it works — replace every number with your own before trusting the result.
Your busiest months — the highest demand, highest rate stretch of the year.
The remaining months at your slower, lower rate.
Skip this section if you're not sure — it only matters if you charge guests more for cleaning than you pay your cleaner.
Most new hosts price off what nearby listings charge, not off what they actually need to earn to cover their costs.
Between the platform's host fee, cleaning pass-through, and management fees if you use one, your "nightly rate" and your actual take-home per night can be very different numbers.
A strong summer can mask a losing winter. Most hosts never separate the two seasons out to see if the slow months are actually profitable on their own.
Whether you're taxed on Schedule C or Schedule E — and whether the 14-day rule applies to you — changes your real return more than most hosts realize going in.
Calculate your monthly fixed costs, net your nightly rates against platform and management fees, and show the exact number of nights per season you need to break even — plus a before- and after-tax annual profit estimate.
File your taxes, replace a CPA, price your listing dynamically day-to-day, or account for one-time costs like furnishing, major repairs, or a slow first year while you build reviews.
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HostTally is starting with breakeven and profit — here's what's next.
See how much revenue you're likely leaving on the table by using flat seasonal rates instead of demand-based pricing.
Compare long-term rental income against short-term rental income for the same property, side by side.
Estimate furnishing, licensing, and first-90-days costs before you list your first night.
Straight answers to the questions hosts ask most about breakeven, fees, and taxes.
Divide your total fixed monthly costs (mortgage or rent, insurance, utilities, HOA) by your net nightly rate — your nightly rate after the platform's service fee and any management fee, plus any profit margin on your cleaning fee. For example, with $2,140 in fixed monthly costs and a $200 nightly rate that nets about $169 after Airbnb's 15.5% host fee, you need roughly 13 booked nights per month to break even. Most hosts need a different number in high season than low season — the calculator above computes both separately.
Your breakeven night count is the number of booked nights per month at which rental revenue exactly covers your fixed costs — every booked night beyond that number is profit, and every night short of it is a loss you cover out of pocket. It's the single most important number for judging whether a rental is actually viable in its slow season.
As of April 13, 2026, Airbnb charges most hosts a single host-only service fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal. The subtotal includes your nightly rate, your cleaning fee, and any extra guest fees — so the fee applies to your cleaning charge too, not just the nightly rate.
Yes. The host service fee is charged on the full booking subtotal, which includes the cleaning fee. If you charge guests exactly what your cleaner costs you, you lose a small amount on every stay. To break even on cleaning, your charge needs to exceed your cleaner's cost by at least the platform fee percentage — the calculator above models this automatically.
For tax year 2026, the federal 1099-K reporting threshold is $20,000 in gross payments AND more than 200 transactions (the earlier $600 threshold was repealed in July 2025). Some states set lower thresholds, and your rental income is taxable whether or not you receive a 1099-K. Consult a CPA about whether Schedule C or Schedule E applies to you — our pricing & tax guide covers the difference.
Completely free, no login or signup. All calculations run in your browser — nothing you enter is transmitted to or stored on any server. HostTally makes money from the optional $39 Profit Toolkit, not from your data.
Everything the free calculator can't do: the Host Profit Playbook (PDF) — seasonal pricing strategy, the 2026 tax rules that actually matter, and a pre-purchase compliance checklist — plus the Profit Toolkit spreadsheet (XLSX) with 12-month cash-flow modeling.
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