Today I want to share the news that Airbnb is planning to launch a program to collect occupancy taxes on behalf of our hosts in San Francisco beginning October 1. We’ve already launched this program in Portland, Oregon and are excited to be moving ahead in our hometown.
This is the culmination of a long process that began earlier this year when we announced our intent to help collect and remit occupancy taxes in San Francisco. Our community members in San Francisco have told us they want to pay their fair share and the overwhelming majority have asked us to help. In the past, it’s been difficult for individual hosts to pay taxes that were designed for traditional hotels that operate year round. This has been a complicated issue and we’re happy to be taking action to help simplify the collection process for hosts, guests and for the City.
Here’s what this announcement means for hosts and guests in San Francisco:
For reservations in San Francisco booked on or after October 1, guests will see a new line item on their Airbnb receipt for the city-imposed Transient Occupancy Tax. The tax will be added to the total amount paid by guests on stays of fewer than 30 days – hosts will not have to do anything extra. Those taxes will be remitted to the City by Airbnb on behalf of hosts. If you’d like to learn more about occupancy taxes and Airbnb, please visit our Help Center.
By helping to collect and remit occupancy taxes on behalf of our hosts and guests, the process should be easier and more streamlined for everyone. We’re not the only home sharing company operating in San Francisco, and we hope other companies will join us in implementing similar programs. We think it’s the right thing to do in San Francisco and we’re proud to be moving forward. We look forward to a continued dialogue on this issue with our entire community in the future. We know home sharing and our community of hosts make cities stronger and more vibrant and we want to work with leaders around the world to ensure the sharing economy continues to thrive.