Airbnb to collect and send taxes on behalf of hosts

Effective October 15, 2015, Airbnb will collect and send the following taxes to the Department of Revenue (DOR) on behalf of Airbnb ‘hosts’ who use the website for short-term lodging sales:

• state and local retail sales tax
• special hotel/motel taxes
• convention and trade center taxes

(See Airbnb’s public policy statement for more information).

If a host made lodging sales before October 15, 2015, the host needs to collect and send all taxes to the department for that time period.

A host still needs to register with DOR to report their rental income on an excise tax return:

• The host reports all of their Airbnb rental income under all appropriate tax classifications – Retailing and Retail Sales Tax.
• The host can then claim a deduction for “Retail Sales Tax Collected by Facilitator” under the Retail Sales Tax classification. This deduction is equal to the rentals made through Airbnb as of October 15, 2015. 

The host needs to pay any Retailing B&O tax due after taking the small business B&O tax credit, if applicable. The credit calculates automatically when the host electronically files.

A host cannot take deductions for Airbnb charges such as a service fee or commission; service fees and commissions are considered a hosts’ cost of doing business with Airbnb.

What if I have more questions?

• Call our Telephone Information Center at 1-800-647-7706.
• Visit Airbnb’s website:
  • Help section: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/481/how-do-taxes-work-for-hosts
  • General information: https://www.airbnb.com/about/about-us. 

More references

• Short-term home and room rentals for overnight accommodations
• Lodging Information and Rate Changes
• Lodging Guide
• Tax Rate Lookup Tool
• RCW 82.08.010(2)(a)

Definitions

A “host” is the party who rents out an accommodation through Airbnb.