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Edinburgh visitor levy calculator: how much do I owe?
You owe 5% of what the guest paid for the accommodation on the first 5 nights of each booking, including a standard cleaning fee. If you are VAT registered, take the VAT out first. You then keep 2% of the levy for your admin and pay the rest to City of Edinburgh Council. A 3 night stay at £120 a night plus a £60 cleaning fee owes £21.00, of which you pay the council £20.58.
Work out one Edinburgh booking
Uses the same rules file as our main calculator. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What counts in the price?
The levy is charged on the "accommodation portion": the part of what the guest pays that is for the stay itself. The council's guidance for providers (version 2.1, September 2026) says:
- Include the nightly price, a standard cleaning fee (even if you list it separately), anything the guest cannot opt out of, and paid room upgrades.
- Include a booking site's commission or service fee only when the guest pays it as part of the booking. If the site charges it to you, leave it out.
- Leave out meals and drinks such as breakfast, separately charged parking, optional laundry or extra linen, entertainment and transport.
- Leave out the levy itself. You never charge 5% on top of the 5%.
Whether Airbnb's own guest service fee counts is not settled. The council says it depends on how the booking contract is set up and suggests taking advice if you are unsure.
How does the 5 night cap work?
Only the first 5 consecutive nights of each booking are charged. It is per booking, not per guest or per room, so a family of four on a 7 night stay pays on 5 nights, not 20. The council says to use the actual price of those first 5 nights, not an average across the stay. A cleaning fee charged per night counts only for the first 5 nights. A one-off cleaning fee charged whatever the length of stay is likely to count in full.
Two separate bookings are two separate stays: a guest who books 4 nights, leaves, then books 2 more pays on all 6.
A worked example: a one-bed flat in Stockbridge
A host lets a one-bed flat in Stockbridge. They are not VAT registered. A couple books 7 nights from 9 to 16 October 2026 at £150 a night, plus an £80 one-off cleaning fee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 7 nights at £150 | £1,050.00 |
| Nights 6 and 7 (beyond the cap, not charged) | £300.00 |
| First 5 nights | £750.00 |
| Cleaning fee (one-off, counts in full) | £80.00 |
| Amount the levy is charged on | £830.00 |
| Levy at 5% | £41.50 |
| Host keeps 2% of the levy | £0.83 |
| Host pays the council | £40.67 |
The guest checks out on 16 October, so this stay goes in the October to December 2026 return: submit by 30 January 2027, pay by 13 February 2027. On that return the host also reports the £300 for nights 6 and 7 in its own box, the revenue beyond 5 nights.
If the same flat were let by a VAT registered business at £150 a night including VAT, with no cleaning fee, the first 5 nights would be £750 with VAT, £625 without it, and the levy would be £31.25.
Which return does a booking go in?
Returns are quarterly, and a stay that crosses two quarters goes in the quarter of its check-out date. The first return covers stays from 24 July to 30 September 2026: submit from 1 October to 30 October 2026 and pay by 13 November 2026. Stays before 24 July 2026 owe nothing, and so do bookings paid for, in part or in full, before 1 October 2025 (refundable deposits do not count as paid).
What to do, step by step
- Register each Edinburgh property on visitorlevy.scot if you haven't yet.
- Download your bookings for the quarter from Airbnb, Booking.com or your own records.
- Leave out cancellations and no-shows where the guest never arrived.
- For each stay, add the first 5 nights and the cleaning fee, take out VAT if you are registered, and take 5%.
- Add the totals up month by month, by check-out date, and fill in the return.
- Pay the council by the payment date, keeping your 2%, and keep your records for 5 years.
Work out your tourist tax free
Try any booking in the full calculator, or drop in your Airbnb file to see every quarter's figures.
Work out your tourist tax freeLet Tourist Tax Keeper do every booking for you
Upload your Airbnb or Booking.com file and get the monthly figures for every return, ready to copy into visitorlevy.scot, plus a reminder before each deadline. £9 a month, cancel any time, and the £29 Tourist Tax Pack is free inside.
Start Tourist Tax KeeperRelated
- How do I fill in the Edinburgh visitor levy return?
- Does Airbnb pay the Edinburgh visitor levy for me?
- Tourist Tax Keeper: UK tourist tax calculator and Wales register check
General information, not tax or legal advice. Sources: City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Visitor Levy Scheme: information for accommodation providers (version 2.1, September 2026); City of Edinburgh Council, visitor levy information for businesses; Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024. Last checked 5 October 2026. Nero Engine Group Ltd, company 16521432, 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA. Privacy · Terms