Guide ยท Edinburgh visitor levy
Does the cleaning fee count for the Edinburgh visitor levy?
Yes. If every guest has to pay your cleaning fee, it's part of the accommodation cost, so the 5% levy applies to it. Optional extras that guests can choose not to buy, like parking or breakfast, don't count.
Why the cleaning fee counts
The council's guidance says standard cleaning is included, because there's "unlikely to be an option to book accommodation that has not been cleaned". The test is simple: could the guest have booked without paying it? If not, it counts.
What counts and what doesn't
| Charge | Include in revenue? |
|---|---|
| Nightly price | Yes |
| Standard cleaning fee charged on every booking | Yes |
| Room upgrade (the accommodation part) | Yes |
| Optional extras: parking, meals, laundry, late check-out | No |
| Commission you pay to Booking.com or Airbnb | Don't deduct it |
| The levy itself | No |
The cleaning fee and the 5-night cap
On a stay longer than 5 nights, the cleaning fee belongs with the first 5 nights. Leave it out of your "6th night onwards" figure. See the worked example.
Check your platform settings
Your return is based on what guests paid, whatever your platform collected. If your platform leaves the cleaning fee out of its levy calculation, you still owe the levy on it, and the difference comes out of your pocket.
- Airbnb: in your listing's tax settings, the taxable base should include both the base price and the cleaning fee.
- Booking.com: check what your city tax is calculated on. It should cover the cleaning fee as well as the room price.
When I did my first return, Booking.com's settings had left the cleaning fee out. My guests paid less levy than I owed.
Not sure your settings are right?
In a 60-minute session, we do your return together and check your Airbnb and Booking.com settings, so next quarter is right from the start.
Sources: City of Edinburgh Council, Visitor Levy Scheme guidance (Version 2, August 2026); Airbnb Help Centre, Edinburgh Visitor Levy FAQs. This is general help with the process, not tax advice.