Owner payout
Also called owner return, owner's payout. Last reviewed Oct 21, 2026 by Jeremy Werden
Owner payout is what's left for a short-term rental's owner after the co-host or manager takes their commission and cleaning is paid, before the platform fee and other running costs. In a BNBCalc Cohost analysis, owner payout = revenue − cleaning and supplies − cohost commission, which starts at 20%.
Owner payout = revenue − cleaning and supplies − cohost commission
How does BNBCalc calculate the owner payout?
A Cohost analysis takes the home's estimated yearly revenue and subtracts two things:
- Cleaning: the cleaning cost, which starts at 8% of revenue in the US, plus supplies;
- Cohost commission: revenue × your commission rate, 20% to start.
What's left is the Owner payout. Say a home is estimated at $60,000 a year, with $50 a month of supplies ($600 a year). Cleaning comes to $4,800 + $600 = $5,400, the commission to $12,000, and the owner payout to $42,600.
What does the owner payout leave out?
The owner payout comes before every cost a Cohost analysis doesn't model, such as the Airbnb host fee, utilities, insurance, property tax and any mortgage. The host fee alone is $9,300 a year on that $60,000 home at Airbnb's usual 15.5%. Who pays which of those depends on your agreement with the owner, so make sure the payout you show an owner is the one they'd see after the costs they'll cover themselves.
For a home that the owner already runs or would rent long-term, the fairest comparison is with their current income from it. That's the number your pitch needs to beat.