To add a co-host on Airbnb, go to Listings, select the listing, open Co-hosts in the listing editor, click “Get started” under “Invite a co-host”, enter their email or phone number, choose their permissions (full access, calendar and messaging, or calendar only) and send the invitation. The co-host verifies their identity and accepts. You can then share part of each payout with them from the same Co-hosts page. You can add up to 10 co-hosts to each listing.

Adding a co-host takes two minutes. Getting it right takes a little longer: the right access level, the right payout setup, and a clear agreement on who does what. This guide covers all three, plus how to make a co-host the primary host, how to find a co-host through Airbnb, and how to fix the problems hosts run into most often.
In this guide
- Before you invite: a 5-point checklist
- How to add a co-host, step by step
- Which permission level to choose
- How to set up co-host payouts
- Making a co-host the primary host
- Finding a co-host through Airbnb
- Changing or removing a co-host
- Co-hosts on Booking.com, Vrbo and your other tools
- Common problems and how to fix them
- FAQ
Before you invite: a 5-point checklist
- The co-host has an Airbnb account and is ready to verify their identity. New co-hosts must complete identity verification before they can accept.
- They have agreed to receive the invitation by email or text. Airbnb asks you to make sure of this, and text invitations only work for registered Airbnb users.
- You know which access level to give them. See the table below. Give the lowest level that lets them do the job.
- You have agreed how they are paid: a percentage, a fixed amount per booking, the cleaning fee, or a monthly invoice outside Airbnb.
- You have it in writing. Airbnb’s tools do not cover services, expenses, cleaning, other channels or what happens when the arrangement ends. Use our free Airbnb co-host agreement template.
How to add a co-host, step by step
Step 1: Open the listing’s co-host settings
On Airbnb on desktop, click Listings and select the listing. In the Listing editor, click Co-hosts.
Step 2: Start the invitation
Under Invite a co-host, click Get started.
Step 3: Enter their contact details
Choose the co-host’s country or region, enter their email address or phone number and click Next.
Step 4: Choose their permissions
Select Full access, Calendar and messaging or Calendar, then click Next. You can change this later.
Step 5: Review and send
Check the details and click Send. The co-host gets the invitation, verifies their identity if they have not already, and accepts. Once they accept, they appear under Co-hosts on the listing.
Step 6: Set up their payout (optional)
If you are paying the co-host through Airbnb, select them under Co-hosts and click Payouts. See how co-host payouts work below.
Adding the same co-host to several listings? On the Listings page, tick the box next to each listing, click Co-hosts, then follow steps 2 to 5. Only the listing owner can do this, and the co-host gets the same permissions on every listing. You can adjust them per listing afterwards.
The same settings are in the Airbnb app under your listing’s co-host settings, though menu names can differ slightly between the app and desktop.
Which permission level to choose
Swipe the table to the right to see all columns ➜
| What the co-host can do | Full access | Calendar and messaging | Calendar only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Message guests | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| View the calendar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edit calendar, prices and listing details | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Accept, decline or cancel reservations | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Damage claims and Resolution Center | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| View earnings and payouts | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Write guest reviews | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Invite or remove other co-hosts | ✓ not full-access ones |
✗ | ✗ |
| Can be made primary host | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Receive co-host payouts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best for | Someone who runs the listing | A greeter or helper who talks to guests | A cleaner |
Full access is for a co-host who runs the listing for you: pricing, reservations, guests, reviews and damage claims. They can also be made primary host.
Calendar and messaging suits someone who looks after guests but does not set prices or accept bookings, such as a local greeter or a family member who answers questions.
Calendar only is for people who need to know when guests arrive and leave, such as a cleaner. A cleaning app or a PMS with team access often does this job better, because the cleaner also gets the task, the guest count and the checklist.
Whatever level you choose, the listing owner stays responsible to Airbnb for the listing and for every co-host on it.
How to set up co-host payouts
Where co-host payouts are available, Airbnb can split each payout between you and your co-host automatically.
- Go to Listings and select the listing.
- Open Co-hosts and select the co-host.
- Click Payouts and choose how to pay them (see the table).
- Click Confirm with co-host. They have 14 days to confirm or decline.
Swipe the table to the right to see all columns ➜
| Payout option | What the co-host gets | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning fee | The cleaning fee you set on the listing | A co-host who also cleans |
| Cleaning fee plus percentage | The cleaning fee plus a percentage of the rest | A co-host who cleans and manages guests |
| Percentage | A percentage per booking, with or without the cleaning fee | Most management arrangements |
| Fixed amount | A set amount per booking | Check-ins or a flat fee per stay |
What the percentage is calculated on. Airbnb bases co-host payouts on your potential earnings for each booking: the nightly price times the nights, plus extra charges such as the cleaning fee, minus the host service fee and any taxes and fees. With a percentage, you also choose whether the cleaning fee is included.
Things to know:
- Only the listing owner can set up or change co-host payouts.
- A new or changed split applies only to bookings that start after the co-host confirms.
- Payouts usually go out by the end of the business day after check-in, the same as host payouts.
- Co-host payouts cover guest stays only, not Resolution Center payments or damage reimbursements.
- If you pay several co-hosts, Airbnb pays them in a fixed order (cleaning fee first, then percentages, then fixed amounts) and you get what is left. If a booking does not cover everyone, someone gets less.
- For tax purposes, each co-host receives a tax document for what they were paid, and the owner for the full booking.
- Some regional limitations apply, depending on where you and the co-host are based.
Airbnb payouts only cover Airbnb bookings. If your co-host also manages your Booking.com, Vrbo or direct bookings, agree how those are paid in your co-host agreement.
Making a co-host the primary host
Each listing has one primary host: the person guests see as the host on the listing and their main contact. By default it is the listing owner. The owner or a full-access co-host can make a full-access co-host the primary host:
- Open Listings.
- Open the listing’s co-host settings.
- Select the new primary host from the eligible people.
For homes, the change shows on the listing straight away, and existing reservations stay as they are. Reviews still appear only on the listing owner’s profile, and co-hosts’ reviews do not count toward their own Superhost status. If the primary host is removed, the listing owner becomes the displayed host again.
Finding a co-host through Airbnb
If you do not have someone in mind, Airbnb’s Co-Host Network connects owners with local co-hosts. It is available in the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brazil.
- Go to Listings and select the listing.
- In the Listing editor, go to Co-hosts and click Find someone to help.
- Click Submit a new request, or browse local co-hosts.
- Choose full-service support or individual services, describe what you need and submit.
Interested co-hosts reply in your Airbnb messages. Co-hosts in the network typically charge 10% to 30% of booking revenue, depending on the services.
Changing or removing a co-host
To change permissions, go to the listing’s Co-hosts page, select the co-host and choose a new access level.
To remove a co-host:
- Go to Listings and select the listing.
- In the Listing editor, click Co-hosts and select the co-host.
- Click Remove co-host, add an optional note and click Yes, remove.
The listing owner and full-access co-hosts can remove co-hosts, and co-hosts can remove themselves. After removal, the co-host can no longer edit the listing, see the calendar, message guests or receive payouts for bookings that start afterwards. You remain responsible for current and future reservations, including those the co-host accepted.
Before you remove someone, change the door code, the Wi-Fi password if they knew it, and their access to any other tools and channels.
Co-hosts on Booking.com, Vrbo and your other tools
Airbnb’s co-host settings only cover Airbnb. If your property is also on Booking.com or Vrbo, your co-host needs access there too, and each platform has its own user and permission system. Add smart locks, a cleaning app and a pricing tool, and you can end up managing half a dozen logins per person, or sharing your own passwords, which is worse.
A channel manager and PMS like Hosthub puts all of it in one place:
- One login per person, every channel. Hosthub syncs Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia and 200+ channels, so your co-host manages every booking from one calendar and one inbox.
- The right access for each person. With team management, co-hosts, cleaners and owners each see only what they need, with custom roles on the Pro plan.
- Fees and owner reports included. Hosthub records expenses, calculates the management fee on each booking and produces owner reports, with an owner portal for owners who want to check in.
- An extra co-host that never sleeps. Hosthub’s AI Co-host is not an Airbnb co-host but software in your unified inbox. It learns each property’s details and your past answers, and replies to guests 24/7 or suggests replies for your human co-host to approve, so nobody has to answer the Wi-Fi question at 2 a.m.
Common problems and how to fix them
Swipe the table to the right to see all columns ➜
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The co-host did not get the invitation | Check the email or phone number. Text invitations only reach registered Airbnb users, so try email. Ask them to check spam. |
| The co-host cannot accept | They need to complete identity verification on Airbnb first. |
| The co-host cannot change prices or the calendar | They have calendar and messaging or calendar-only access. Give them full access if they need to manage the listing. |
| The co-host cannot see the payout you set | Only full-access co-hosts can see payouts set by the owner. Also check they confirmed the split within 14 days. |
| The payout split is not on a booking | Splits apply only to bookings that start after the co-host confirms. Earlier bookings are paid the old way. |
| A co-host was paid less than expected | With several co-hosts, Airbnb pays them in a fixed order. If the booking does not cover all payouts, the last in line gets less. |
| You cannot add a full-access co-host | Full-access co-hosts cannot add other full-access co-hosts. The listing owner has to send the invitation. |
Frequently asked questions
How many co-hosts can I add on Airbnb?
Up to 10 per listing.
Can a co-host add other co-hosts?
A full-access co-host can invite co-hosts to a single listing and manage their permissions, but cannot add other full-access co-hosts. Only the listing owner can invite a co-host to several listings at once.
Does the co-host need an Airbnb account?
Yes, and new co-hosts must verify their identity before they can accept the invitation.
Can I pay my co-host through Airbnb?
Where co-host payouts are available, yes: as a percentage, a fixed amount per booking, the cleaning fee, or the cleaning fee plus a percentage. The co-host must confirm within 14 days, and the split applies to bookings that start after they confirm.
Who do guests see as the host?
The primary host. By default that is the listing owner, but the owner or a full-access co-host can make a full-access co-host the primary host.
Do reviews go to the co-host?
No. Reviews appear on the listing owner’s profile, and co-hosts’ reviews do not count toward their own Superhost status.
Can I add a co-host on Vrbo or Booking.com?
Each platform has its own way of adding users. If you use several channels, a channel manager with team access lets your co-host work across all of them with one login.
What happens to bookings when I remove a co-host?
They stay in place, and you become responsible for them, including those the co-host accepted. The co-host stops receiving payouts for bookings that start after removal.
Steps and features checked in October 2026 on Airbnb’s Help Center. Airbnb changes its menus from time to time, so names may differ slightly in your account.
About Hosthub
Hosthub is a channel manager and property management system for short-term rental hosts, co-hosts, B&Bs, small hotels and property managers. It connects your properties to Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia and 200+ other channels, keeps availability and rates in sync in under 5 minutes and backs it with a Zero Double Booking Guarantee, with one calendar, one inbox, an AI Co-host, team access, reports and owner reporting in the same place. Try it free for 14 days.