Official source before summary
Platform fees, payout rules, and US tax references begin with the platform, tax agency, or form instructions—not a copied statistic.
About StaySums
The math comes first.
StaySums makes plain-language money tools for hands-on hosts with one to five rentals. A polished answer is not enough: the source, formula, expected result, and limit all have to be visible.
Exact amount before shortcut
When a statement shows the real fee or deposit, StaySums tells you to record that amount instead of trusting a generic percentage.
A clear edge to every claim
A calculator is a checking aid. A spreadsheet is an organizing tool. Neither becomes tax, legal, or accounting advice because the page looks confident.
Start where the number came from.
StaySums uses first-party sources for claims that can change: the current platform help page for fee mechanics and payout rules, and the IRS publication or form instructions for US federal tax references. A source is linked near the claim when it helps a host verify the answer.
If an official source gives a range instead of one universal number, the page keeps the range. If the rule depends on a host's country, listing type, software connection, or tax facts, the page says so.
Core references currently used
- Airbnb service fees for current split-fee and single-fee mechanics.
- Airbnb's payout calculation for the path from booking amount to host payout.
- IRS Publication 527 for residential rental property references.
- IRS Schedule E instructions for current US form guidance and its limits.
Give every formula a worked example.
Before a public calculator ships, StaySums writes down the inputs and expected result separately from the page. The page must return the same number for ordinary cases, zero values, adjustments, and mismatches.
APayout reconciliationBooking subtotal minus the actual host fee, plus or minus payout adjustments, equals the expected payout. That result is compared with the deposit that reached the bank.
BFee changeOld and new fee structures are calculated separately. The page labels the scenario and never assumes one percentage applies to every host.
CRental profitRevenue and each cost stay visible so a host can trace the final monthly and annual profit instead of trusting a hidden total.
The free calculators run in the visitor's browser. StaySums does not receive the numbers typed into them.
Check the workbook in both formats.
The paid workbook is recalculated in Excel with sample bookings, platform fees, expenses, refunds, shared costs, and more than one rental. Dashboard and yearly summary totals are compared with the source rows and worked examples.
The same workbook is then imported into Google Sheets. Formulas, dropdowns, number formats, and summary totals are checked again after the import. This proves that the delivered file behaves the way the product page says it does; it does not turn the file into accounting software.
Date the review. Fix the record.
Platform fees and tax instructions can change. StaySums reviews a page when its source changes, when a host reports a discrepancy, or when a dated claim reaches its next review point. Pages show dates where timing matters.
If a correction changes the conclusion, calculator result, or way a host should record an amount, the public page and the connected guide or download are updated together.
AI may assist the work. It is never the source.
StaySums may use AI assistance for drafting, code, test cases, and finding questions that deserve a clearer explanation. AI output is checked against the official source, worked example, or actual spreadsheet behavior before publication.
StaySums does not invent host testimonials, credentials, test results, partnerships, or first-hand experience. If direct host feedback is published later, it will be attributed only with the reviewer's permission.
Useful without pretending to be everything.
StaySums is for
Hands-on hosts who want a private Excel or Google Sheets file, are willing to enter their own records, and manage no more than five rentals.
StaySums is not
Tax preparation, legal advice, a bank feed, receipt scanning, payroll, team approvals, or a replacement for an accountant. StaySums is not affiliated with or endorsed by Airbnb or Vrbo.
Found a number that does not match?
Send the public source link and sample numbers—never guest, property, tax, bank, or client details. Corrections are welcome.