Price an Airbnb monthly stay against what the same 30 nights earn you nightly and you'll know the largest discount you can offer before the booking costs you money. Airbnb treats any reservation of 28 nights or more as a monthly stay: the guest pays the first month up front, the rest is collected monthly, and a long-term cancellation policy replaces your standard one. In the worked example below, the break-even discount is about 35%.
Two more numbers belong in the decision. Hotel-tax exemptions and the most common tenancy trigger both start at 30 days, two nights after Airbnb's monthly rules begin. A 28-night stay and a 31-night stay can carry very different tax and legal exposure.
The monthly request tends to show up at a predictable moment. The calendar has a soft stretch, a traveling nurse or a family between homes asks for five weeks, and the host says yes because a full month feels like a win. Then the numbers come in lower than a normal month, or the guest doesn't leave on the checkout date.
I've spent 18+ years in real estate and have focused on short-term rentals since 2016. The monthly stays I've seen go wrong were priced from a gut discount and accepted without checking the local tax and tenancy rules first.
This guide covers what Airbnb counts as a monthly stay, how to price the discount with a worked example, how the two long-term cancellation policies differ, the 28-night vs 30-day gap for taxes and tenancy, and a five-step process for accepting a monthly booking.
The figures in this article, tables and prose examples, are illustrative and are not a forecast for any listing. This is not legal or tax advice; check your city and state rules with a local attorney or tax professional before you host stays of 30 days or longer.
What Airbnb Counts as a Monthly Stay
Airbnb's Help Center defines two length-of-stay tiers. A weekly stay is 7 or more nights. A monthly stay is 28 or more nights. You enable monthly stays by raising your maximum-nights setting in the calendar so longer searches can find your listing.
Once a reservation reaches 28 nights, these rules apply:
Payment schedule. Airbnb charges the guest for the first month up front and collects the rest in monthly installments. For most reservations, your first payout is released by the end of the business day after check-in. If you have fewer than two completed stays and haven't verified your listing's location, Airbnb's payout article says the first payout is released by the end of the business day 28 days after check-in.
Cancellation policy. Your long-term cancellation policy applies instead of your standard policy. More on that below.
Discount display. Airbnb shows discounts of 10% or more in search results, and the discounted price must stay at or above $10 per night.
Airbnb-funded savings. In some cases Airbnb adds its own monthly stay savings to 28+ night bookings. The Help Center says these are fully paid by Airbnb and are not deducted from your payout.
Airbnb's resource page on longer stays reports that stays of 28 nights or more accounted for 21% of nights booked in 2022 and 18% in the first three months of 2023, based on its internal data.
With that share of nights at stake, set your maximum nights deliberately. If you haven't chosen whether furnished mid-term guests fit your property at all, our travel nurse mid-term rental playbook covers the guest profile and listing channels.
Price the Monthly Discount Against Your Nightly Month
Airbnb's own pricing advice points in the right direction. On its longer-stays resource page, a New York City host suggests adding up what you earn in a month at your nightly price, then setting the monthly discount to match that total. The step most hosts skip is subtracting what nightly guests cost you.
A nightly month carries turnovers. Each one uses supplies, laundry and your time, and the cleaning fee usually doesn't cover all of it. A monthly guest has one turnover but runs the heat, water and laundry every day.
Here is the illustrative example. Your listing averages $150 per night. In a normal 30-night month you book 20 nights across 6 stays, so nightly revenue is $3,000. Each turnover costs you $30 that the cleaning fee doesn't cover, so the month nets $2,820 before platform fees and taxes.
The monthly guest books all 30 nights. At full price that is $4,500. You pay for one turnover ($30) and about $60 in extra utilities, $90 in total.
Cut | Guest pays | You net | Vs nightly |
|---|
20% | $3,600 | $3,510 | +$690 |
30% | $3,150 | $3,060 | +$240 |
35% | $2,925 | $2,835 | +$15 |
40% | $2,700 | $2,610 | −$210 |
"You net" is the guest's monthly price minus the $90 in monthly-stay costs. "Vs nightly" compares it with the $2,820 nightly month. Platform fees scale with revenue in both cases, so they don't change the ranking.
At a 35% discount, the monthly stay roughly matches your nightly month. Past that point, you are paying for the steadier calendar. That can still be a good trade in a slow season, but make it on purpose.
Three inputs set your break-even point:
Your real nightly occupancy for that month. If the month usually books 26 nights, the nightly side climbs and the break-even discount drops. Use the same month from last year, not your annual average.
Your uncovered turnover cost. If your cleaning fee covers the full turnover, the nightly side gains and the monthly case gets weaker. Our breakdown of cleaning fees versus cleaner pay shows how to find that number.
Utilities under full-time use. A guest working from home runs heating, cooling and appliances all day. Pull last winter's and last summer's bills before you guess.
If you want a second set of eyes on whether monthly stays fit your calendar and your numbers, book a complimentary one-on-one diagnostic call. We'll look at your occupancy by month, your costs and the discount you can afford.
Pick the Long-Term Cancellation Policy
Your standard cancellation policy stops applying at 28 nights. Airbnb's resource page on cancellation policies says the long-term policy covers reservations of 28 or more consecutive nights, and you choose between two options.
Policy | Full refund if | After that, you get |
|---|
Firm | 30+ days out | Nights used + 30 |
Strict | 48 hrs of booking and 28+ days out | Nights used + 30 |
Under both policies, if fewer than 30 nights remain when the guest cancels, you are paid for all remaining nights, per the same Airbnb page.
The practical difference is the free-cancellation window. Firm lets a guest cancel for a full refund until 30 days before check-in. Strict gives a full refund only when the guest cancels within 48 hours of booking and at least 28 days before check-in.
Strict protects you when the booking lands in a month you could have sold nightly. Firm is easier for guests whose start dates depend on an employer, such as travel nurses waiting on a contract. Those guests tend to book earlier when the policy gives them room.
Either way, the 30-night payout cushion is the key protection. If a monthly guest cancels mid-stay, you are paid for the nights used plus 30 more, or for all remaining nights if fewer than 30 are left, which usually covers the time it takes to refill the calendar.
The 28-Night vs 30-Day Gap: Taxes and Tenancy
Airbnb's monthly rules begin at 28 nights. Many tax and tenancy rules begin at 30 days. The two nights in between change what you owe and what rights the guest may have.
Rule | 28–29 nights | 30+ days |
|---|
Monthly price | Yes | Yes |
Cancel rule | Long-term | Long-term |
Texas hotel tax | Owed | Exempt* |
Tenant risk | Lower | Higher |
*Texas exempts guests who stay 30 or more consecutive days with no interruption in payment: from the notice date if the guest gives written notice of a 30+ day stay, otherwise only after the first 30 days. Check your own state and city, since thresholds vary.
Hotel and occupancy tax
The Texas Comptroller's hotel tax guide says the tax applies to houses and apartments rented for less than 30 consecutive days, at a state rate of 6% plus local taxes. Guests who stay 30 or more consecutive days with no payment interruption are treated as permanent residents and are exempt. Section 156.101 of the Texas Tax Code sets out the same 30-day exception.
The timing detail matters. Under the Comptroller's guide, a guest who gives written notice of a 30+ day stay and then stays at least the next 30 consecutive days is exempt from the notice date. A guest who doesn't give notice pays tax for the first 30 days and is exempt after that.
Check how your platform handles this before you promise a guest a tax-free rate. Our guide to what Airbnb remits and what you file for occupancy tax covers the split between platform collection and your own filings.
When a guest may become a tenant
LegalClarity's explainer on transient rentals says 30 consecutive days is the most common point where a guest starts gaining a residential tenant's protections, even with no signed lease. It names New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Alabama among the states that use some version of that threshold.
The consequence is the removal process. A transient guest who overstays can often be asked to leave under the booking terms. A tenant generally has to be removed through formal notice and a court eviction, which takes time you aren't paid for.
The same explainer says courts also weigh conduct, such as mail delivered to the address, belongings moved in, the address on a driver's license, and utilities paid by the guest. A Dallas landlord-tenant firm, Cook Keith & Davis, notes that in Texas the 30-day mark is a rule of thumb, not a statute, and that intent and conduct also count.
The safest monthly stays I've seen have a fixed end date in writing, no mail forwarding, and utilities that stay in the host's name.
Accept a Monthly Stay: A Five-Step Process
Use this sequence every time a 28+ night request comes in. It takes about 20 minutes once your numbers are saved.
Step 1 — Price the Same Month Nightly
Pull last year's booked nights, average rate and stay count for the exact month requested. Subtract your uncovered turnover cost per stay. That net figure is the number the monthly stay has to beat.
Step 2 — Set the Discount at Break-Even Minus a Buffer
Work out the discount where the monthly net equals the nightly net, as in the table above. Then set your monthly discount a few points below that, so a heavier-than-expected utility bill doesn't turn the stay negative.
Step 3 — Choose Firm or Strict for Your Market
Pick Strict if the requested month usually sells nightly and a late cancellation would cost you prime dates. Pick Firm if your monthly guests book around job start dates and need a longer free window.
Step 4 — Check the 30-Day Rules Before You Accept
Look up your state and city hotel-tax rule and your state's tenancy threshold. If the stay crosses 30 days, confirm how tax is handled and whether you need a written agreement that states the fixed end date. A local attorney can review that agreement once and you can reuse it.
Step 5 — Set Long-Stay House Rules and a Midstay Check
Update your house rules and guest manual for a month-long guest: trash schedule, laundry, guest limits and a midstay maintenance visit with notice. Airbnb's hosting guide for monthly stays suggests adding enough essentials for a long stay; our supplies par-level guide covers how much to stock.
When a Monthly Stay Beats Nightly and When It Doesn't
A monthly stay tends to win when:
The month is a slow one. If the same month books 12 to 15 nights, even a 40% discount can beat it.
Turnovers are expensive or hard to staff. Remote properties and large homes with long cleans gain the most from cutting six turnovers to one.
You want steadier cash flow. Monthly payouts smooth out a lumpy season, and the first month arrives up front.
The guest has a clear end date. Relocations, insurance stays and contract work come with a reason to leave. Our note on insurance ALE vs travel nurse demand compares those guest types.
A monthly stay tends to lose when:
The month is peak season. A holiday or event month that books near-full at high rates rarely justifies a 30% discount.
Your market's tenancy rules are strict. Where a 30+ day guest gains tenant rights quickly, the removal risk has a cost you should price in or avoid.
Your permit limits stay length. Some STR permits and HOA rules set maximum or minimum stay lengths. Check before you raise your maximum nights.
Utilities are uncapped and high. A summer month in a hot climate with a pool heater can erase the gap on its own. Our guide to short-term rental utility costs shows how to set alerts.
If you find yourself taking monthly stays most of the year, you may be running a mid-term rental by default. Our honest comparison of STR and long-term rentals helps you decide whether to make that shift deliberately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many nights is an Airbnb monthly stay?
Airbnb treats any reservation of 28 nights or more as a monthly stay. Weekly discounts apply from 7 nights, and monthly discounts, monthly payments and the long-term cancellation policy apply from 28 nights.
How much should I discount an Airbnb monthly stay?
Set the discount so the monthly net at least matches what the same 30 nights earn you nightly after turnover costs. In this article's illustrative example, that break-even discount is about 35%. Your number depends on your occupancy for that month and your uncovered turnover cost.
How does Airbnb pay hosts for a monthly stay?
Airbnb charges the guest for the first month up front and collects the rest monthly. For most reservations, the first payout is released by the end of the business day after check-in, with later payouts released monthly for the rest of the stay.
Does a 30-day Airbnb guest become a tenant?
In many states, a guest who stays 30 or more consecutive days can start gaining tenant protections, even without a signed lease. Courts also look at conduct such as mail and belongings. Rules vary by state, so check local law before hosting stays of 30 days or longer.
Do I charge hotel tax on a monthly Airbnb stay?
It depends on your state and city. In Texas, guests who stay 30 or more consecutive days with no payment interruption are exempt from hotel tax, while stays under 30 days are taxed. A 28- or 29-night stay can still be taxable.
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