Last Updated: November 13, 2026
Pinellas Airbnb taxes total 13% on the rent and any required cleaning fee: 6% Florida sales tax, the 1% Pinellas surtax, and the 6% Pinellas tourist development tax (the "bed tax"). The guest pays it. On Airbnb and Vrbo bookings, the platform collects and sends in all three. On direct bookings and most other channels, that job is yours, and either way the owner is on the hook if the money never gets paid.
I'm Troy Nowak, Broker of Mangrove Bay Realty (BK3436609). I've sold 300+ investment properties here in the last five years, I own and manage six short-term and furnished rentals, and I'm an Airbnb Superhost, so I deal with these returns myself. If you're buying or selling a Pinellas rental, ask me about the tax setup on that address. Everything below was checked against the state, the county and the platforms on November 13, 2026. It's a practical guide, not tax advice.
The Pinellas tourist tax and the rest of the 13%
| Tax | Rate | Who it goes to | Return you'd file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida transient rental (sales) tax | 6% | Florida Department of Revenue | DR-15, line D |
| Pinellas discretionary sales surtax | 1% | Florida Department of Revenue (same return) | DR-15, line 15(d) |
| Pinellas tourist development tax | 6% | Pinellas County Tax Collector | County TD return |
| Total on taxable rent | 13% |
Sources: Florida DOR forms DR-15DSS (2026 surtax rates) and DR-15TDT, Pinellas County's tourist development tax page and the Pinellas County Tax Collector. Checked November 12, 2026.
A few details people miss:
- It covers stays of six months or less. That includes furnished mid-term stays. A three-month furnished rental to a traveling nurse still gets the 13%. The state and county exempt certain guests (for example, someone with a bona fide written lease for longer than six months), so check the exemption rules before you skip the tax.
- The cleaning fee is taxed. Florida treats any mandatory fee the guest has to pay to stay (cleaning, processing and similar required charges) as part of the rent. The Department of Revenue said so directly in a technical advisement on resort condo cleaning charges.
- The $5,000 surtax cap doesn't apply. The surtax normally stops at the first $5,000 of a sale, but DOR's return instructions say that limit does not apply to transient rentals. A long, expensive booking pays the 1% on the full rent.
- Pinellas' surtax runs through 2029. DOR's 2026 chart lists the Pinellas 1% surtax as running through December 31, 2029.
Does Airbnb collect the Pinellas tourist tax?
Yes. Airbnb's tax help page lists the Florida 6% sales tax and the county surtax for every Florida listing, plus the 6% Pinellas County tourist development tax, for reservations of 182 nights or shorter. The Pinellas County Tax Collector lists Airbnb as a registered platform for bookings made on or after December 1, 2015.
That covers bookings where the guest pays through Airbnb. If you use a property manager or a booking system like OwnerRez and the guest still pays inside Airbnb, Airbnb still collects. The Tax Collector's own application notes the exception: if a third-party reservation system advertises on a platform but the payment runs through that third party, the host is responsible for the tax on those bookings.
Does Vrbo collect Florida and Pinellas taxes?
Also yes, which surprises a lot of owners. Vrbo's tax help page lists the Florida transient rental tax and county surtax statewide for stays under 184 nights (since December 1, 2018), and the Pinellas County tourist development tax for stays under 184 nights (since October 1, 2018). The Tax Collector lists VRBO and HomeAway as registered platforms from October 1, 2018.
Older advice (including an earlier version of this page) said Vrbo hosts usually collect the tax themselves. Based on Vrbo's current help page and the county's list, that's not the default for Pinellas anymore. Check your Vrbo payout statements to confirm the tax lines show up, and if they don't, call the Tax Collector before you assume anything.
When you collect and file it yourself
You're the one collecting the 13% on:
- Direct bookings (your website, repeat guests, referrals, cash or Venmo)
- Any channel that isn't a registered platform and doesn't show tax collection on your statements
- Bookings where a third-party system takes the payment, even if the listing appears on Airbnb or Vrbo
If any of that applies, here's the setup:
- Register with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales tax. Each rental gets registered; DOR's registration guide says to use a separate application for each transient rental, and Form DR-1A to add another property once you have an account.
- Ask the Pinellas County Tax Collector for a tourist development tax account. The Tax Collector's tourist tax page says to email its tourist tax team to request the application.
- Charge the guest 13% on the rent and required fees, as a line in the guest total. Booking systems like OwnerRez can add it for you on direct and non-platform channels.
- File both returns. State returns are due on the 1st and late after the 20th of the month after the reporting period, and DOR says to file one even when no tax is due. The county TD return is delinquent if it isn't filed and paid by the 20th of the following month. The county's late penalty is 10% of the tax with a $50 minimum, plus interest.
- Keep the records for three years. The Tax Collector says that's the retention period, and an audit can ask for your DR-15s, bank statements, guest folios and rental agreements.
If every booking comes through Airbnb or Vrbo, the Tax Collector says you won't need a TD account. You still need to watch your statements, because the owner stays liable if a platform fails to collect and pay.
The owner is liable either way
This is the line on the Pinellas County Tax Collector's page that matters most: if your agent or platform fails to collect and pay the tourist tax, the owner will be held liable. Platforms make mistakes. Listings get set up as the wrong property type, payouts get split across a third-party system, and a direct booking slips in from a past guest. Reconcile your platform payouts against your calendar every month, and if a booking didn't come through a platform that collected, it goes on your return.
The Tax Collector publishes monthly bed tax collections, which is the clearest public read on how busy Pinellas stays are. Source: Pinellas County Tax Collector comparative report.
What I check on taxes when someone buys an operating rental
Tax accounts don't come with the house. A buyer who will collect rent registers their own state account (and a county account if any bookings are direct), and the seller closes theirs. Before closing I want to see:
- Which channels the bookings came from. Platform versus direct changes who owed the tax. A seller with a lot of direct repeat guests should be able to show filed returns for that revenue.
- The seller's DR-15 and county TD returns for the period you're relying on, matched against their booking reports.
- Future bookings that transfer. Decide in the contract who collects tax on stays after closing, and who handles deposits already paid.
- Unpaid tax exposure. If you're buying the rental as an operating business (furnishings, bookings, website, the whole package), Florida's transferee liability law, section 213.758, can make a buyer responsible for a seller's unpaid sales tax. Ask your closing attorney whether to request a tax clearance from DOR.
My guide to what transfers when you buy an operating Airbnb in Pinellas covers the rest of the closing checklist.
If you're selling a Pinellas STR
Buyers and their lenders will ask about taxes, so put it in the listing file:
- A channel breakdown (Airbnb, Vrbo, direct) for the last 12 to 24 months
- Copies of filed DR-15 and county TD returns for the direct and non-platform revenue
- A note on which future bookings come with the sale and who collects tax on them
- Your plan for closing your DOR and county accounts after closing
More on that in selling an Airbnb in Pinellas County: what to prepare.
How I work with short-term rental buyers and sellers across Pinellas and Tampa: Tampa Bay STR realtor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Pinellas County tourist tax rate in 2026?
6%. Pinellas County calls it the tourist development tax, or bed tax, and it applies to accommodations rented for six months or less. Add Florida's 6% sales tax and the 1% Pinellas surtax and the total on a short-term rental is 13%.
Who collects the Pinellas County tourist development tax?
The Pinellas County Tax Collector, not the state. The 6% sales tax and the 1% surtax go to the Florida Department of Revenue on a separate return.
Do I need a Pinellas tourist tax account if I only use Airbnb?
The Tax Collector says that if you use registered platforms exclusively and don't take payment through a third-party reservation system, you won't need to apply for a TD account. Take one direct booking and you need one.
Is the cleaning fee taxed on a Pinellas Airbnb?
Yes. Mandatory fees the guest must pay to stay, including cleaning, are part of the taxable rent under Florida rules, and Airbnb's tax page says its Florida rates apply to the listing price including any cleaning fee.
Are 30-day or monthly rentals taxed in Pinellas?
Yes, if the stay is six months or less. Furnished monthly and mid-term stays still owe the 13% unless a specific exemption applies. See my Airbnb vs. mid-term rentals comparison for how that plays into the numbers.
When are Pinellas tourist tax returns due?
Monthly. The county return is delinquent if it isn't filed and paid by the 20th of the month after you collected. The state DR-15 follows the same pattern: due on the 1st, late after the 20th.
Keep reading
- Pinellas STR rules map and buy/sell guide
- Cost to own a short-term rental in Pinellas
- St. Pete and Gulfport Airbnb rules
- Clearwater short-term rental rules
- Unincorporated Pinellas County STR rules
- Largo Airbnb rules
- Bonus depreciation for Tampa Bay STRs
Official sources
All checked November 12, 2026.
- Pinellas County Tax Collector: Tourist Development Taxes (registration, registered platforms, owner liability, audits, records)
- Pinellas County Tax Collector: TD account application and registered platform list
- Pinellas County Tax Collector: TD tax return (due date and penalty)
- Pinellas County: Pay Tourist Development Tax (6% rate)
- Florida DOR: Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for 2026 (DR-15DSS)
- Florida DOR: Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (DR-15TDT)
- Florida DOR: Instructions for DR-15 returns (due dates, transient rentals, surtax cap)
- Florida DOR: Discretionary sales surtax ($5,000 cap and transient rentals)
- Florida DOR: Registering Your Business (DR-1N, one application per transient rental)
- Florida DOR: Technical Assistance Advisement 99A-058 (cleaning fees on transient rentals)
- Florida Statutes 212.03 (transient rentals tax)
- Florida Statutes 213.758 (transfer of a business and unpaid tax)
- Airbnb Help: Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in the US
- Vrbo Help: Where Vrbo collects and remits taxes (U.S. F to M)
Educational real estate information, not tax or legal advice. Rates, platform agreements and filing rules change. Confirm your own obligations with the Pinellas County Tax Collector, the Florida Department of Revenue and your tax professional.
Cover photo: Pass-a-Grille beach from pier by Grendelkhan, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized.