Fees and Taxes

Fees and taxes are the charges added on top of the nightly accommodation rate. Argonautas uses a template system that lets you define fees and taxes at the company level, then override them per property when needed.

Overview

The fee and tax system has two layers:

1. Company Templates -- Default fees and taxes that apply to all properties in your company.
2. Property Overrides -- Per-property adjustments that can change the amount, percentage, or disable a fee/tax entirely.

This means you configure your standard cleaning fee once, and only create overrides for properties that differ from the default.

Fee Types

Fees are additional charges beyond the nightly rate. The system supports several calculation methods:

Calculation Type	Description	Example
Flat Per Stay	A fixed amount charged once per booking	$250 cleaning fee
Flat Per Night	A fixed amount multiplied by the number of nights	$15/night resort fee
Flat Per Person Per Stay	A fixed amount multiplied by guest count	$25/person welcome pack
Flat Per Person Per Night	A fixed amount multiplied by guests and nights	$10/person/night linen service
Percentage of Total	A percentage of the accommodation subtotal	10% service fee

Common Fee Examples

Fee	Typical Type	Typical Amount
Cleaning Fee	Flat Per Stay	$150 -- $400 (depends on property size)
Service Fee	Percentage of Total	8 -- 12%
Pool Heating	Flat Per Night	$25 -- $75
Airport Transfer	Flat Per Stay	$50 -- $150
Early Check-in	Flat Per Stay	$50 -- $100

Configuring Company Fee Templates

Company fee templates define the default fees for all your properties. Navigate to Settings > Fees & Taxes to manage them.

1. Click Add Fee Template.
2. Enter a display name (e.g., "Standard Cleaning Fee").
3. Select the fee type and calculation method.
4. Enter the default amount.
5. Set whether the fee is mandatory (included in every booking) or optional.
6. Set whether the fee is taxable (taxes will be applied on top of it).
7. Click Save.

[Screenshot: The Fees & Taxes settings page showing a cleaning fee template ($250 flat per stay), a service fee template (10% of total), and a pool heating fee ($50 per night, optional).]

Each company can have one template per fee type. The fee types are predefined categories (cleaning, service, amenity, utility, etc.) that also map to OTA channel fee structures for proper sync.

Configuring Company Tax Templates

Tax templates define percentage-based taxes. Each tax can apply to nightly rates, fees, or both.

1. Click Add Tax Template in the Taxes section.
2. Enter a display name (e.g., "Costa Rica Sales Tax").
3. Enter the percentage (e.g., 13 for 13%).
4. Choose what the tax applies to -- nightly rates, fees, or both.
5. Click Save.

Field	Description
Name	Display name for the tax
Percentage	Tax rate as a number (e.g., 13 for 13%)
Applies to Nightly	Whether this tax is calculated on the accommodation subtotal
Applies to Fees	Whether this tax is calculated on taxable fee amounts

Property-Level Overrides

Not every property has the same cleaning fee or tax situation. Property overrides let you adjust the defaults without changing the company template.

Fee Overrides

From a property's detail page, go to the Fees tab to see the effective fees. You can:

• Override the amount -- Set a custom amount for this property (e.g., $350 cleaning fee instead of the company default $250).
• Disable a fee -- Turn off a fee entirely for this property (e.g., no pool heating fee for a property without a pool).

If no override exists, the property inherits the company template default.

Tax Overrides

Similarly, from the Taxes tab, you can:

• Override the percentage -- Set a different tax rate for a specific property.
• Disable a tax -- Turn off a tax for properties that are exempt.

How Fees Appear in Bookings

When a booking is created or quoted, the pricing engine adds applicable fees and taxes after calculating the accommodation cost:

1. Accommodation subtotal -- Nightly rates (or overlay rates) multiplied by nights, minus any LOS discounts.
2. Fees -- Each active fee is calculated based on its type (flat, per night, per person, or percentage).
3. Taxes on accommodation -- Tax percentages marked "applies to nightly" are applied to the accommodation subtotal.
4. Taxes on fees -- Tax percentages marked "applies to fees" are applied to the total of taxable fees.
5. Booking total -- Accommodation + fees + all taxes.

Example breakdown for a 7-night stay at $300/night with 4 guests:

Line Item	Calculation	Amount
Accommodation	7 nights x $300	$2,100.00
Cleaning Fee	Flat per stay	$250.00
Service Fee	10% of accommodation	$210.00
Sales Tax (13%)	13% of $2,100 accommodation	$273.00
Sales Tax on Fees	13% of $250 cleaning (taxable)	$32.50
Total		$2,865.50

In this example, the service fee is not marked as taxable, so it is excluded from the tax calculation. The cleaning fee is taxable, so the 13% tax applies to it.

[Screenshot: A booking detail view showing the price breakdown with accommodation, cleaning fee, service fee, taxes, and total.]

Costa Rica Tax Compliance

If you manage properties in Costa Rica, the following tax structure is typical:

Tax	Rate	Applies To	Notes
IVA (Sales Tax)	13%	Accommodation + taxable fees	Costa Rica's value-added tax
Tourism Tax	3%	Accommodation only	Collected by lodging operators

Important considerations:

• The 13% IVA applies to short-term vacation rental income. Configure it as a tax template with "applies to nightly" and "applies to fees" both enabled (for taxable fees).
• The 3% tourism tax typically applies to accommodation only. Configure it with "applies to nightly" enabled and "applies to fees" disabled.
• Tax obligations can vary by property type, location, and annual revenue. Consult a local tax advisor for your specific situation.
• OTA channels may collect and remit taxes on your behalf in some jurisdictions. Verify your channel's tax handling to avoid double-charging guests.

Syncing Fees and Taxes to Channels

Fees and taxes are synced to connected OTA channels alongside your rates. The system maps your fee types to the channel's fee structure:

• Cleaning fees map directly to the channel's cleaning fee field.
• Service fees and other custom fees are mapped based on their fee type category.
• Taxes are pushed as percentage-based tax rules where the channel supports them.

Changes to fee templates or property overrides trigger a fee sync to all connected channels for the affected properties.

Key Concepts

• Company Fee Template -- A default fee definition shared across all properties. Defines the fee type, calculation method, and default amount.
• Company Tax Template -- A default tax definition with a percentage rate and rules for what it applies to.
• Property Fee Override -- A per-property adjustment that changes the amount or disables a company fee template.
• Property Tax Override -- A per-property adjustment that changes the percentage or disables a company tax template.
• Taxable Fee -- A fee that is included in the tax calculation. Non-taxable fees are added to the total but not taxed.
• Effective Fee -- The final fee amount for a property, after applying any overrides to the company template.

Common Questions

Can I add a fee that only applies to certain bookings? Mandatory fees are included in every booking automatically. Optional fees can be added or removed on a per-booking basis during booking creation.

What if I need a fee that is not in the predefined fee types? The fee type list covers the most common categories. If you need a custom fee type, contact support to have it added to your account.

Do percentage-based fees compound? No. Percentage fees are calculated on the accommodation subtotal, not on each other. A 10% service fee and a 5% booking fee would both be calculated on the same base amount.

Can I set different tax rates for different seasons? Tax rates are configured at the company or property level, not per season. If your tax obligations change seasonally, you would need to update the tax template or override manually.

Are taxes included in the nightly rate shown on OTAs? This depends on the OTA's display policy. Most channels show taxes as a separate line item during checkout. The rates you set in Argonautas are pre-tax.

Related

• Pricing Guide -- Full overview of the layered rate system and booking price calculations.
• Seasonal Rates -- Setting up season templates and property seasons.
• Rate Overlays -- Creating holiday and event-specific pricing overrides.
• Rate Import -- Bulk importing rates from a spreadsheet.