Colorado lodging and sales taxes

[Michael491]

We are Denver hosts now registering our room according to the new city Short Term Rental laws. All has gone well so far, despite the overly bureaucratic rules and the general discouragement of business, which we find remarkable. I see that Air BnB now has arrangements to collect taxes directly for those hosting in Colorado Springs, Golden and Steamboat. Does anyone know if talks are in the works to get Denver into the automated system, obviously it would be a great convenience for the many Denver hosts who are trying to be compliant. Failing that, can other Colorado hosts tell me how they physically collect the local Lodging and state Sales taxes? Do you simply add it to the room rate? Or do you try to collect directly from guests upon arrival? 

[Sara334]

Where do I find the FEIN # and the state sales tax # for the lodgers tax I'd form?

im so confused. And late doing this. Tried to get help, but couldn't find a way to contact Airbnb!

anyone have a phone # for help?

sara

[Lottie9]

United States

+1-415-800-5959 

+1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)

[Perstephon0]

Thank you Lottie!  Handy time-saver.  How's Republica Dominicana ?

[Lottie9]

pretty great place to live half of the time. As one might expect, however, summer is pretty hot and slow for business. WInter is fun and busy though. 

[Cali113]

Nice, Although many of us dread trying to get a hold of customer service its appreciated that you provided the numbers!  Thanks Lottie!  

[Reni0]

Crazy that this isn't spelled out more for Colorado Hosts.  I have to file sales tax today and probably will just pay like normal.  Not sure what Airbnb is doing so better safe than sorry for now.

[Holly74]

Here is what Airbnb told me after I called: 

Hi Holly,

My name is Aaron and I work here at Airbnb, I hope this email finds you well.

I understand you have outstanding questions about how Airbnb collects and remits certain taxes in your area.

While we can’t provide tax or legal advice, I’m happy to provide additional information and context.

Please read the following info carefully:

For reservations booked in your jurisdiction on or after 1 February 2017, Airbnb collects and remits the following taxes:

- Colorado State Sales and Use Tax of 2.9%

Guests are charged the above tax based on the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 29 nights and shorter.

There are more details in the Colorado section of the following article: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/653. It includes links to the official municipal websites related to tax collection in your jurisdiction.

You can view the total amount of occupancy tax paid by each guest by visiting the Gross Earnings section of your Transaction History. The amount collected and remitted reflects the rate at the time of booking, based on the above effective date(s).

We will be filing one tax return per jurisdiction with the total combined reservation revenue. This means that all hosts will be represented by one remitted amount, and we will not be providing your personal information on the return.

f you need to add taxes to your rates, just be sure to clearly explain the tax in your listing description so that potential guests are aware of it and can budget accordingly.

You can choose to collect taxes in person upon arrival or use the Special Offer and Resolution Center tools on Airbnb. There is presently no separate field to add taxes. We’ll let you know if an occupancy tax related feature becomes available for listings in your area.

If you need guidance on collecting and remitting additional local taxes, please consult a tax professional or your local tax authority. If you have trouble accessing the information I shared or need any clarification, let me know and I'd be happy to help.

Best wishes,

Aaron
www.airbnb.com/help

Therefore: I am getting the fein and the letter ID to file my CO sales tax for non-airbnb rentals and for the county taxes that they don not collect. For local Telluride and excise taxes, that is a separate payment which includes all the gross sales because Airbnb does not have agreement with Telluride

[Ginger23]

I'm just starting to host and wonder what I need from the city of Boulder to legally rent out my house. Do I need an inspection and permit? How do I go about getting one? Help!!

[Cali113]

here you go

@Ginger23 

 https://bouldercolorado.gov/plan-develop/short-term-rentals

[Josh-and-Marianne0]

Hello there! We are new host and feeling a little overwhelmed. Wondering if veteran hosts would be able to assist and shed some light on the requirement for us to legally host in our city. Now that Airbnb is taking care of the occupancy and sales taxes in Colorado Springs, what else is there to do? Apply for business permit and sales tax license? Insights would be greatly appreciated!

[Summit-County-Holidays-L0]

Is AirBnB taking care of both state and local sales/lodging tax in your area?

If so, and only if you use AirBnB exclusively, you no longer need a state sales license.

You still need a business permit within your town.

We are in Summit County and don't rent exclusively through AirBnB so nothing much has changed for us besides the fact that we don't claim the income for entities that AirBnB collects taxes on our behalf.

Is this helping?

[Josh-and-Marianne0]

In summary, this is what's being collected with the reservations:

General Sales and Use Tax (Colorado)

General Sales and Use Tax (El Paso)

General Sales and Use Tax (Colorado Springs)

Accommodations Tax (Colorado Springs)

Local Sales and Use Tax (Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority)

[Holly31]

Some of these posts state that CO DOR says not to file if you are only doing Airbnb.  But it really seems like you must in order to make deduction from the gross income (e.g. cleaning fees)

The question comes up that previously on the return, you state our gross earnings, but are allowed to deduct your cleaning fees, then determine your appropriate taxes.  

Airbnb is charging tax on the cleaning fee and submitting this. 

Suggestions on how to address this.

Holly H

[Leah31]

My understanding is you are supposed to charge sales tax on the cleaning fees.  You can deduct these expenses on your income tax but you still need to pay sales tax.  

Leah

[Christine646]

I live in Gunnison County and was told that the tax would be collected and remitted to the State, County and Speceal District, but I recieved a letter  that the tax was not paid for the quarter ending June 30. I am frustrated because I can not find a number to contact anyone at AirBnb