Your Airbnb cancellation policy decides how much you're paid when a guest cancels, and how much the guest gets back. Choosing the wrong one can leave you with empty nights you can't refill, or bookings you never get because your terms seem too strict.
This guide covers Airbnb cancellation policies for 2026, including short and long stays, what guests get back, what it costs you to cancel as a host, and what happens in an emergency. If you also host on Booking.com, compare it with our guide to Booking.com cancellation policies.
Key Takeaways:
- For stays of 27 nights or fewer, every host can choose Flexible, Moderate, Limited, or Firm. Strict and Super Strict are by invitation only.
- Every standard policy includes a 24-hour cancellation period: guests who booked at least 7 days ahead can cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.
- Stays of 28 nights or more follow a separate long-term policy, either Firm or Strict.
- If you cancel as a host, Airbnb charges a fee of 10% to 50% of the reservation amount, with a $50 minimum, unless a valid reason applies.
What Is the Airbnb Cancellation Policy?
The Airbnb cancellation policy is the rule you choose for your listing that sets how much a guest is refunded, and how much you're paid, if the guest cancels. You choose one for stays under 28 nights and one for longer stays.
The details below come from Airbnb's cancellation policy rules, checked in November 2026. Cancellation times are always based on your listing's local time zone, and a full refund means the price you set, including taxes.
Airbnb Cancellation Policies at a Glance
| Policy | Full refund if the guest cancels | After that, you're paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible | Until 24 hours before check-in | Each night stayed plus one additional night |
| Moderate | Until 5 days before check-in | One additional night plus 50% of unspent nights (plus nights stayed) |
| Limited | Until 14 days before check-in | 50% of all nights from 7 to 14 days out; 100% within 7 days |
| Firm | Until 30 days before check-in | 50% of all nights from 7 to 30 days out; 100% within 7 days |
| Strict (invitation only) | Within the 24-hour period | 50% of all nights from 7 days out; 100% within 7 days |
| Super Strict 30 days (invitation only) | Within the 24-hour period | 50% of all nights from 30 days out; 100% within 30 days |
| Super Strict 60 days (invitation only) | Within the 24-hour period | 50% of all nights from 60 days out; 100% within 60 days |
| Long-term Firm (28+ nights) | Until 30 days before check-in | Nights spent plus 30 additional nights |
| Long-term Strict (28+ nights) | Within 48 hours of booking and at least 28 days before check-in | Nights already spent plus the next 30 nights |
Under Limited, Firm, Strict, and Super Strict, guests who cancel after check-in get no refund, and you're paid 100% for all nights. The sections below explain each policy in more detail.
Standard Cancellation Policies for Shorter Stays
Your standard policy applies to every reservation of 27 consecutive nights or fewer. All standard policies include a 24-hour cancellation period: guests can cancel for a full refund, including taxes, within 24 hours of booking confirmation, as long as they booked at least 7 days before check-in.
Flexible
Guests can cancel until 24 hours before check-in for a full refund, and you aren't paid. If they cancel later, they get back the pro-rated taxes, and you're paid for each night they stay plus one additional night.
Flexible makes your listing the easiest to book, but it gives you the least notice to fill a canceled stay.
Moderate
Guests can cancel until 5 days before check-in for a full refund. If they cancel after that but before check-in, you're paid for one additional night plus 50% of all unspent nights.
If they cancel after check-in, you're paid for the nights they stayed, one additional night, and 50% of the remaining nights. Moderate is a common middle ground for vacation rentals.
Limited
Limited is available for reservations booked on or after October 1, 2025. Guests get a full refund until 14 days before check-in. Between 7 and 14 days, they get 50% back, and you're paid 50% for all nights.
If they cancel less than 7 days before check-in, or after check-in, you're paid 100% for all nights. Limited sits between Moderate and Firm.
Firm
Guests get a full refund until 30 days before check-in. Between 7 and 30 days, they get 50% back, and you're paid 50% for all nights. Within 7 days of check-in, or after it, you're paid 100%.
Firm suits listings that are booked far in advance, where a late cancellation is hard to refill.
Strict and Super Strict
Airbnb offers Strict and two Super Strict policies (30 and 60 days) only to certain hosts, by invitation. Under Strict, a guest who cancels 7 or more days before check-in, after the 24-hour period, gets 50% back; within 7 days, you're paid 100%.
The Super Strict policies work the same way with 30-day or 60-day cutoffs. If Airbnb hasn't invited you, Firm is the strictest policy you can choose for shorter stays.
Long-Term Cancellation Policies for Stays of 28 Nights or More
Reservations of 28 consecutive nights or more follow your separate long-term policy. You can choose one of two:
- Firm: guests get a full refund if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in. After that, you're paid 100% for the nights spent plus 30 additional nights.
- Strict: guests get a full refund only if they cancel within 48 hours of booking and at least 28 days before check-in. After that, you're paid for the nights already spent plus the next 30 nights.
Under both, if fewer than 30 nights remain when the guest cancels, you're paid for all of the remaining nights. Guests who cancel after check-in get no refund.
Airbnb Cancellation Policy for Guests: What They Get Back
For guests, the policy works in reverse: you get refunded for whatever you aren't paid. A full refund covers the nightly price you set plus taxes. Whether Airbnb's own guest fee is refunded depends on several factors that Airbnb decides.
Your policy can also be overridden. Guests may get a full or partial refund if they cancel because of a Major Disruptive Event, or because of an issue covered by Airbnb's Refund and Rebooking Policy for Homes. If you were already paid, Airbnb deducts the amount from your next payout.
Non-Refundable and Extended Cancellation Options
For shorter stays, you can offer guests a discounted, non-refundable option alongside your standard policy. Guests who choose it get no refund if they cancel, although the 24-hour cancellation period still applies.
Certain listings with Moderate, Limited, Firm, or Strict policies are automatically eligible to offer guests an extended cancellation option. Airbnb says it protects your earnings while giving guests more flexibility, and you can opt out at any time.
You can also set different short-stay policies for specific date ranges, right from your calendar. That lets you use stricter terms in peak season and more flexible ones when demand is low.
What Happens When You Cancel an Airbnb Booking as a Host?
Under Airbnb's host cancellation policy, canceling a confirmed reservation costs a fee based on the reservation amount and how close you are to check-in. The minimum fee is $50:
| When you cancel | Fee |
|---|---|
| More than 30 days before check-in | 10% of the reservation amount |
| Between 48 hours and 30 days before check-in | 25% of the reservation amount |
| 48 hours or less before check-in, or after check-in | 50% of the amount for the nights not stayed |
The reservation amount includes the nightly rate, the cleaning fee, and any pet fees, but not taxes or guest fees. For stays of 28 nights or more, the fee is calculated differently, on the non-refundable part of the reservation.
You also aren't paid for the canceled stay, and Airbnb usually withholds the fee from your next payouts. Other consequences can follow: Airbnb may block your calendar for those dates, and hosts who cancel without a valid reason can lose Superhost status or have their listing suspended.
Airbnb waives the fee if you cancel due to a Major Disruptive Event or another valid reason outside your control, such as major damage to the listing, and requests documentation.
If you can't honor a booking, cancel early. Airbnb doesn't allow hosts to ask guests to cancel instead.
Smoobu Pro Tip: With Smoobu's Airbnb channel manager, you can request the official Airbnb cancellation straight from the booking in Smoobu before the stay starts, or cancel only in your Smoobu calendar to free the dates elsewhere. Choose the official cancellation only when you mean it, because Airbnb's fees apply.
What Happens in an Emergency?
Airbnb's Major Disruptive Events Policy applies when a large-scale event prevents or legally prohibits a stay. Guests can cancel for a refund or credit regardless of your policy, and you can cancel without fees, though your calendar remains blocked for those dates.
The policy covers events that hit the location of the stay after it was booked:
- Declared public health emergencies and epidemics
- Mandatory government travel restrictions, such as evacuation orders
- Military actions and other hostilities
- Large-scale, prolonged outages of essential utilities
- Unforeseeable natural disasters and severe weather
It doesn't cover a guest's illness or injury, flight cancellations, non-binding travel advisories, or weather that is normal for the place and season. For those, your own policy applies, and you can choose to offer an extra refund.
How to Change Your Airbnb Cancellation Policy
According to Airbnb's help article on setting your policy, the steps are the same on desktop and in the app:
- Go to Listings and select the listing.
- Under Listing editor, open Your space.
- Select Cancellation policy, then Edit next to your policy.
- Make your choice and Save.
Airbnb asks you to make sure the policy you choose complies with local rules. A few places have their own rules, such as a 24-hour free cancellation period for reservations in California and separate policies in Germany.
How to Choose the Right Cancellation Policy
There's no single best policy. The right choice depends on how far ahead your guests book and how easily you can refill a canceled stay:
- Booked months ahead: Firm or Limited protects you when late cancellations are hard to fill.
- Short-notice bookings: Flexible or Moderate costs you little and makes your listing easier to book.
- Peak season: stricter terms for busy dates through date-range policies, and more flexible ones off-peak.
- Price-sensitive guests: a discounted, non-refundable option alongside your standard policy.
Clear communication also helps. When guests receive booking details, house rules, and check-in information on time through automated messages, fewer have second thoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every standard policy for stays of 27 nights or fewer includes a 24-hour cancellation period. Guests can cancel for a full refund, including taxes, within 24 hours of booking confirmation, as long as they booked at least 7 days before check-in.
Only if Airbnb invites you. Airbnb offers Strict and Super Strict policies to certain hosts by invitation. Every host can choose Flexible, Moderate, Limited, or Firm for shorter stays.
Yes. When a guest cancels on Airbnb, the cancellation syncs into Smoobu within minutes; the booking moves to Canceled, and the dates open up on your other channels. Your cancellation policy itself stays in your Airbnb settings.
Conclusion: Match Your Policy to How Guests Book
Airbnb offers four standard policies for shorter stays and two for longer ones, plus options like non-refundable rates and date-range policies. Choose the one that fits your booking window, and avoid canceling as a host unless you have a valid reason.
Keep every booking and cancellation in sync across your channels from one calendar. Start your 14-day free trial of Smoobu.
