Levy Folio

Independent and unofficial. Not run or endorsed by any council, VisitScotland or the Welsh Revenue Authority. Your return is your responsibility: check the official pages.

Scotland · In force since 24 Jul 2026

Edinburgh visitor levy calculator

In force since 24 July 2026. 5% of the accommodation part of the price, before VAT, on the first 5 nights of each booking. You keep 2%.

1Where is the accommodation?
2The booking

3What the guest paid

Everything the guest paid you, before any levy.

Meals, drinks, parking, optional laundry, transport. Leave empty if none.

4Anything unusual?

Showing an example booking. Change any field.

Edinburgh in plain words

  • It is 5 nights, not 7. The council’s provider guidance (version 2.1, September 2026) says the levy is payable “for a maximum of 5 consecutive nights in respect of each chargeable transaction”. How the cap works.
  • Use the real value of the first 5 nights. If the first nights cost more or less than the rest, the levy is on what they actually cost, not an average.
  • Compulsory cleaning counts. Charges guests cannot opt out of are part of the accommodation price, even if your invoice lists them separately.
  • Exempt guests still pay you. In Edinburgh, people on a listed disability benefit pay the levy and reclaim it from the council after the stay.
  • Old bookings. A booking paid for, in part, before 1 October 2025 (non-refundable, set dates, set rooms, stated price) is exempt.

The council says it does not endorse any online calculator, including ours. It is your return: read the council’s pages.

The rules at a glance

Status
In force since 24 Jul 2026 [5]
Rate
5% of the accommodation part of the price, before VAT [5]
Which stays
Stays that start on or after 24 July 2026 [5]
Which bookings
Bookings made from 1 October 2025. Earlier bookings are exempt only if a non-refundable payment (part or full) was made before 1 October 2025, for set dates, a set number of rooms and a stated nightly price [5]
Night cap
The first 5 nights of each booking, at their actual value. Per-stay charges like cleaning are charged in full [5]
Not charged on
meals or drinks; parking (unless the parking area is the overnight accommodation, such as a campervan pitch); laundry facilities or services that guests can opt out of, such as paid towels or linen; entertainment; transport to and from the accommodation [5]
Exempt guests
  • Homeless, at risk of homelessness, or fleeing domestic abuse or poor housing: no levy.
  • Gypsy or Traveller staying on a dedicated site: no levy.
  • Asylum seeker or refugee in accommodation provided for that reason: no levy.
  • Gets a listed disability benefit, or is staying in the same room as someone who does: charge as normal; the guest reclaims it from the council.
  • A genuinely free stay (nothing paid, no points or vouchers): no levy.
[5]
You keep
2% of the levy, to cover your costs [5]
Returns
Quarterly on visitorlevy.scot. A stay goes in the quarter the guest checks out in. Returns are due 30 days after each quarter and payment about two weeks later. [5]

Key dates

  1. Bookings Bookings made (and paid) from today count for stays from 24 July 2026.
  2. Go-live Levy starts. 5% on the first 5 nights of each booking.
  3. Return First return closes (stays ending 24 July to 30 September 2026).
  4. Payment First payment due.
  5. Return Return due for October to December 2026.
  6. Payment Payment due for October to December 2026.
  7. Return Return due for January to March 2027.
  8. Payment Payment due for January to March 2027.
  9. Return Return due for April to June 2027.
  10. Payment Payment due for April to June 2027.

All dates for every council are on what’s coming.

Sources

  1. VisitScotland: visitor levy schemes approved, proposed and in consultation Read 2 Nov 2026
  2. Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 Linked 2 Nov 2026; we could not open it, so its facts above come from the other sources
  3. Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2026 Linked 2 Nov 2026; we could not open it, so its facts above come from the other sources
  4. visitorlevy.scot, the national returns platform (Improvement Service) Read 2 Nov 2026
  5. Edinburgh Visitor Levy Scheme: information for accommodation providers (version 2.1, September 2026) Read 2 Nov 2026
  6. City of Edinburgh Council: Edinburgh Visitor Levy Linked 2 Nov 2026; we could not open it, so its facts above come from the other sources
  7. The Scheme for the Edinburgh Visitor Levy Linked 2 Nov 2026; we could not open it, so its facts above come from the other sources
  8. City of Edinburgh Council: information for visitors and exemptions Linked 2 Nov 2026; we could not open it, so its facts above come from the other sources
Official Edinburgh visitor levy information