How is a cleaning fee declared when renting out a private residence?

Including a cleaning fee when renting out your private residence is common practice, as it ensures the home is kept in good condition for the next guest. To avoid mistakes and ensure a correct tax declaration, it is important to understand how cleaning fees are treated for tax purposes. In this article, we explain what a cleaning fee is, whether it is taxable, how it should be reported in your tax return, the difference between a cleaning fee and rental income, and how cleaning fees are handled when renting out through Guestit.

Quote:
"Cleaning fees are an important part of rental income and must be reported correctly to avoid problems in your tax declaration."

A cleaning fee is an additional charge added by the landlord to cover the cost of cleaning the property. Maintaining a clean and tidy home is essential before the next guest arrives. The cleaning fee can either be included in the total rental cost or listed separately in the rental agreement. Regardless of how it is presented, it is important to understand how this fee is treated for tax purposes.

When you rent out your private residence and charge a cleaning fee, this fee is considered part of your total rental income. According to the Swedish Tax Agency, all payments received when renting out a private residence must be declared as rental income, and this includes cleaning fees.

This means that the cleaning fee is taxable and must be reported together with the rest of your rental income in your tax return. Even if the fee is intended to cover cleaning costs, this does not affect its taxability. It is still considered part of the compensation you receive for the rental.

When declaring income from renting out a private residence, you must include the cleaning fee in your total rental income. For example, if you received 10,000 SEK in rent and 1,000 SEK in cleaning fees, you must declare a total rental income of 11,000 SEK.

After this, you may make deductions such as the standard deduction of 40,000 SEK per year and per property. Keep in mind that deductions can never exceed the actual rental income. If your deductions are higher than your rental income, the excess cannot be used to reduce other types of income.

Also remember that actual expenses, such as operational costs or renovations, cannot be deducted in addition to the standard deduction and percentage deduction. By including the cleaning fee in your rental income and applying the correct deductions, you ensure a proper declaration.

When using Guestit for short-term rentals, cleaning fees are handled smoothly. Guestit includes the cleaning fee in the total rental cost, which means you, as the landlord, do not need to take care of the cleaning yourself. This makes the process easier and ensures the property is always in excellent condition for each new guest.

Even when Guestit manages the cleaning, the cleaning fee is still part of your total rental income and must be declared. By working with Guestit, you get a streamlined rental process where both rental income and cleaning fees are handled efficiently.