IRD released Determination DET 19/02 on the 21 May 2019 on the standard-cost for short-stay accommodation providers

This is relevant to taxpayers who do not rent out rooms for more than 100 nights in the year.

The nightly standard-costs established in the Determination is considered to represent the average costs likely to be incurred by short-stay accommodation hosts per night.

If you choose to use the standard costs instead of actual expenses, the set standard costs are treated as expenditure incurred in deriving income from providing the short-stay accommodation service. This method can be used for any income year provided that the criteria in the Determination are met.

Income you earn from providing the short-stay accommodation service will be exempt income to the extent of the standard-costs calculated. Any income in excess of those costs will be treated as assessable income and will be required to be included in a tax return.

The standard-cost for the 2019/20 income year is $50 a night if the host owns the property and $45 if it is a rental.