Taxes are the least fun part of hosting and the easiest place to make an expensive mistake — not because the rates are high, but because responsibility is split between you and the platforms in ways most hosts discover too late. Here is how the pieces fit for a Miami-Dade short-term rental.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rates and collection agreements change; confirm current figures with the Florida Department of Revenue, Miami-Dade County and a tax professional before filing.
The layers of tax on a Miami short-term stay
A short-term rental stay in Miami-Dade is generally subject to Florida state sales tax plus county-level tourist development (“bed”) taxes; Miami Beach adds its own resort tax for properties there. The combined burden is charged to the guest on top of the nightly rate — the host’s job is making sure every layer is registered, collected and remitted.
Miami-Dade tourist tax
The county tourist development tax applies to stays under six months across Miami-Dade. For bookings made through a platform with a collection agreement in place, this is often collected and remitted for you — but the registration behind it is still yours, and the agreement covers that platform only. If you take a booking anywhere else, the county layer is yours to charge and file.
Miami Beach resort tax
Miami Beach runs its own resort tax on top of the state and county layers, with its own registration and its own filing schedule with the city. This is the layer hosts most often miss, because it does not exist in most of Miami-Dade and platform collection for it cannot be assumed. If your property is in Miami Beach, confirm specifically what your platform remits for the city versus what you file yourself — and see Airbnb management in Miami Beach for how the rest of the local rules work.
What Airbnb and other platforms collect for you — and what they do not
For Miami-Dade bookings, Airbnb (and some other platforms) collect and remit certain state and county taxes automatically under agreements with the tax authorities. This is genuinely helpful — and genuinely incomplete:
- Registration is still yours. Automatic collection does not replace registering with the Florida Department of Revenue and, depending on your situation, the county and city. Skipping registration because “Airbnb handles taxes” is the most common error we see.
- Not every platform collects. Check each channel you list on — collection agreements differ by platform and by county.
- Direct bookings are never covered. Any booking outside a platform (repeat guests, your own website) is 100% your responsibility to charge, collect and remit.
- Miami Beach resort tax has its own registration and filing with the city — confirm what your platform remits for Miami Beach specifically versus what you file yourself.
The registrations a typical Miami host needs
A typical legally operating host holds: Florida Department of Revenue registration (state sales tax), Miami-Dade tourist tax registration (where applicable), Miami Beach resort tax account (Miami Beach properties), plus the licensing layer — DBPR vacation rental license and local registration such as the City of Miami Certificate of Use — covered in our Miami STR laws guide. Which exact registrations apply depends on your address and municipality.
Income tax is a separate question entirely
Everything above is transaction tax charged to guests. Your rental profit is separately subject to income tax (federal; Florida has no personal state income tax), with its own rules on deductions, depreciation and the treatment of short-term rentals. That is squarely accountant territory — budget for one; a good short-term-rental-literate accountant typically saves more than they cost.
Common mistakes
Assuming the platform “does taxes” and never registering. Forgetting direct bookings. Missing the Miami Beach resort tax layer. Mixing up transaction taxes (guest pays) with income tax (you pay). Not keeping records of what each platform remitted — you need those numbers at filing time.
Where WEPRO fits
Tax setup is part of our onboarding: we walk you through which registrations your exact address needs and confirm what your platforms collect versus what you file — as part of the free eligibility check and property analysis. We are not accountants and this is not tax advice; we make sure the operational side is set up so your accountant has clean inputs. See our management service for what onboarding includes.
Related Reading
- Miami short term rental laws and regulations — the licensing layer these registrations sit alongside
- How to start an Airbnb in Miami — where tax registration falls in the launch order