A MyLodgeTax alternative for hosts who file their own lodging tax
Already registered and filing your own occupancy tax? Build the numbers for each return from your Airbnb, Vrbo or Booking.com export in minutes, for a fraction of a full-service filing fee.
Avalara MyLodgeTax is a full-service lodging-tax provider: it works out which state, county and city taxes apply, registers you, and prepares, files and pays your returns. If you want someone else to do all of that, it's a sensible choice. If you're already registered and just need the right numbers for each return, Lodgetally builds them from your booking exports.
Lodgetally vs MyLodgeTax at a glance
| Lodgetally | Avalara MyLodgeTax | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A worksheet per month, quarter or year: gross receipts, nights, long-stay exemptions, stays the platform already remitted, cleaning fees, taxable receipts and tax due at the rates you enter | Rate lookup, registrations and licenses, return preparation, filing and payment, agency correspondence |
| Who files | You do, using the worksheet | MyLodgeTax files and pays for you |
| Price | Free for one file up to 40 reservations per report. Pro: $7 for 7 days, $9/month or $49/year (any number of listings). | $39 per property per month plus a one-time $299 setup fee per property, per its pricing page. Its fee schedule lists extra charges such as $300 for amended or late returns. |
| Your data | Exports are processed in your browser and never uploaded | You share property and revenue data with the service so it can file |
Where MyLodgeTax is the better pick: if you aren't registered yet, don't know which jurisdictions you owe, have many properties across different places, or simply don't want to file returns yourself, a full-service provider saves real time and risk. Lodgetally doesn't look up rates, register you or file anything. Choose Lodgetally if you file your own returns and want accurate, explainable totals without retyping reservations into a spreadsheet.
Lodgetally is not tax advice. Your tax office decides what is taxable; check its instructions for each return.
Competitor details checked on 2026-10-27 from their public pages: MyLodgeTax pricing, MyLodgeTax fee schedule. Prices change — check their site for the current offer. Product names are trademarks of their owners; we are not affiliated with them.
FAQ
Does Lodgetally know my local tax rate?
No. You enter the rate (or several rates, for example city plus county) from your tax office's instructions. Lodgetally applies them to the taxable receipts it calculates.
Can Lodgetally file my return?
No. It prepares the numbers and a printable worksheet; you file with your tax office.
Is it really private?
Yes. Your file is read by JavaScript running in your browser tab; its contents — guest names, earnings, listings — are never sent over the network. You can verify this in your browser's developer tools (Network tab), or go offline after the page has loaded.
Is this tax advice?
No. Lodgetally does the arithmetic from your platform files using the rates and rules you enter. Rules differ by state, county and city — check what's taxable, the exemptions, and whether a platform collects for you with your tax office, and file on their form.
Which files work?
The Airbnb earnings / transaction history CSV, Vrbo payout and stay-tax reports, the Booking.com extranet reservations export, and most property-management exports with stay dates and amounts — CSV, TXT, XLSX, XLS or ODS. Columns are detected automatically and you can change any of them; your choice is remembered for that layout.
Why by check-in date and not payout date?
Most lodging-tax returns are based on when guests stayed. Payout dates drift from stay dates at every period boundary. You can choose check-in, check-out, payout date, or splitting each stay's receipts by nights in each month.
Does it know my tax rate?
No — you enter it (one or more rates, e.g. state + county + city), so the worksheet always matches your jurisdiction's current rate.
What's free?
Everything, one file at a time, for reports covering up to 40 reservations — the full worksheet, checks, CSV summary and printable worksheet. Pro removes the limit, combines several files (e.g. Airbnb + Vrbo + Booking.com), and adds the Excel workbook and per-stay CSV.