Short answer: yes, unless Koobo is showing a separate tax line at checkout for your listing, build tax into the price you list.
Why
Prices on Koobo are shown to guests exclusive of taxes and fees unless stated otherwise, and the guest pays the total displayed at checkout. If Koobo is not collecting a particular tax on your behalf, and you have not included it in your price, there is nowhere for it to come from later.
You cannot ask a guest to pay an undisclosed mandatory amount in cash on arrival. That is a breach of the host terms, and it is one of the fastest routes to a bad review and a dispute.
What you can charge on arrival
Only amounts that are clearly disclosed in your listing or expressly permitted at checkout. In practice that means:
- Optional add-ons the guest chooses at the time
- Security deposits, where your listing says there is one
- Government-mandated charges such as environmental or tourism fees, where these are clearly disclosed
Everything else needs to be in the price.
Your tax obligations
You are responsible for complying with your own tax and invoicing obligations on the income you earn from hosting, except where Koobo is legally required to collect and remit something on your behalf.
Koobo does not provide tax advice. If you are unsure what applies to your particular operation, whether that is VAT registration, percentage tax, or local business tax, speak to an accountant who knows Philippine small business rules.
VAT on Koobo's commission
Separately from your own tax position, VAT may be applied to Koobo's commission where law requires it. That is added to the commission and shown in your payout breakdown. It is a tax on our fee, not on your service.
Getting the price right
Work out your target net figure, then work backwards: add your own tax obligations, then remember Koobo's commission comes out of the booking price. The number you list should leave you with what you actually need.