Airbnb Guest House Income – Eligibility for Presumptive Taxation under Section 44AD

NEHA GOEL (1 Points)

23 April 2025  

I run a small guest house in Goa that is listed on Airbnb for short-term rentals (average stay is 3–5 nights). I actively manage bookings, cleaning, guest check-ins, etc.

I also have a Goa Tourism registration certificate, which officially recognizes the property as a commercial unit (hotel/guest house) used for tourism/hospitality purposes.

Given this setup:

  1. Can I declare this income under the "Income from Business & Profession" head?

  2. Am I eligible to use Section 44AD (Presumptive Taxation) to declare 6% of gross receipts as profit, since all payments are received digitally via Airbnb?

  3. I file as an individual, and my gross receipts from Airbnb are below ₹20L annually.

Would appreciate clarity, especially since the income is more "active" (like a service business) rather than passive rental.

Thanks in advance!