Booking Holdings Inc.BKNG
Booking Holdings Inc. Commitments Disclosure
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Competition and Consumer Protection Reviews
The Company is and has been the subject of investigations or inquiries by national competition authorities and other authorities regarding competition law matters, consumer protection issues, and other areas, such as with respect to the scope of its contractual parity provisions with accommodation providers, pricing tools or programs offered to partners, or the ranking criteria used in displaying results to consumers, and from time to time has made commitments regarding future business practices or activities. For example, the Company has previously made voluntary commitments related to showing prices inclusive of all mandatory taxes and charges, providing information about the effect of money earned on search result rankings, and adjusting how discounts and statements concerning popularity or availability are shown. Some investigations have resulted in fines and the Company could incur additional fines and/or be restricted in certain of its business practices in the future. To the extent that investigations or inquiries result in additional commitments, fines, damages, or other remedies or changes to its business, the Company's business, financial condition, and results of operations could be harmed.
In 2024, the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia in Spain (the "CNMC") imposed a fine and restricted certain of Booking.com's business practices such as those relating to contractual parity provisions and the ranking criteria that Booking.com can use to determine how to rank hotels in its display to customers. Booking.com does not agree with the rationale stated in the decision and the restrictions imposed, and has filed an appeal. In February 2025, the Spanish National Court ruled that the CNMC decision, including payment of the fine, is suspended pending the outcome of the appeal. The CNMC and certain third parties have sought to clarify the scope of the court's ruling, including its suspensory effect. Although the Company disagrees with the rationale stated in the CNMC decision, it recorded a liability for this matter with $485 million included in "Other long-term liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2025 and $428 million included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2024. The Company accrued a loss of $530 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 (reflecting the initial fine amount in the CNMC's draft decision). During the year ended December 31, 2024, to align with the CNMC's reduced final fine, the Company recorded a decrease of $78 million in its accrual. The initial accrual and subsequent decrease are reflected in "General and administrative" expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
In 2017, the Swiss Price Surveillance Office (the "Swiss PSO") opened an investigation into the level of commissions of Booking.com in Switzerland. In 2025, Booking.com received a negative decision ordering a reduction of its average commission level for hotels located in Switzerland, which Booking.com disagrees with and has appealed. The Swiss PSO order is suspended pending the outcome of the appeal, and the ordered reduction in commissions would only be effective for a three-year period after a negative final judgment. The French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control ("DGCCRF") opened separate investigations into Booking.com and Agoda relating to certain business practices. Booking.com has taken the steps to comply with the DGCCRF's final order to change certain of its business practices. Agoda received a draft decision, which it has responded to, and its discussions with the DGCCRF are ongoing. In June 2025, the Hellenic Competition Commission (in Greece) opened a formal investigation into whether certain practices by Booking.com may produce adverse effects for hotels and other online travel agencies and discussions with that Commission are ongoing. In August 2025, the Hungarian Competition Authority opened an investigation into whether certain practices by Booking.com may mislead consumers and Booking.com continues to respond to the Authority's requests. If any of the investigations were to find that the Company's practices violated the respective laws, or as part of a negotiated resolution, the Company may face significant fines, restrictions on its business practices, follow-on investigations or litigation, and/or be required to make other commitments.
The Company is unable to predict how any current or future investigations or litigation may be resolved or the long-term impact of any such resolution on its business. For example, competition and consumer-law-related investigations, legislation, judgments, or issues have in the past resulted in and could in the future result in private litigation. The Company is currently involved in such litigation and/or aware of such potential litigation. For example, German hotels have also filed parity-related claims against Booking.com and that litigation is ongoing. Additionally, various hotel associations have promoted potential class actions on behalf of European hotels against Booking.com relating to the historical use of contractual parity provisions and law firms, including in Spain, France, and the UK, are promoting similar potential claims in those jurisdictions. In the Netherlands, two Dutch foundations recently filed such claims on behalf of European hotels and consumers, respectively, with the consumer claim further alleging that Booking.com and Agoda employed misleading practices. The Company has defended against and intends to continue to defend itself against such claims. However, class action litigation can be time-consuming, costly, and unpredictable, regardless of merit, and there may be evolving jurisprudence and less experience with such matters in certain of the markets where the Company is or may be involved in such litigation, making outcomes less certain and harder to forecast. If the Company were to be found liable, it could result in, among other things, payment of damages, commitments to change certain business practices, or reputational damage, any of which could harm the Company's business, results of operations, brands, or competitive position.
Tax Matters
Between December 2018 and August 2021, the Italian tax authorities issued assessments on Booking.com's Italian subsidiary totaling approximately $295 million for the tax years 2013 through 2018, asserting that its transfer pricing policies were inadequate. The Company believes Booking.com has been and continues to be in compliance with Italian tax law. In September 2020, the Italian tax authorities approved the opening of a mutual agreement procedure ("MAP") between Italy and the Netherlands for the 2013 tax year and the Italian tax authorities subsequently approved the inclusion of the tax years 2014 through 2018 in the MAP. As of December 31, 2025, the Company made prepayments of $87 million to the Italian tax authorities to forestall collection enforcement pending the appeal phase of the case. In April 2025, the Company was notified of a MAP resolution for the 2013 through 2018 tax years that resulted in additional Italian income taxes of $23 million and the Company formally accepted the results of the MAP in May 2025. This amount was reflected in unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2024. The Company is entitled to a refund of the remaining portion of its tax prepayment. The tax resulting from the MAP is partially offset by a tax benefit of $10 million relating to Netherlands income tax.
In June 2024, the Guardia di Finanza ("GdF") of Rome issued a tax audit report to Booking.com, proposing a tax assessment to the Italian Tax Authorities ("ITA"). The GdF alleged that a 2017 law (the "STR Law") obliged Booking.com to withhold and remit 21% of the total transaction value for the income tax liabilities of certain short-term rental partners in Italy for the period under audit. While the Company believes that Booking.com has been and continues to be in compliance with Italian tax laws, in November 2024, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with the ITA without admitting liability and paid $332 million to resolve the matter. The settlement is reflected in "General and administrative" expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The Company is also involved in other tax-related audits, investigations, and litigation relating to income taxes, value-added taxes, travel transaction taxes (e.g., hotel occupancy taxes), withholding taxes, and other taxes.
Any taxes or assessments in excess of the Company's tax provisions, including the resolution of any tax proceedings or litigation, could have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. In some cases, assessments may be significantly in excess of the Company's tax provisions, particularly in instances where the Company does not agree with the tax authority's assessment of how the tax laws may apply to the Company's business.
Other Matters
Beginning in 2014, Booking.com B.V. received several letters from the Netherlands Pension Fund for the Travel Industry (Reiswerk) ("BPF") claiming that it was required to participate in the mandatory pension scheme of the BPF with retroactive effect to 1999, which has a higher contribution rate than the pension scheme it historically participated in. BPF instituted legal proceedings against Booking.com B.V. (which were continued by BPF's legal successor, Pension Fund PGB ("PGB")) and, in January 2024, a Dutch Court of Appeal ruled that Booking.com B.V. is required to participate in the mandatory pension scheme of the PGB with retroactive effect to 1999. Although the Company disagreed with and appealed the decision, it accrued losses of $276 million and $77 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively, included in "Personnel" expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The corresponding liability is included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2024. After a final ruling by the Dutch Supreme Court in March 2025, Booking.com B.V. changed its pension scheme going forward and with retroactive effect to 1999, in line with the outcome of the litigation and arrangement with PGB. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company paid $136 million to settle the pension liability as of December 31, 2024, reflecting the arrangement with PGB that became effective during the period. The impact of the reduction in the pension liability from December 31, 2024 of $176 million is recorded in "Personnel" expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2025. There may be additional claims with respect to the eligibility of certain employees in scope of the scheme, which may result in additional costs.
From time to time, the Company notifies the competent data protection authority, such as the Dutch data protection authority in accordance with its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation, of certain data security incidents. Should, for example, the Dutch data protection authority decide these incidents were the result of inadequate technical and organizational security measures or practices, it may impose a fine or require other commitments.
The Company has been, is currently, and expects to continue to be, subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business, including claims of alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights. Such claims could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources, divert management's attention, and adversely affect the Company's business, reputation, results of operations, and cash flows.
In February 2026, the Company entered into favorable settlement agreements to resolve litigation matters in which it was a plaintiff, for which it expects to receive a benefit of approximately $90 million in the first quarter of 2026, upon completion of various conditions.
The Company accrues for certain other legal contingencies where it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Such accrued amounts are not material to the Company's balance sheets and provisions recorded have not been material to the Company's results of operations or cash flows.
Other Contractual Obligations and Contingencies
The Company had $874 million and $650 million of standby letters of credit and bank guarantees issued on its behalf as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, including those issued under the revolving credit facility (see Note 12). These were obtained primarily in connection with certain of the litigation matters disclosed above and for regulatory purposes.
Booking.com facilitates the provision of partner liability insurance underwritten by third-party insurance providers, to protect certain alternative accommodation partners against liability claims and lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that occur during a stay. While this partner liability insurance program, if applicable to the claim, provides coverage up to $1 million per occurrence (subject to limitations and exclusions), the Company retains certain potential financial risks and could be required to pay amounts in excess of policy limit.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 18, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 20, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 22, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 23, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 23, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 24, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 26, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 27, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 27, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 27, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 17, 2016 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.