Industries
Short-term rental hosts
Finbryn provides bookkeeping for hosts and co-host managers running several short-term rentals, splitting each Airbnb, Vrbo and direct payout by property. You receive per-property profit and loss, owner statements for co-hosted units, and occupancy-tax and Schedule E workpapers for your credentialed preparer.
Management report
Illustrative client · September 2026
USD
| Line | Sep | Aug | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 142,380 | 131,904 | +10,476 |
| Cost of sales | (51,260) | (48,115) | (3,145) |
| Gross profit | 91,120 | 83,789 | +7,331 |
| Payroll | (46,300) | (45,900) | (400) |
| SoftwareNoted | (6,480) | (5,490) | (990) |
| Rent | (8,000) | (8,000) | 0 |
| Other operating | (9,215) | (9,870) | +655 |
| Net income | 21,125 | 14,529 | +6,596 |
Reviewer's note
Software is up on last month after two seats were added mid-month. Revenue includes one milestone invoice that will not repeat next month.
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
Exceptions report
Where the books usually hurt
One Airbnb or Vrbo payout bundles several listings, net of fees and tax, so nothing ties to a property
Cleaning fees, channel fees and co-host splits are lumped into a single expense line
Occupancy tax is collected by some platforms and owed directly on others
Depreciation and Schedule E records get rebuilt at tax time
One payout, five listings
An Airbnb payout deposits one number for several stays across several properties, after the platform fee and sometimes after tax. Vrbo pays on a different schedule, direct bookings arrive through Stripe, and the bank sees none of the detail. Finbryn works from the payout and reservation reports in Hostaway, Guesty, OwnerRez or the platform itself, and codes revenue, platform fees, cleaning fees and tax to each property, so the deposit ties to the stays behind it.
Per-property books and owner statements
Each property gets its own profit and loss: nightly revenue, channel fees, cleaning, supplies, utilities, repairs, mortgage interest and management cost. For co-hosts managing other people's units, we produce a monthly owner statement showing gross revenue, fees, turnover cost and the manager's share, with an owner payable that agrees to the bank. Owner distributions are sent by you; we prepare the statement.
Occupancy tax and the tax-year handoff
Lodging or occupancy tax is collected by the platform on some bookings and owed by the host on others, and the rules differ by state and city. We separate platform-collected tax from host-owed tax in the ledger and prepare the return workpapers for your jurisdiction; you file and pay, or your preparer does.
For federal tax, rental income generally goes on Schedule E, but IRS Publication 527 explains that substantial services and personal-use days change the treatment. We keep the nights-rented and personal-use-day records and the expense detail the signing preparer needs to decide. We do not decide it, and we make no promises about any tax outcome. The preparer obtains your consent under IRC 7216 before return information is shared with us as a service provider.
Depreciation and cost segregation
Purchase price, closing costs and improvements go into a fixed-asset schedule by property. If you want a cost segregation study, an engineer or specialist firm performs it; we send them the schedule and book the result for your preparer to apply.
Working with Finbryn
You keep your QuickBooks Online file. A named pod handles the account on an agreed monthly close calendar. A host with a year of unsorted payouts usually begins with a catch-up project, then monthly bookkeeping. Long-term landlords should see real estate and property management. Pricing is on the pricing page.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Short-term rental hosts
Do you file occupancy tax returns?
No. We prepare the return workpapers by jurisdiction and separate platform-collected tax from host-owed tax; you or your preparer files. Rules vary by state and city. Checked 2026-10-09.
Will my rental go on Schedule E?
That is for your signing preparer to decide using IRS Publication 527, which covers substantial services and personal use. We keep the records they need.
Do you perform cost segregation studies?
No. A specialist performs the study. We supply the fixed-asset schedule and book the result for your preparer.
Can you handle a payout that covers several properties?
Yes. We use the platform payout report to code each stay, fee and tax amount to its property so the deposit ties out.
How is this different from your property management page?
This page is for hosts and managers of short stays. Long-term landlords and property managers are on the real estate page.
Can you split a platform payout by property?
Yes. Payout reports from Airbnb, Vrbo and your direct booking tool are broken out by listing, with fees and taxes shown separately.
Do you prepare owner statements for co-hosted units?
Yes, monthly statements per owner showing revenue, fees, cleaning cost and the co-host share.
What are the common bookkeeping challenges for short-term rentals?
Bundled payouts, mixed-up cleaning fees and unclear occupancy-tax responsibility come up most. We build the property coding and monthly close around them.
What software do you support for short-term rentals?
We work inside QuickBooks Online alongside Hostaway, Guesty and OwnerRez, using their payout and booking reports. If you have no file yet, we set one up in your name.
Related services
- BookkeepingClass and location trackingTransactions tagged by class, location, property or department, so profit and loss can be sliced by the parts of the business that actually matter to you.
- BookkeepingFixed asset registerA running register of equipment, vehicles and other fixed assets, with depreciation calculated and posted on a set schedule so the balance sheet stays accurate.
- BookkeepingBank and credit card reconciliationEvery bank, card and payment-processor account reconciled line by line against its statement, so the balance in your books always matches the balance at the institution.
- Tax prep supportSales tax and nexus supportSupport for tracking where your sales create a tax obligation and preparing the periodic returns that follow, built from your sales platform data.
Explore these areas
- Books, reconciled every weekBookkeepingMonthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online, Xero or the platform you already run: every transaction sorted into categories, every bank and card account reconciled, and a clean set of reports each month.
- Filing-ready, prepared by people who already know your booksTax preparation supportReturn preparation and filing support across US federal and state, UK, Australian, Canadian, Hong Kong and EU obligations, built from books we already reconcile and reviewed by a credentialed signer or registered filing partner before anything is filed.
- Full-cycle accounting for businesses past basic bookkeepingAccounting servicesOutsourced accounting for businesses that have outgrown basic bookkeeping: a maintained general ledger, a controller who reviews the numbers, financial statements prepared for lenders or a board, and the systems that keep multiple entities and cost centers straight.
Related guides
- BookkeepingBookkeeping for Freelancers and Etsy Sellers: What to TrackBookkeeping for freelancers and Etsy sellers: what to track, the 1099-K threshold now in force, self-employment tax and sales tax basics (checked 2026-10-18).
- BookkeepingDo I Need a Bookkeeper, an Accountant or a CPA?Bookkeeper, accountant or CPA: who does what, who signs a tax return, who speaks for you at the IRS, and when each is worth hiring (checked 2026-10-18).
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.