# Short-term rental hosts

Canonical: https://finbryn.com/us/industries/short-term-rentals

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.

## 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](https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-e-form-1040), but [IRS Publication 527](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p527) 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](/services/bookkeeping/catch-up-cleanup-bookkeeping), then [monthly bookkeeping](/services/bookkeeping/monthly-bookkeeping). Long-term landlords should see [real estate and property management](/industries/real-estate-property-management). Pricing is on the [pricing](/pricing) page.

Software we work in: QuickBooks Online, Hostaway, Guesty, OwnerRez, Stripe

## Frequently asked questions: Short-term rental hosts

**Q: Do you file occupancy tax returns?**

A: 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.

**Q: Will my rental go on Schedule E?**

A: 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.

**Q: Do you perform cost segregation studies?**

A: No. A specialist performs the study. We supply the fixed-asset schedule and book the result for your preparer.

**Q: Can you handle a payout that covers several properties?**

A: Yes. We use the platform payout report to code each stay, fee and tax amount to its property so the deposit ties out.

**Q: How is this different from your property management page?**

A: This page is for hosts and managers of short stays. Long-term landlords and property managers are on the real estate page.

**Q: Can you split a platform payout by property?**

A: Yes. Payout reports from Airbnb, Vrbo and your direct booking tool are broken out by listing, with fees and taxes shown separately.

**Q: Do you prepare owner statements for co-hosted units?**

A: Yes, monthly statements per owner showing revenue, fees, cleaning cost and the co-host share.

**Q: What are the common bookkeeping challenges for short-term rentals?**

A: Bundled payouts, mixed-up cleaning fees and unclear occupancy-tax responsibility come up most. We build the property coding and monthly close around them.

**Q: What software do you support for short-term rentals?**

A: 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.

## Contact
- Phone: +1 (312) 313-7376
- Email: hello@finbryn.com
- Booking page: https://finbryn.com/us/book