Guides for short-term rental hosts with an S-corp

One question per guide, answered in plain English with the IRS source linked and a worked example. Written and reviewed by Taz, U.S. tax preparer.

All guides

13 guides

• Rental losses

  Can your Airbnb loss offset your W-2 income?

  The 7-day average stay test and the material participation hours, with a worked example.

• S-corp setup

  When an S-corp helps an Airbnb host, and when it doesn't

  Salary, payroll costs and the honest cases where an S-corp is not worth it.

  Coming soon
• S-corp setup

  Reasonable salary for S-corp hosts

  How to think about the salary you pay yourself, and how it changes your QBI deduction.

  Coming soon
• Accountable plans

  How an accountable plan works for S-corp hosts

  The three rules, the timing, and what hosts usually miss.

  Coming soon
• Tax returns

  Which form reports your S-corp's Airbnb income?

  Form 8825 or the main return, and why the choice matters for your K-1.

  Coming soon
• Tax returns

  Your K-1 shows a loss: why it isn't automatically deductible

  Basis, at-risk and passive limits, in the order they apply.

  Coming soon
• Tax returns

  My S-corp made no money. Do I still file?

  Yes. What a no-income 1120-S looks like and why skipping it costs money.

  Coming soon
• Bookkeeping

  Bookkeeping for Airbnb hosts: books by property and a 15-minute monthly close

  Payouts versus income, tracking by property, and a simple monthly routine.

  Coming soon
• Bookkeeping

  How long should an S-corp host keep records?

  What to keep, for how long, and where.

  Coming soon
• Payroll

  Form 1099: a guide for small businesses and contractors

  Which 1099 to use, the thresholds, deadlines and e-filing.

• Payroll

  Is your Airbnb cleaner an employee or a contractor?

  The questions that decide it, and what changes on your books.

  Coming soon
• Payroll

  S-corp paying your health insurance: 4 things to check

  How it should run through payroll for a more-than-2% shareholder.

  Coming soon
• Rental losses

  Staying in your own Airbnb: what changes

  Personal-use days and how they affect what you can deduct.

  Coming soon