If You’re Using Airbnb for Some Extra Cash Don’t Forget About Taxes

Have you heard about the latest craze in hospitality? It’s the idea of renting out your home for a night or two, or perhaps even slightly longer, to someone looking for a place to stay other than a hotel. The leader in the industry is Airbnb, which works much like Uber, the personal cab driver company. Airbnb matches renters with those looking for a place to stay via an app, whether it’s a spare room for a night or a luxurious vacation home for two weeks.

It’s a great way for space owners to bring in a little additional income, but it doesn’t come without a price. If you make money through Airbnb, just like with anything else, make sure you understand the taxes involved. That is not necessarily an easy process, either, because the tax codes for renting can get very complex.

First, you have to determine if your home is a residence or a rental. or a combination of both. If you end up using your home exclusively, or for a large majority of the time, as a rental then you will have to report all that income; but you can also use any expenses as a deduction. If you choose to exclude your rental income then you cannot deduct any of your expenses that are attributed to your rental activity.

The bottom line when renting out your home or even a small portion of it is that you need to have a good handle on the tax implications. There are a lot of possible outcomes, but make sure you know which one is best for you before you start welcoming vacationers and other strangers into your home to make a few extra bucks.

Posted in ,

Are High Taxes the Real Reason Why Wealthy People Move?

  Despite several reports that many of the wealthiest people in America are fleeing to other more tax-friendly states, a new report suggests that might not be the case. Of course, there have been some recent cases where these exact circumstances have occurred so there is precedence in this matter. However, it appears that not…

How Will Taxes Affect Your Success in Retirement?

Are you at that point in your career where the number of years you’ve already worked greatly outnumber the years you have left to put in? If retirement is just around the corner for you, or even still out on the horizon a bit, you should be using this time to get ready for taxes.…

Could L.A. Millionaires Be Facing Another Tax?

Everyone can agree that being homeless is terrible. No matter what the circumstances are that bring an individual to this predicament, it’s unfortunate that anyone has to be without a place to call home. Cities all over the country deal with the homeless in different ways, including California. The Golden State is considering taking its…

Do Risk Takers Make Good Leaders?

  There are countless stories of leaders in the business world that have taken great risks in order to become successful. The fact is there is risk in almost any professional decision a person makes. Some choices carry much great risker than others, but risk is part of every decision we make. While you often…