Rental property expenses are typically recorded in an itemized list or report format, along with a paper trail that provides back up to prove that every expense claimed is true and correct. Once entered, income and expenses are automatically updated, tracked, and categorized for easy reporting and tax preparation, and a downloadable “paper” trail is created. To set up an account with Stessa, simply enter the property address, connect bank, credit card, and mortgage company accounts, and then enter tenant and leasing data to start running real-time financial performance reports from the owner dashboard. Stessa was designed by rental property owners for rental property owners to provide a comprehensive suite of features and services to rental property owners. It’s used by both novice and sophisticated investors to track income and expenses and make informed decisions about their property portfolios. That’s why investors looking for cost-effective rental property software often opt for Stessa, which offers both free and paid subscription plans. Or even worse, accidentally double-book an expense only to have it discovered during a tax audit. You’ll need to make a copy or download them to edit.Ĭlick here to download the complete rental property expense tracker (Excel)Ĭlick here to download the complete rental property expense tracker (Google Sheets)Īn Alternative Way to Track Your Property Expenses (on Autopilot)Įven with just one rental property, it’s easy to lose track of deductions that could decrease taxable net income. Note that these spreadsheet templates are displayed in View Only format.
To save you the time and hassle of building an expense tracker from scratch, we’ve put together a simple expense tracking spreadsheet below that you can download and use (in both Excel and Google Sheets formats).
Instead, when the deposit is received, it is recorded on the balance sheet as a liability because the security deposit is meant to eventually be returned.įree Rental Property Expense Tracking Spreadsheet As a quick aside, a refundable security deposit expected to be returned to a tenant is neither income nor an expense. Income is recorded when it is received, and expenses are booked when bills are actually paid. Depreciation expense allowances for exhaustion, and wear and tear of the property.Repair costs needed to keep the property in good working condition, excluding capital expense work that adds longer-term value to the property, such as a new roof or air conditioning system.Operating expenses necessary for the operation of the rental property, including amounts paid to property managers, landscaping and utilities, property taxes and insurance, and mortgage interest expense.414 Rental Income and Expenses lists several types of rental property expenses an investor may deduct from the total rental income received: Financial metrics such as NOI, cap rate, operating expense ratio, and cash on cash return all depend on accurately recording and analyzing rental property expenses.Manual spreadsheets, off-the-shelf accounting software, or online platforms purpose-built for real estate investors are three main ways to keep track of rental property expenses.The benefits of accurately tracking the expenses of a rental property include calculating profit or loss, monitoring for unexpected costs, claiming tax deductions to which you are entitled, and creating a digital “paper” trail for audit purposes.The IRS broadly defines rental property expenses as operating expenses, repairs, and depreciation.It’s not as efficient as today’s software platforms, but it will help you learn the ropes and develop a basic understanding of what to track. To get you started, we’ve also included a free rental property expense tracking spreadsheet that you can download and customize.
In this article, we’ll explain how rental property owners can track every expense down to the last penny, find more tax deductions, and save time and increase financial performance by adopting modern software that automatically keeps track of rental property expenses. His words still make sense to this very day, especially for real estate investors seeking to maximize returns. Those words were spoken over 100 years ago by Orison Swett Marden, the founder of SUCCESS magazine who is often considered the father of modern-day inspirational talks. “One penny may seem to you a very insignificant thing, but it is the small seed from which fortunes spring.”