Free · Airbnb hosts

Can I deduct this?

Swipe through 22 real expenses every Airbnb and VRBO host runs into — cleaning fees, towels, mortgage interest, utilities, smart locks. Find out which the IRS lets you write off.

Tax deduction swipe
22 expenses. Personal or deductible?

For each card: would the IRS let an Airbnb host write this off? Tap the buttons (or swipe the card) to guess. We'll show you the answer + explanation after each one.

  1. Swipe right or tap Deductible if you think a short-term rental host can claim it.
  2. Swipe left or tap Personal if it's a personal expense.
  3. At the end, you'll see all 22 with the IRS-aligned verdict + reasoning.
Estimate only — not tax advice

Verdicts are based on IRS Pub 535 (Business Expenses) and Pub 463 (Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses). Real-world deductibility depends on your usage, documentation, and method (standard mileage vs actual expenses). Verify with a licensed tax pro before claiming anything on a return.

1 of 22
Score: 0
Tap buttons, swipe the card, or use ← → keys.
Your results
— of 22

Nice work. Here's the IRS-aligned breakdown for all 22 expenses.

Important — verify before claiming

These verdicts reflect typical IRS treatment under Pub 535 and Pub 463. Your specific situation (business-use %, recordkeeping, mileage vs actual-expense method) can change the answer. Always confirm with a licensed tax pro before deducting anything on your return.

Check my hustle → Take the swipe again ↺
✓ Nice — that's right.

How Airbnb host deductions actually work

If you rent a property short-term on Airbnb, VRBO, or any platform, the IRS treats it either as passive rental income on Schedule E (most hosts) or a business on Schedule C if you provide substantial services like daily housekeeping, breakfast, or concierge. Most hosts are Schedule E.

The IRS test for any business deduction is whether it's ordinary and necessary. For a host, that usually means: things directly tied to the rental (cleaning, towels, Wi-Fi, listing photos, mortgage interest on the rental portion, utilities, repairs) are deductible. Personal lifestyle expenses while you stay there yourself usually aren't — and personal-use days reduce what you can deduct.

The 14-day rule and personal-use math

If you personally use the property more than 14 days OR 10% of total rental days in the year, it counts as a residence. Deductions get capped at gross rental income — you can't show a tax loss. Track every night you stay there. Also: rentals of fewer than 14 days total in the year are completely tax-free (the "Augusta rule") — you don't even report the income.

For mixed-use properties, you also have to prorate mortgage interest, property tax, utilities, and depreciation by rental days vs personal days. A property you rented 200 days and used personally for 20 days gets a 200/220 = 91% allocation on shared costs.

What this tool isn't

This is an educational swipe — not tax advice. Real deductibility depends on Schedule E vs C classification, your personal-use days, whether your activity hits the "material participation" tests, and whether the STR loophole applies to your situation. Verdicts are based on IRS Pub 527 (Residential Rental Property) and Pub 535 as of 2026. Verify with a licensed tax pro before claiming any deduction.