How to Record Rental Income: Airbnb, VRBO, and Monthly Rent

All rental income in Estavo is recorded as a credit transaction in the Money ledger. Whether it’s a $3,200 Airbnb payout for a 10-night stay, a $1,400 monthly rent check, or a $150 late fee — the process is the same. The unit’s lease type (short-term or long-term) controls which extra fields appear.

Short-Term Rental Income (Airbnb, VRBO, Direct Bookings)

Recording a Booking

Go to Money → Add transaction

Select the unit

Choose the short-term unit this booking belongs to. Only units with lease_type: short_term show booking-specific fields.

Set direction to Credit

Fill in the booking details

Field	What to enter	Required?
Amount	The payout amount you received (after platform fees)	Yes
Date	The date you received the payout	Yes
Category	Typically leave as Other — this is income, not a Schedule E expense	Yes
Check-in date	When the guest arrived	Strongly recommended
Check-out date	When the guest departed	Strongly recommended
Guest name	Guest’s name	Recommended — appears in Today view on check-in day
Platform	Airbnb · VRBO · Direct · Booking.com · HomeAway · Other	Recommended
Description	Optional context: “5-night stay, Memorial Day weekend”	No

Save

The booking appears in your ledger as a credit. If you filled in the check-in date, it also appears in the Today view on that date so you know exactly who’s arriving and where.

Platform Fee Handling

How to Handle Airbnb and VRBO Platform Fees

The cleanest approach for most STR hosts: Record the net payout (what you actually received in your bank account) as the transaction amount. Airbnb and VRBO deduct their service fee before paying you — you never touched the gross booking amount.

Example: Guest pays $1,800 on Airbnb. Airbnb takes $180 (10% service fee) and deposits $1,620 to your account. → Record Credit, $1,620 as the transaction amount.

If you want to track gross revenue and platform fees separately:

Record Credit, $1,800 (gross booking amount)
Record Debit, $180 under category Commissions (IRS Schedule E Line 8 — platform commissions)

Both approaches are acceptable for tax purposes. Talk to your CPA about which they prefer. The gross/net distinction affects your reported income line but not your net profit.

Bulk Entry

Entering Multiple Bookings at Once

If you’re migrating historical Airbnb or VRBO booking data:

Download the CSV transaction template: Money → Import → Download template
Fill in one row per booking with date, unit_name, direction (credit), amount, check_in, check_out, guest_name, platform
Upload and review

See Import from Spreadsheet for the complete column guide and platform slug values.

Check-in date tip: Always fill in the check-in date when recording a short-term booking. It takes 5 seconds and makes the Today view genuinely useful — you’ll see “Guest arriving today: John Smith at Ocean View Suite” instead of an empty check-in section.

Long-Term Rental Income (Monthly Rent)

Go to Money → Add transaction

Select the unit

Choose the long-term rental unit this rent belongs to.

Set direction to Credit

Fill in the rent details

Field	What to enter
Amount	Rent received — the amount that actually cleared your account
Date	Date you received it (not the due date — the received date)
Category	Other (rent income isn’t an expense category)
Description	”March rent – Unit A” or your tenant’s name

Save

Tip for long-term landlords: If a tenant pays late, still record the actual received date (not the due date). This gives you an accurate cash flow picture and helps you identify consistently late payers when you review your ledger.

Recording Other Types of Rental Income

Income type	Direction	Category	Notes
Late fees	Credit	Other	Note in description: “Late fee – March”
Pet fees	Credit	Other
Parking income	Credit	Other
Laundry income	Credit	Other
Move-in fees	Credit	Other
Security deposit received	Credit	Other	See security deposit guidance below
Insurance claim payout (for a repair)	Credit	Other	Note the claim reference in description
Damage deposit forfeited by tenant	Credit	Other	Note the reason in description

Security Deposit Handling

Security deposits are generally held in trust — they’re not income until applied or forfeited. Most landlords handle them one of two ways:

Option A (simple): Don’t record security deposits as transactions at all. Keep them in a separate account and only record when they’re applied to damages or returned.

Option B (track everything): Record the deposit receipt as a credit. Then record an equal offsetting debit (e.g., “Security deposit held in escrow”) to keep your net income accurate. When the deposit is returned, record a debit. If applied to damages, record the repair expense and keep the credit.

Ask your CPA which they prefer — it can vary by state law and how your accountant wants to present your finances.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I record a security deposit in Estavo?

See the security deposit section above. The cleanest approach depends on your CPA’s preference and your state’s security deposit accounting requirements. The simplest: don’t record it in Estavo at all until you apply or return it.

Can I record Airbnb income if I haven’t set up the property yet?

No — income transactions require a unit to attach to. Set up your property and unit first (takes about 5 minutes), then record income. See Add Your First Property.

I receive one monthly Airbnb payout that covers multiple stays. How do I record it?

You have two options: (1) Record the single payout as one credit transaction with the total amount — simpler but you lose individual booking details. (2) Break it out into individual booking transactions matching each stay — more work but gives you guest-level detail in your records. Most active STR hosts prefer option 2 so their Today view shows individual check-ins.

Does Estavo track occupancy rates for vacation rentals?

The current version tracks bookings as credit transactions with check-in and check-out dates. An occupancy rate report (nights booked / nights available) is on the roadmap. For now, you can calculate occupancy from your transaction data in an export.

What platform slug do I use for a booking from my own website?

Use direct for any booking you received outside a third-party platform — your own website, a phone call, a repeat guest who booked directly. The available platform values are: airbnb, vrbo, direct, homeaway, booking_com, other.