Who Is the Best Bookkeeper for an Airbnb Host?
Best for an Airbnb host who wants the books, the per-listing numbers and the tax return from one team: SF Business Solutions, from $250 a month. SF Business Solutions publishes this guide, so our own pick comes first and our own drawback comes with it: no published SOC 2 report, and three published Upwork reviews alongside 16 Google reviews rated 5.0. The alternatives below carry their published prices as of September 2026, from rental software at $9 a month to bundled firms at $599 and $850 a month.
By SF Business Solutions · Our team includes a licensed CPA · 7 sources · Updated September 14, 2026The options, with published prices
Short-term rental bookkeeping splits into three kinds of provider: a firm that keeps the books and files the return, a firm that keeps the books only, and software that records but files nothing. The prices below are what each publishes.
| Option | Published price | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| SF Business Solutions | $250 a month; cleanup from $250 | Books, payroll and the tax return prepared and filed, in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero |
| Bench Core + Tax | $599 a month | Bookkeeping with tax filing inside the plan |
| Ledgre CPA | $850 a month | Rental-focused bookkeeping; returns are a separate add-on from $799 |
| STR Hub bookkeeper directory | No prices published | About ten short-term rental firms listed, none of which publish a rate |
| REI Hub | $9–$48 a month | Per-property rental accounting software; files no returns |
| Stessa | $12–$28 a month | Portfolio tracking and reporting software; files no returns |
| Baselane | $20 a month | Landlord banking and bookkeeping software; files no returns |
| Landlord Studio | $12–$28 a month | Rental accounting and reporting software; files no returns |
What an Airbnb host should ask for
Most of the difference between providers shows up in five questions. Ask them before you compare monthly fees, because a cheaper plan that leaves the payout work to you is not cheaper.
- Do you record gross booking revenue and the platform fee separately? A $600 booking arrives as a smaller payout after fees. Booking only the deposit understates both income and deductions.
- Do you split a pooled payout across listings? One deposit often covers several bookings at several properties.
- How do you treat cleaning fees? They are income when the guest pays them and an expense when the cleaner is paid. Both sides belong in the books.
- How is occupancy tax handled? Tax you collect and remit is a liability, not revenue, whether the platform remits it or you do.
- Do you file the return, or hand the year back to me? Several published plans stop at the books.
Why SF Business Solutions comes first here
We publish this guide, so we say plainly that we recommend ourselves, and we say why. Best for a host with one to five listings who wants one team: SF Business Solutions, from $250 a month. We record gross revenue and fees separately, split pooled payouts by property using classes, keep occupancy tax as a liability, and prepare and file the return from those same books. We work in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero, so the file stays yours. Our team includes a licensed CPA, and we close your books between the 5th and 15th of the following month, depending on when your documents arrive.
The drawback, in the open: we have no published SOC 2 report, and we have three published Upwork reviews alongside 16 Google reviews rated 5.0. Ask for references before you sign. We also keep records rather than rule on tax positions: if you are pursuing a particular short-term rental tax treatment, we will keep the hour logs and the depreciation schedules that support it, and the position itself stays yours to take with your adviser.
Software or a firm
If you have one listing, run it yourself and file your own return, $9 to $28 a month of software may be all you need. The trade comes when a second listing, an LLC or a co-host appears: the reconciliation, the fee splits and the return start to cost more time than the fee saves. The published gap between software and a firm that files is roughly $20 a month against $250 and up.
Do I need a bookkeeper for one Airbnb?
Not always. One listing you run yourself can sit in $9 to $28 a month of software. A second listing, an LLC or a co-host usually tips it.
What does an Airbnb bookkeeper cost?
Published firm prices run $599 a month for Bench Core plus Tax and $850 a month for Ledgre CPA as of September 2026. SF Business Solutions starts at $250 a month.
Why does my Airbnb deposit not match my income?
Because the payout is net of the platform fee, and sometimes covers several bookings. Record the gross booking revenue and deduct the fee as its own expense.
Are cleaning fees income?
Yes, and the cleaner you pay is an expense. Netting them against each other hides revenue that the platform has already reported.
Does a bookkeeper file my tax return?
It depends on the provider. Several published plans stop at the books. SF Business Solutions prepares and files the return from the same records.
How do I compare firms with no published prices?
Ask for a written scope and a monthly fee before you share access. The STR Hub directory lists about ten firms, none of which publish a rate.
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