Guides

Short notes that match the books. Not tax advice. Your CPA files.

Schedule E download for DIY landlords

What a Schedule E Part I file looks like: one column per property, rents on line 3, ordinary expenses on lines 5–19. What RentLedger.pro downloads for your CPA — and what it does not.

Schedule E software: included vs a paid add-on

Stessa and Landlord Studio put Schedule E on a paid plan. RentLedger includes the download with the books. We do not e-file or compute depreciation.

Rental property bookkeeping

Cash books by door for DIY landlords: tag each rent and expense to a property, keep deposits off income, reconcile without a bank login.

Landlord spreadsheet vs books by door

A spreadsheet works until April. Books tagged to each door give your CPA a Schedule E column without re-sorting the year.

Who hasn’t paid rent

Due and overdue from rent you already recorded. Copy a reminder. Not a tenant portal and not ACH collection.

Security deposits are not rental income

A refundable deposit should stay off Schedule E line 3 while you hold it. How the books keep it separate.

Rental property accounting software

What DIY landlords actually need: books by door, a Schedule E worksheet, and a CSV. What RentLedger is — and is not.

Rental expense tracker

Tag each expense to a door and a Schedule E line. No bank feed. Cash books you typed.

Stessa Schedule E vs RentLedger

Stessa’s Schedule E / tax package is on a paid plan. RentLedger includes a Schedule E Part I download with the books. No bank login. Not e-file.

QuickBooks and rental property books

You can export a QuickBooks 3-column CSV from RentLedger. We do not replace QuickBooks payroll or double-entry for a bigger firm.

Rental tax questions to take to your CPA

Schedule E lines, repairs vs improvements, depreciation, the 1098, mileage, QBI, and passive-loss rules — IRS pages to read, not a deduction we compute.