The STR Ledger.

Launching soon · Kindle + paperback

The $50,000 Deduction.

47 Write-Offs Every STR Host Should Be Claiming

Amanda owned three cabins in the Smokies for four years before her new CPA flagged it. Cost segregation. Furniture, fixtures, landscaping — depreciated separately from the building. She amended four years of returns and reclaimed $8,427 she had been spreading over 27.5 years. That is one of the 47 deductions in this book.

Kindle $2.99 · Paperback $24.99 · Reader code STRBOOK30 drops the companion Tax Season Bundle from $147 to $117 for 90 days after purchase.

The $50,000 Deduction — 47 Write-Offs Every STR Host Should Be Claiming. Cover art: a lit cabin at dusk in a snowy forest.

What's inside

  • The $8,427 cost-seg play (§168(k)) — DIY cost segregation on STR properties under ~$500K.
  • Schedule E vs. Schedule C — the 7-day and 30-day tests that decide which form you file.
  • Bonus depreciation under §168(k) stacked with §179 on furniture and appliances.
  • The Augusta Rule (§280A) — 14 days of tax-free rent from your own STR LLC.
  • The mileage deduction that survived an IRS audit at the IRS standard rate.
  • 1099-NEC thresholds — when you must file for cleaners, handymen, and landscapers.
  • Home office allocation — square-footage method vs. simplified, with the calculation worked.
  • Per-diem meals on property runs — the IRS standard rate, the 50% rule, the receipts.
  • Start-up costs (§195) — the $5,000 first-year deduction most second-year hosts forget.
  • The 12 deductions QuickBooks routinely miscategorizes — and the right Schedule E line for each.

FAQ

When does the book launch?
The book is finished — all 17 chapters, the cover, interior typesetting, and CPA review are complete. The only remaining step is the Amazon Kindle + paperback listing, which is in final setup. Enter your email and we will notify you the day it goes live.
What does the book cover?
The 47 deductions Schedule E short-term rental filers most commonly miss. Cost segregation under §168(k), the Augusta Rule under §280A, the 1099-NEC $600 trigger, home-office allocation, mileage at the standard rate, the de minimis safe harbor, and 41 more — each tied to the Schedule E line it belongs on.
Who is it for?
Hosts running 1–10 short-term rentals as a real business. If you have ever finished a tax season thinking you left money on the table but did not know where, the book is the line-by-line walk-through.
How does it relate to the workbooks?
The book is the map. The workbooks (TAX-001 mileage log, TAX-004 Schedule E prep, TAX-010 cost-seg DIY, and the rest of the Tax Season Bundle) are the spreadsheets that capture the deductions chapter by chapter. Reader code STRBOOK30 takes the bundle from $147 to $117.
Is this tax advice?
No. It is general information about US federal tax law as it applies to short-term rentals. State law varies, facts and circumstances vary. Run any specific position past a qualified tax professional before filing a return based on the book.

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