First time STR setup question - FIRST LISTINGS AIRBNB, VRBO

[Keith Kotsch]

Hi all,

Scenario: 

One spouse is W2 earner, other spouse non W2. Married filling jointly (Tax strategy STR and non W2 earner materially participating to offset W2 income)

Specific Question:  Which spouse needs to be the ACCOUNT HOLDER for ARBNB and other sites?

Any others in this exact situation?
What have your tax professional suggested?

Many thanks in advance !

Keith

[Kevin Aumack]

Quote from @Keith Kotsch:

Hi all,

Scenario: 

One spouse is W2 earner, other spouse non W2. Married filling jointly (Tax strategy STR and non W2 earner materially participating to offset W2 income)

Specific Question:  Which spouse needs to be the ACCOUNT HOLDER for ARBNB and other sites?

Any others in this exact situation?
What have your tax professional suggested?

Many thanks in advance !

Keith

Hi Keith,

Great question! This comes up a lot when trying to use short-term rental (STR) losses to offset W2 income.

While the IRS focuses more on who is actually doing the work (guest communication, cleaning coordination, pricing decisions, etc.) rather than whose name is on the account, having the materially participating spouse—in this case, the non-W2 spouse—listed as the host on Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar platforms can help strengthen your position if it’s ever questioned.

It makes the documentation cleaner and supports the story that this spouse is truly running the business.

Every situation has its own details, so it’s smart to confirm with a tax pro familiar with your setup.

Hope this helps!