Built-in Timer
Can’t remember how long that repair took? Start the timer when work begins. Stop, review the elapsed time, and save it against the right property instead of estimating later.
MATERIAL PARTICIPATION RECORDS FOR STR & LTR OWNERS
Save Thousands in Taxes by Proving Material Participation
When your CPA asks what you did for your rentals, don’t rely on memory. PropHours helps you log STR and LTR work as it happens, track hours by property, and keep receipts with your activities—so your material participation review starts with records, not guesswork.
For guest calls, repairs, inspections, bookkeeping, and the work between visits.
HOURS ORGANIZED BY PROPERTY01 / OVERVIEW
PropHours Your workspaceA LITTLE EVERY DAY
Room for your work.
PROGRESS2026 ↗
24.5hours
The Palm House
24.5 of 100 hours
Your annual goal◎Voice⌗Scan◷Timer
Recent activity
↗BookkeepingThe Palm House
45mProperty inspectionThe Palm House
30m The activity, the property, and the time—in one record.Illustrative app preview · Example data
CAPTURE HOURS BEFORE YOU FORGETKEEP RECEIPTS WITH THE WORKEXPORT RECORDS FOR YOUR CPA
BUILT FOR REAL ESTATE INVESTORS
Stop piecing together
your rental work history.
A call in your phone history. A receipt in your camera roll. Hours in a spreadsheet. Bring the work and its supporting details together in a property activity log.
ChatGPT-Assisted Logging
Don’t put off logging because you don’t want to fill out a form. Tell a connected ChatGPT assistant what you did, then confirm the property, date, and actual minutes before it saves the entry.
Voice Input
Finished a property visit with no time to type? Dictate what you did while the details are fresh, then review the text and add the property and duration before saving.
Evidence Attachments
A receipt is harder to use when you can’t connect it to the work. Attach photos, receipts, or files to the relevant activity so the date, task, and supporting record stay together.
Goal Tracking
Unsure how many hours you have recorded for each rental? See year-to-date totals and progress toward your personal annual goals without adding up separate logs.
Export Reports
When your CPA asks for your activity history, skip the spreadsheet rebuild. Review records by property, category, and date range, then export a report to share.
Personal tracking goals are not IRS qualification tests. Recorded hours alone do not establish material participation or eligibility for rental loss deductions. Consult your CPA or tax professional. ChatGPT logging requires a custom connection; a public directory listing is not yet available.
YOUR PROPERTY ACTIVITY LOG
What did you do?
When? How long?
Log asyou go.
01Choose a propertyKeep one rental’s work separate from another’s.
02Record the actual workSave the task, date, and actual minutes.
03Add the supporting detailsKeep notes and attachments with the activity.
AVOID THE YEAR-END RECONSTRUCTION
Don’t rebuild a year
of work from memory.
Guest calls, contractor coordination, inspections, and bookkeeping can be easy to forget once the day is over. Record each activity near the time you do it, with the property and actual duration.
For work you repeat, save a template and reuse the details next time. Review and adjust each new entry to reflect what actually happened. Later, find the records by property, category, or date instead of searching through messages.
See how to review and export recordsPropHours is for informational and record-keeping purposes only. It does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Recorded hours and personal goals do not establish IRS material participation or eligibility to deduct rental losses against active income. Consult your CPA or tax professional about your circumstances, potential tax savings, and applicable requirements.
FEWER GAPS IN YOUR PROPERTY RECORDS
Less searching.
More context.
Use calendars to revisit dates, ask questions about your saved work, and restore synced records when you change phones.
Find the dates behind the work.
Trying to recall which stay a turnover related to? Import selected iOS or Google calendars and booking iCal feeds for date context. Record your actual work separately; a stay does not establish hours worked.
Calendar access is optionalAsk your log, not your memory.
“How much time did I log at this property last month?” Connect ChatGPT or another compatible assistant to query saved activities, check goal progress, and add work you confirm. Assistant-created entries are marked in your log.
Read the connection guide ↗Custom connection available. A public ChatGPT directory listing is not yet available; account and workspace requirements apply.
Changing phones? Keep your log.
Your property history shouldn’t depend on keeping one phone. Let your records sync, then sign in with the same PropHours account on your next device to restore them.
How we handle your data ↗FAQ
Common questions about STR logs and material participation
What is the STR tax loophole?
The phrase describes a rental tax strategy, not an automatic exemption. Whether losses can offset other income depends on the activity, your participation, and other tax limits. Review your circumstances with a CPA.
What is the 750-hour rule for real estate?
Real estate professional status generally requires more than 750 hours in qualifying real property trades or businesses and more than half of your personal service time in those businesses. Material participation in rental activities is a separate requirement.
How many hours do I need for material participation?
The IRS has seven tests. Two include working more than 500 hours, or more than 100 hours and at least as much as any other individual. A 100-hour total alone does not establish eligibility.
Why keep contemporaneous records of rental work?
Logging near the time you work helps preserve details that are easy to forget: the date, property, task, and actual time spent. Keep supporting documents with the entry so you can explain the work later.
What should a material participation log include?
Record the date, property, activity description, and actual duration. Add useful context and supporting receipts, photos, documents, or calendar references when available. Only record work you actually performed.
Do Airbnb hosts need to prove material participation?
If average customer use is seven days or less, an activity generally falls outside the passive-activity rental definition. Material participation can then affect its tax treatment. Other deduction limits still apply; hosting on Airbnb alone does not qualify you.
Can PropHours help track short-term rental hours?
Yes. Log STR and LTR activities with a timer or manual entry, organize them by property and category, attach evidence, and track annual hours. Export your activity history to review with your CPA. PropHours records your work; it does not determine tax eligibility.
Does PropHours guarantee tax savings?
No. Savings depend on your facts, eligibility, income, and applicable tax rules. PropHours provides record-keeping tools, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a qualified tax professional before taking a filing position.
Tax background: IRS Publication 925. General information only; consult your tax adviser about your circumstances.
STR HOURS · MATERIAL PARTICIPATION · SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
Track your STR hours.
Document your participation.
Log the work you do for each short-term rental, record your actual hours, and keep receipts and photos with each activity. Build a contemporaneous record for your material participation review.
Ask about STR hour trackingOrganized hours and evidence, ready to review with your CPA.