How long should I keep records for my short-term rental taxes?
It depends on where you file: usually 3 years in the US, 5 in Australia and for UK self-employed records, 6 in Canada and Ireland, and at least 7 in New Zealand, each counted from a set date. Keep records of buying and improving the property until years after you sell it.
By StayPerk Team · Last checked · Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com details checked against the sources below
What to keep, and how
- Each booking site's yearly earnings report, with gross earnings and fees, not just payouts.
- Receipts and invoices for every cost, filed by property and year.
- Bank statements for the account the payouts reach.
- Records of buying the property and of improvements, kept until well after you sell.
- One folder per year, digital copies included, so a question from the tax office takes minutes to answer.
How long, by country
| Country | How long | Counted from | Tax authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 years in the usual case; 6 if you leave out more than a quarter of your income; property records until the period for the year you sell has ended | Usually the date you filed the return | |
| Canada | 6 years | The end of the last tax year the records relate to | |
| United Kingdom | At least 5 years for self-employed business records; ask HMRC or your accountant how this applies to your property income | The 31 January submission deadline for that tax year | |
| Ireland | 6 years | The date of the transaction | |
| Australia | 5 years | 31 October, or the date you lodge if later; longer for property you still own | |
| New Zealand | At least 7 tax years | The end of the income year the records relate to |
Record-keeping periods from each tax authority's own pages, checked October 29, 2026
United States
- How long
- 3 years in the usual case; 6 if you leave out more than a quarter of your income; property records until the period for the year you sell has ended
- Counted from
- Usually the date you filed the return
- Tax authority
Canada
- How long
- 6 years
- Counted from
- The end of the last tax year the records relate to
- Tax authority
United Kingdom
- How long
- At least 5 years for self-employed business records; ask HMRC or your accountant how this applies to your property income
- Counted from
- The 31 January submission deadline for that tax year
- Tax authority
Ireland
- How long
- 6 years
- Counted from
- The date of the transaction
- Tax authority
Australia
- How long
- 5 years
- Counted from
- 31 October, or the date you lodge if later; longer for property you still own
- Tax authority
New Zealand
- How long
- At least 7 tax years
- Counted from
- The end of the income year the records relate to
- Tax authority
General information, not tax advice. Longer periods apply if the tax office is looking into a year, and to some assets; ask your accountant what applies to you.
On Airbnb, download the year's earnings report from Earnings with Get report, and keep the CSV with that year's records. It shows gross earnings, the host service fee and taxes withheld for each booking.
Keep a year's records in one place
Sample StayPerk Books for a year, from made-up data: income imported from the Airbnb earnings CSV, expenses by property and category, and the year's export for an accountant.
What StayPerk does here
StayPerk Books keeps income and expenses for each property, one year at a time, and exports the rows and a profit and loss summary for your accountant. It's free.
It doesn't file returns or give tax advice, and you still keep your own copies of receipts.
Frequently asked questions
Do digital copies of receipts count?
Usually, if they are complete and readable, but each tax authority sets its own rules. New Zealand's Inland Revenue, for example, asks for approval before records are stored outside the country.
Do I keep records for each property separately?
Keep them so you can tell which property each one belongs to. That makes each property's profit clear and helps if you sell one.
Still have a question?
Write to us and a person will reply, or look it up in the Help Center.
Sources
- How long should I keep records? - IRS
- Where to keep your records, for how long and how to request permission to destroy them early - Canada Revenue Agency
- Business records if you're self-employed: how long to keep your records - GOV.UK
- Keeping records - Revenue (Ireland)
- Records for rental properties and holiday homes - Australian Taxation Office
- Record keeping - Inland Revenue (New Zealand)
- Export your earnings to a CSV file - Airbnb Help Center