Intermediate terms

REI Bookkeeping & Tax Terms Collection

This curated collection highlights key terms that might be helpful when exploring the financial management and tax implications of real estate investing. It serves as a quick reference for commonly referenced concepts related to bookkeeping and tax strategies for landlords, supporting your learning journey.

Learning Path

Adjusted Basis

The adjusted basis is the original cost of an asset, such as real estate, plus the cost of any capital improvements, minus any depreciation deductions and certain other adjustments. It's crucial for calculating taxable gains or losses upon sale.

Intermediate13-14 min

Net Operating Income

Net Operating Income (NOI) is a key real estate metric representing a property's annual income after deducting all operating expenses, but before accounting for debt service, income taxes, and capital expenditures.

Intermediate11-12 min

Passive Activity Loss

Passive Activity Loss (PAL) rules limit the deduction of losses from passive activities, such as most rental real estate, against non-passive income like wages or portfolio earnings. These losses are typically suspended and carried forward until passive income is generated or the activity is disposed of.

Intermediate13-14 min

Depreciation Recapture

Depreciation recapture is an IRS rule that taxes the gain from the sale of depreciated property at ordinary income tax rates, up to the amount of depreciation previously claimed, ensuring tax benefits are accounted for upon sale.

Intermediate15-18 min

Profit and Loss Statement

A financial report summarizing a property's revenues, costs, and expenses over a specific period, typically a quarter or a year, to determine its net profit or loss.

Intermediate5 min

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax is a tax on the profit realized from the sale of a non-inventory asset, such as real estate, calculated as the difference between the selling price and the adjusted cost basis.

Intermediate13-14 min

Balance Sheet

A balance sheet is a financial statement that provides a snapshot of a company's or individual's financial health at a specific point in time, detailing assets, liabilities, and owner's equity.

Intermediate4-5 min

1031 Exchange

A 1031 Exchange allows real estate investors to defer capital gains and depreciation recapture taxes when selling an investment property by reinvesting the proceeds into a new "like-kind" investment property within strict IRS timelines.

Advanced15-18 min

Write-off

A write-off in real estate investing is an expense that can be legally subtracted from your gross income to reduce your taxable income and lower your overall tax burden.

Beginner1-2 min

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses are the ongoing costs of running and maintaining a real estate investment property, excluding mortgage principal and interest payments, and capital expenditures.

Beginner13-14 min

Schedule E

Schedule E is an IRS tax form used by real estate investors to report income and expenses from rental properties, royalties, partnerships, S corporations, estates, and trusts.

Intermediate2-3 min

Gross Potential Income

Gross Potential Income (GPI) is the maximum possible revenue a rental property could generate if all units were fully occupied at market rent, including all other income sources, before accounting for expenses.

Beginner13-14 min

Taxable Income

Taxable income is the portion of an individual's or entity's gross income that is subject to taxation after all allowable deductions, exemptions, and credits have been applied. For real estate investors, it determines the actual income on which taxes are paid.

Intermediate12-13 min

Cost Segregation

Cost Segregation is an IRS-approved tax strategy that reclassifies components of a commercial or residential rental property into shorter depreciation schedules, accelerating tax deductions and boosting immediate cash flow for real estate investors.

Intermediate13-14 min

Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is the systematic recording of all financial transactions related to your real estate investments, including income, expenses, assets, and liabilities, to maintain a clear financial record.

Beginner5 min

Depreciation

Depreciation in real estate is an income tax deduction allowing investors to recover the cost of an income-producing property over its useful life, excluding land value, thereby reducing taxable income.

Intermediate13-14 min

Real Estate Professional Status

Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) is an IRS designation allowing qualifying taxpayers to treat rental real estate activities as non-passive, enabling them to deduct passive losses against non-passive income and potentially reduce their taxable income significantly.

Advanced12-15 min