Bookkeeping guide
Real estate agent tax bookkeeping: categories to review
Residential sales, leasing, referral fees. If you got a 1099 for this work, here are common categories and review questions; your facts and records determine what qualifies.
Worth knowing
These are common expenses people in this line of work may need to review. Anything marked in orange is an edge case worth raising with a preparer rather than assuming.
Splits, fees & your 1099-NEC
If you're a licensed agent, substantially all your pay is tied to sales rather than hours, and your written contract says you won't be treated as an employee for federal tax purposes, your commissions are generally reported on Schedule C. Wages on a W-2 generally aren't. Check whether your brokerage's 1099-NEC shows the gross commission or only your share after the split and fees. If it shows the gross, record the full amount as income and the split, desk, and transaction fees as commissions and fees; if it shows your net share, don't deduct the split again. Keep your commission statements.
gross vs. net match the 1099
Referral fees & portal leads
Referral fees you receive — often paid through your brokerage — are generally business income. Referral fees you pay, including a lead portal's success fee taken at closing, may generally be commissions and fees, unless your 1099-NEC already shows your pay net of them. Monthly or pay-per-lead portal charges are often recorded as advertising. Keep each referral agreement and the closing or commission statement.
keep agreements in and out
Mileage to showings & closings
Driving between showings, listing appointments, inspections, and closings may be business mileage. Whether trips that start or end at home, including to your brokerage office, are business or commuting depends on whether your home is your principal place of business and whether you have a regular work location — ask your preparer. Keep a timely log of date, destination, purpose, and mileage. With the standard rate, don't also book gas, repairs, or car insurance for that vehicle; business parking and tolls are recorded separately.
$0.70 / mile 2025 rate
MLS & association dues
Local board, state association, NAR, and MLS dues may generally be Schedule C expenses when ordinary and necessary. Lobbying expenses and political contributions usually can't be deducted, so if a dues notice says part of your dues funds lobbying, that part generally isn't deductible, and RPAC or other political contributions aren't either. Record the actual amounts from each invoice and keep the notices.
actual dues less lobbying share
Client & closing gifts
You can generally deduct no more than $25 of business gifts to each person per year. PrivateBooks doesn't apply that cap, so split a larger gift: up to $25 per person here and the rest as Personal (non-business), which stays off Schedule C. Incidental costs like engraving or mailing generally don't count toward the limit, and a gift to a client's family member is generally treated as a gift to the client. Identical items costing $4 or less with your name clearly and permanently imprinted that you widely distribute, like pens, aren't treated as gifts for this limit. Event tickets may be treated as entertainment, which generally isn't deductible. Note each gift's cost, date and recipient.
$25 per recipient per year
Client meals & open houses
A business meal with a client or prospect is generally 50% deductible when you're present and it isn't lavish or extravagant; record the full cost. Entertainment, such as game or concert tickets you attend with a client, generally isn't deductible. Free food and drinks offered to the general public, such as open-house refreshments, may not be subject to the 50% limit — ask your preparer how to record them. Keep receipts showing who attended and the business purpose.
50% limit business meals
License, CE & E&O insurance
License renewal fees, continuing education required to keep your license, and E&O insurance for your business may generally be ordinary and necessary Schedule C expenses. Courses that first qualify you for a license, and costs from before your business started, may be treated differently — ask your preparer. If your brokerage takes E&O or other fees out of your commissions, record them as expenses only when your 1099-NEC shows the gross amount, so nothing is counted twice.
at tax time first-year costs
Common categories PrivateBooks suggests
Pick Real estate agent during guided setup and PrivateBooks shows these categories mapped to Schedule C lines for review — no chart of accounts to invent. The mapping does not establish eligibility, business-use share, or substantiation:
| Category | Schedule C line |
|---|---|
| Broker splits, desk, referral & transaction fees | Line 10 — Commissions and fees |
| Marketing: photos, signs, mailers, portal ads | Line 8 — Advertising |
| MLS & association dues | Line 27b — Other (dues & memberships) |
| Mileage to showings & listings | Line 9 — Car and truck expenses |
| Business parking & tolls | Line 9 — Car and truck expenses (business parking and tolls) |
| E&O and business liability insurance | Line 15 — Insurance (other than health) |
| Real estate license renewal | Line 23 — Taxes and licenses |
| Continuing education courses | Line 27b — Other (education & training) |
| Transaction & CRM software | Line 27b — Other (software & subscriptions) |
| Lockboxes & key access (SentriLock, Supra) | Line 22 — Supplies |
| Client & closing gifts (up to $25 per person) | Line 27b — Other expenses |
| Client meals (50% limit) | Line 24b — Deductible meals |
| Phone & internet (work %) | Line 27b — Other (phone & internet) |
Merchants it recognises automatically
On top of the 584 built-in sorting rules, this pack adds rules for Board Of Realtors, Bright Mls, Crmls, Dotloop, Exp Realty, Homes.Com, Keller Williams, Realtor.Com, Sentrilock, Skyslope, Stellar Mls, Zillow Premier. A matching description gets a suggested bookkeeping category; anything uncertain goes to Review instead of being guessed at. Spot-check every suggestion: a merchant match is not proof of business use, eligibility, allocation, or substantiation.
Do you even have to file?
Net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more generally require Schedule SE, but other filing rules can apply below $400. Whether you received a 1099, also have W-2 wages, had withholding, or need estimated payments depends on the full return. Review the official Schedule SE instructions or ask a qualified preparer instead of treating this bookkeeping guide as a filing decision.
See an optional cash-reserve illustration →
Educational pointers, not tax advice. Tax rules change and your situation is specific — worth asking about at tax time. The free IRS-sponsored VITA program helps people under its income threshold at no cost.