Hi Ben, I run an accounting firm with a fair number of clients in the Airbnb/STR space. If you want to keep your finances on an accrual basis, I recommend starting with a solid accounting system like QuickBooks (https://quickbooks.intuit.com/) or Xero (https://xero.com/). Both support proper accrual accounting, financial reporting, and are widely used in the short-term rental industry.
To automate the Airbnb side of things, consider using Tallybreeze (https://www.tallybreeze.com/). It's designed specifically for Airbnb and Vrbo operators and integrates directly with both QuickBooks and Xero. Tallybreeze imports each reservation with its true accrual detail.. including earnings, Airbnb fees, taxes, and adjustments.. rather than just syncing net payouts. It also gives you full control over data flow (you can undo or redo imports), and it adapts to any business model, whether you're managing your own units, co-hosting, or handling multiple owners. It keeps your accounting platform as the central source of truth, which is essential for clean, accurate accrual reporting.
For property management operations, Guesty (https://guesty.com/) is a strong PMS option. It centralizes your calendars, guest communication, and operations while integrating well with external accounting tools.
To round things out, Hubdoc (https://www.hubdoc.com/) is great for capturing and organizing receipts. You can forward or scan receipts, and Hubdoc will automatically categorize and sync them into your accounting software.
With the above stack, you'll have an automated workflow that supports true accrual accounting and keeps your financials clean and audit-ready year-round.
This is my take from an accountant standpoint. Cheers!
