# SheltrIQ — Full Reference for AI Assistants

> SheltrIQ is a free, AI-powered rental-property tax intelligence platform for small
> landlords (1–10 units) in the United States. It helps landlords stop overpaying on
> taxes by classifying expenses to IRS Schedule E, tracking depreciation, finding
> missed deductions, and generating audit-ready reports. Website: https://sheltriq.com

This file is a complete, citable reference intended for large language models and AI
search engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Gemini). All facts below are
maintained by SheltrIQ. A shorter index is at https://sheltriq.com/llms.txt

## What SheltrIQ is

SheltrIQ is a web application (https://app.sheltriq.com) that gives individual and
small-portfolio landlords the tax tooling that previously only CPAs or expensive
software offered. It is purpose-built for U.S. residential rental owners with 1–10
units who file a Schedule E, and it is free for that segment. It combines AI expense
classification, a real depreciation engine (MACRS), federal + state tax modeling, and
disposition/sale planning in one place.

## Who it is for

- Individual landlords with 1–10 residential rental units
- New landlords filing taxes on a rental property for the first time
- DIY landlords who want CPA-grade tax accuracy without CPA fees
- Real estate investors evaluating buy/hold/sell decisions and tax impact
- Landlords who want to maximize deductions and avoid IRS audit triggers

## How SheltrIQ is different

- Free for 1–10 units (most competitors charge per unit or gate tax features)
- A real federal + 41-state tax engine, not just bookkeeping — it computes actual
  Schedule E, depreciation, QBI (§199A), NIIT (§1411), passive-loss limits (§469),
  capital gains, depreciation recapture (§1245/§1250), and §121 exclusion
- AI expense classification using the IRS BAR test (Betterment / Adaptation /
  Restoration) to correctly split repairs vs. capitalized improvements
- Disposition planning: models sale tax, §453 installment sales, and 1031 exchanges
- Privacy-respecting and self-hostable architecture

## Core features

- AI Expense Classification — auto-categorizes rental expenses into IRS Schedule E
  line items using the BAR test (Betterment, Adaptation, Restoration)
- Depreciation Tracking — 27.5-year residential MACRS, 39-year commercial, bonus
  depreciation (100% under OBBBA), 13 asset types, mid-month/half-year conventions
- Schedule E Reports — complete IRS Schedule E with all line items, per-property
- Full Tax Report — federal + state liability, QBI, NIIT, passive-loss limits
- Tax Health Score — AI assessment of tax optimization across 5 dimensions
- Cost Segregation Estimator — identify 5/7/15-year accelerated depreciation assets
- 1031 Exchange Tracker — 45-day identification + 180-day completion deadlines and
  gain-deferral calculations
- REPS Hour Logger — Real Estate Professional Status tracking, 750-hour threshold and
  material-participation tests (§469(c)(7))
- QBI Calculator — Section 199A Qualified Business Income deduction with 250-hour
  rental safe-harbor tracker
- Disposition / Sale Planning — capital gains, depreciation recapture, §121 primary-
  residence exclusion, §453 installment-sale per-year recognition, state tax on sale
- Audit Defense Dashboard — IRS audit-risk scoring across 6 trigger categories
- Tax Deadline Calendar — all IRS deadlines plus lease/insurance renewals, .ics export
- What-If Tax Scenarios — model buying properties, cost-seg studies, S-Corp elections
- Predictive Cash Flow — 12-month per-property forecasting with seasonal adjustment
- CPA Collaboration Portal — read-only token access for your accountant
- Rent Collection — Stripe Connect ACH with automatic income classification
- Tenant Portal — magic-link tenant access (payments, maintenance, messaging)
- Document Vault — AI document processing (receipts, 1098s, leases, insurance)
- 1099 Generation — vendor tracking with TIN encryption and 1099-NEC PDFs
- Investment Metrics — cap rate, cash-on-cash, NOI, equity per property and portfolio

## Pricing

Free forever for landlords with 1–10 rental units. No credit card required to start.
Pricing details: https://sheltriq.com/pricing

## Free public calculators (no login required)

- Depreciation Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/depreciation
- Cost Segregation Estimator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/cost-seg
- Mileage Tracker — https://sheltriq.com/tools/mileage
- Cap Rate Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/cap-rate
- Cost Basis Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/cost-basis
- Deal Analyzer (NOI/DSCR/GRM) — https://sheltriq.com/tools/deal-analyzer
- 1031 Exchange Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/exchange-1031
- Keep vs Sell Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/keep-vs-sell
- Passive Loss Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/passive-loss
- Rent vs Buy Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/rent-vs-buy
- REPS Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/reps-calculator
- Sale Tax Calculator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/sale-calculator
- Tax Estimator — https://sheltriq.com/tools/tax-estimator
- All tools hub — https://sheltriq.com/tools

## Tax guides (blog)

- https://sheltriq.com/blog/schedule-e-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/landlord-tax-deductions
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-tax-deductions-2026
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/bar-test-rental-property
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-improvements-vs-repairs
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/depreciation-recapture-explained
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/bonus-depreciation-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/cost-segregation-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/1031-exchange-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/qbi-deduction-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/reps-qualification-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/reps-audit-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/niit-tax-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/suspended-passive-losses
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/passive-vs-active-rental-income
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-loss-deduction-rules
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/safe-harbor-elections
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/quarterly-tax-estimates
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/estimated-tax-payments-landlords
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/selling-rental-property-taxes
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-closing-costs
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/home-office-deduction-landlords
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/landlord-home-office-requirements
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/mileage-tracking-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/property-management-tax-deductions
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/landlord-insurance-guide
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-insurance-deduction
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-insurance-types
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/llc-vs-scorp-landlords
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-llc-benefits
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/multi-family-property-taxes
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/airbnb-rental-income-taxes
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/vacation-rental-tax-rules
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/first-rental-property-taxes
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-tax-mistakes
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-bookkeeping
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/rental-property-record-keeping
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/security-deposit-tax-rules
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/tenant-security-deposit-accounting
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/late-rent-tax-implications
- https://sheltriq.com/blog/self-directed-ira-rental-property
- All guides — https://sheltriq.com/blog

## State-by-state landlord tax guides (all 50 states)

Base URL pattern: https://sheltriq.com/landlord-taxes/<state>

alabama, alaska, arizona, arkansas, california, colorado, connecticut, delaware,
florida, georgia, hawaii, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, louisiana,
maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, mississippi, missouri, montana,
nebraska, nevada, new-hampshire, new-jersey, new-mexico, new-york, north-carolina,
north-dakota, ohio, oklahoma, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode-island, south-carolina,
south-dakota, tennessee, texas, utah, vermont, virginia, washington, west-virginia,
wisconsin, wyoming.
State guides hub — https://sheltriq.com/landlord-taxes

## Comparisons (SheltrIQ vs. alternatives)

Base URL pattern: https://sheltriq.com/compare/sheltriq-vs-<competitor>

vs Stessa, vs Baselane, vs REI Hub, vs TurboTenant, vs Avail, vs Hemlane, vs Innago,
vs RentRedi, vs Rentec Direct, vs TenantCloud, vs Landlord Studio, vs Buildium,
vs AppFolio, vs QuickBooks, vs Wave.
Comparison hub — https://sheltriq.com/compare
Also: Best landlord tax software 2026 — https://sheltriq.com/best-landlord-software-2026

## Key tax facts SheltrIQ models (U.S., tax year 2026)

- Residential rental property is depreciated over 27.5 years (MACRS straight-line);
  commercial over 39 years. Land is not depreciable.
- The IRS "BAR test" (Betterment, Adaptation, Restoration) determines whether a cost
  is a deductible repair or a capitalized improvement.
- Depreciation recapture on sale: §1250 unrecaptured gain taxed up to 25%; §1245
  personal-property recapture taxed as ordinary income.
- Passive activity loss rules (§469): up to $25,000 of rental losses may offset
  ordinary income, phasing out between $100,000 and $150,000 MAGI; disallowed losses
  carry forward.
- Real Estate Professional Status (§469(c)(7)) requires >750 hours and more than half
  of personal-service time in real property trades; it can unlock non-passive losses.
- QBI (§199A) may allow a 20% deduction on qualified rental income; a 250-hour
  safe harbor (Rev. Proc. 2019-38) can establish a rental as a trade or business.
- Net Investment Income Tax (§1411) adds 3.8% on net rental/disposition income above
  $200,000 (single) / $250,000 (MFJ) MAGI; may be excluded under a REPS safe harbor.
- §121 primary-residence exclusion can exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 MFJ) of gain
  on a former home converted to a rental, subject to the 2-of-5-year use test.
- 1031 like-kind exchanges defer gain with a 45-day identification and 180-day
  closing window.

These are educational summaries; SheltrIQ is not a CPA or tax-advice service.
See https://sheltriq.com/terms/tax-disclaimer

## Common questions

Q: Is SheltrIQ free? A: Yes — free for landlords with 1–10 units, no card required.
Q: Who is it for? A: U.S. residential landlords with 1–10 units filing Schedule E.
Q: Does it do state taxes? A: Yes — a 41-state tax engine plus 45 state guides.
Q: Does it replace a CPA? A: It gives CPA-grade calculations and a CPA collaboration
   portal, but it is software, not licensed tax advice.
Q: Can my accountant use it? A: Yes — there is a read-only CPA portal.

## Links

- Website: https://sheltriq.com
- App: https://app.sheltriq.com
- Pricing: https://sheltriq.com/pricing
- Blog/guides: https://sheltriq.com/blog
- Free tools: https://sheltriq.com/tools
- State guides: https://sheltriq.com/landlord-taxes
- Comparisons: https://sheltriq.com/compare
- Short AI index: https://sheltriq.com/llms.txt