Accounting for real estate agents & brokers.

Quarterly estimates skipped until the underpayment penalty shows up

Commission income arrives in lumps, not even paychecks, which makes it easy to under-withhold all year and discover the gap in April — plus an underpayment penalty that was entirely avoidable with quarterly planning.

Self-employment tax underestimated or missed

1099 commission income carries the full 15.3% self-employment tax on top of income tax, with no employer covering half. Agents budgeting off gross commission checks are routinely surprised by what’s actually left after tax.

Deductions left unclaimed because nobody asked the right questions

MLS dues, mileage between showings, marketing and staging costs, and home office expenses are routinely under-claimed — not because agents are hiding them, but because a generalist CPA never asked what a year in this business actually looks like.

Quarterly estimated tax planning

Estimates built around your actual commission pipeline and closings, so April is a confirmation instead of a surprise bill.

S-corp election timing

We evaluate when an S-corp election starts saving real self-employment tax for your commission level, and handle the tax election — entity formation itself stays with your attorney.

Deduction review specific to agents & brokers

MLS and association dues, mileage between showings, marketing and staging spend, and home office expenses reviewed and claimed properly, not guessed at.

Brokerage & team structuring

For brokers building a team or splitting commissions with agents, we structure the books so every split, referral fee, and override is tracked cleanly.

MLS & association dues

Annual and monthly membership fees are fully deductible, yet frequently left off the return entirely.

Mileage between showings

Driving between listings, showings, and client meetings adds up fast — logged mileage or actual expense, tracked consistently.

Marketing & staging costs

Listing photography, signage, open-house spend, and staging fees are ordinary business expenses, not personal costs.

Home office

A space used regularly and exclusively for the business qualifies — even a dedicated corner of a room, calculated correctly.