Bookkeeping Service in Kissimmee, FL
For Kissimmee owners, including those renting property short term, who want the books to show what the business actually kept.
- Bookkeeping & accounting
- Accurate & organized
- Work directly with the owner
- Call, email or WhatsApp
Collected is not the same as earned
A booking pays out, the money lands in the account, and it feels like income. Part of it is. Part of it is tax that belongs to the county and the state, and part of it may already have gone to the booking platform as a fee. When all of that is recorded as one deposit, the books overstate what the rental earned and understate what the business owes.
JE Ledger is a bookkeeping service for small businesses in Kissimmee, run by Javier Echevarria. The work is keeping those pieces apart, reconciling every account against its statement, and closing each month so the figures reflect what the business really kept.
Tourist development tax in Osceola County
The Osceola County Tax Collector administers a 6% tourist development tax on the total rental amount for short-term rentals, which its page describes as rentals of less than 180 days. The same page says the county is not contracted with Airbnb, VRBO or other booking platforms, and that collecting and remitting the tax is the responsibility of property owners and agents. Separately, the Florida Department of Revenue applies the 6% state sales tax, plus any local surtax, to rentals of six months or less.
For the books, that means recording each booking at its gross amount, the platform fee as an expense, and the taxes collected as liabilities until they are paid over. Then each tax account should reconcile against the return that paid it. If a liability account keeps growing, something was collected and never remitted.
Inside city limits, or not
A Kissimmee mailing address does not settle which government you deal with. The City of Kissimmee points out that an address may say Kissimmee while sitting in unincorporated Osceola County, where business tax receipts are handled by the county alone. Inside city limits, every business needs both a City of Kissimmee receipt and an Osceola County receipt, and the city process includes approvals and inspections before the receipt is issued.
The Osceola County Tax Collector requires its local business tax receipt of anyone providing merchandise or services in the county, including sole proprietors and home-based businesses. Both receipts renew by September 30 each year under section 205.053 of the Florida Statutes.
Reading a year with busy and quiet months
If bookings or sales swing through the year, monthly books show the pattern clearly: which months carry the rest, how much the quiet months cost to run, and how much cash needs to be held back in the good months. That picture only exists if each month is closed on time.
Business bookkeeping keeps those months current. When the question becomes how much to hold in reserve, or whether to add a property, financial consultation works through it with your own figures.
How should a Kissimmee short-term rental owner handle tourist tax in the books?
Record each booking at its gross amount, the platform fee as an expense, and the Osceola County tourist development tax and Florida sales tax collected as liabilities, not income, until they are paid to the Osceola County Tax Collector and the Florida Department of Revenue. Then reconcile each tax account against the return that paid it. Osceola County says collecting and remitting its tax is the owner's or agent's responsibility. JE Ledger is a bookkeeping service for small businesses in Kissimmee. Call (305) 748-1367.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Kissimmee Bookkeeping FAQs
Does Osceola County collect tourist tax through Airbnb or VRBO?
According to the Osceola County Tax Collector, the county is not contracted with Airbnb, VRBO or other booking platforms, and collecting and remitting its 6% tourist development tax is the responsibility of property owners and agents.
Is the tax I collect from guests part of my income?
No. Tax collected from guests is money held for the county and the state. It belongs on the balance sheet as a liability until it is paid, and recording it as income overstates what the rental earned.
Do I need a City of Kissimmee business tax receipt?
Only if the business is inside city limits. The City of Kissimmee says a Kissimmee address can sit in unincorporated Osceola County, where only a county receipt may be needed. Inside the city, you need both.
How do we work together?
Directly with Javier Echevarria, by phone or text at (305) 748-1367, by email at [email protected], or on WhatsApp, Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
What does bookkeeping cost for a rental or small business in Kissimmee?
It depends on the number of properties or accounts, the volume of bookings or transactions, and the state of the current records. Call (305) 748-1367 and describe your setup.
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Where to Next
Keep reading, or get in touch and tell us where the books stand.