Why This Tool Exists
If you want a real estate tax strategy to hold up, you cannot backfill the story in March. You need contemporaneous logs.
This tracker is built like an operator tool: simple categories, fast entry, totals that make sense, and an export you can give your advisor.
Hours Tracker (REP + STR)
Fast entry, clean categories, totals that make sense, and a CSV export for your audit folder.
| Category | Hours | Signal |
|---|
How To Use The Tracker
Log your date, property (optional), category, and hours. Add a short note that makes the work legible later.
The tool totals your hours, shows category breakdown, and flags missing context (like lots of hours with no notes).
Export the CSV and store it with receipts, calendars, and supporting documents.
What Counts As Strong Documentation
A strong log is specific: what you did, where you did it, and why it mattered to operations.
A weak log is vague: a pile of hours with no trail. If your log is weak, your CPA inherits your risk.
Treat this like a monthly system, not a year-end event.
Common Failure Modes
Logging big batches of hours on one day without context.
No category mix (everything is just 'management').
No supporting artifacts (emails, invoices, vendor notes, calendar blocks).
Documentation Checklist (Keep It Defensible)
- Create a one-page objective memo before you execute (what outcome you are trying to buy).
- Store your assumptions and calculations in a dated PDF (no year-end reconstructions).
- Keep evidence in the same folder structure every month (receipts, logs, approvals).
- Ask your CPA what would make this easy to sign off on, then build that packet.