Published June 14, 2026 · 7 min read

Everything HourProof Does: Web & Mobile Features for Tracking Material Participation

Proving material participation comes down to one thing: a detailed, contemporaneous record of the work you did on your rentals. HourProof is built to make that record effortless to create and easy to defend — and it now runs everywhere you do. Here is a full tour of what the app can do.

One account, every device

HourProof is available on iOS, Android, and the web. Sign in once with Google, Apple, or email and your activities, properties, evidence, and progress stay in sync across phone, tablet, and browser. Log a quick note on your phone between turnovers, then sit down at your laptop to review the month and export for your CPA — it is all the same data.

Four ways to log an activity

The fastest record is the one you actually make. HourProof gives you four ways to capture a participation entry so there is no excuse to fall behind:

• Manual entry: The classic form — date, property, category, duration, and a description. Precise and always available.
• Type it in plain language (AI): Write something like "Spent about two hours at the cabin fixing the water heater and messaging the next guest" and HourProof parses it into a structured entry with the property, category, duration, and a clean description — ready to review and save.
• Dictate it (Voice): Tap the mic and describe the work out loud. Your words are transcribed and parsed the same way as typed AI entries — ideal for logging from the car right after a property visit.
• Scan a receipt: Upload a photo of a receipt and HourProof reads the merchant, amount, and date to prefill the activity — and keeps the image attached as evidence.

AI and voice logging are available on the Pro and Premium plans; receipt scanning is a Premium feature. Manual logging is always free.

Evidence, attached to the work

Hours are stronger when something corroborates them. HourProof lets you attach photos, receipts, and documents directly to the activities they belong to, so the evidence travels with the entry instead of living in a separate folder. An evidence gallery gives you one place to browse everything you have attached across the year.

Insights that show where you stand

The Insights view turns your raw log into a picture of your year at a glance:

• Headline metrics: hours logged, projected year-end total at your current pace, your current logging streak, and evidence coverage.
• Trends and mix: a month-by-month hours chart and a breakdown of where your hours go by category.
• Consistency heatmap: every day of the year, so gaps in your logging habit are easy to spot.
• Audit-readiness score: a graded read on log completeness, description quality, evidence coverage, category diversity, and consistency — with specific suggestions and red flags (like too many round-number durations).
• IRS defense score: a per-property view of how defensible your record looks, weighted toward the things that matter in an audit.
• You vs. participants: for properties where others help, a split of your hours against each tracked participant — the comparison behind the more-than-any-other-individual test.

Material-participation standing, always current

The Compliance view tracks your indicative standing against the IRS §469 material participation tests as you log:

• The 750-hour and 500-hour tests, with the weekly pace you would need to stay on track.
• The 100-hour short-term-rental test — at least 100 hours and more than any other individual — which is how many Airbnb and STR hosts qualify without real estate professional status.
• The more-than-any-other-individual test, comparing your hours against participants.

A live evidence checklist sits alongside the tests so you can see what would strengthen your position. Status language stays indicative — HourProof is record-keeping support, not tax advice; your CPA makes the call.

Exports your CPA will actually accept

When it is time to file or hand things off, HourProof produces organized, professional output instead of a raw spreadsheet:

• Tax package PDF: a formatted summary of your participation for the year.
• Schedule E-style CSV: your hours organized for rental reporting.
• §469 summary CSV: the material-participation test results in spreadsheet form.
• Evidence-pack ZIP: your activities bundled together with the photos and receipts attached to them.

Properties and bookings

Organize your work by property — short-term (STR) or long-term (LTR) — so hours and progress are tracked where they belong. You can also connect a booking calendar feed so your reservation activity lines up with the work you log around it.

Getting started

The fastest way to see it is to use it. Open the web app, log a few of this week's activities — by typing, voice, or a receipt scan — and watch your Insights and Compliance views come to life. Then download the iOS or Android app so you can capture work the moment it happens.

Get started on the web — sign in with Google, Apple, or email. Already tracking on mobile? Everything you have logged is waiting for you in the browser.

Related reading

• How to document rental property hours for the IRS
• The material participation tests explained
• Why contemporaneous logs matter for STR owners
• Compare HourProof plans

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