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Backdate Entries lets you record an activity in REPSLog on the date it was actually performed, not the day you got around to logging it. It is for real estate investors building a REPS or STR loophole hour log who need the record to reflect the real calendar, including work from earlier in the year or from a previous tax year. Backdating works the same on iPhone, Android and the web app, and it is on every plan.
What it does
Every entry in REPSLog has a required Date field, and you can set it to any day in the past. Open the entry form, tap the Date field, and pick the day the work happened. On iPhone and Android this opens a date picker; on the web app it is a standard date input you can type into or pick from a calendar. The entry is saved with that performed date, and that is the date your entry log, your Overview totals and your exports use.
Two limits apply. The date cannot be in the future: if you pick tomorrow, REPSLog shows “Date cannot be in the future” and keeps the field unchanged. And the earliest date the entry form accepts is January 1, 2020.
REPSLog also records when the entry was created and when it was last edited. Those timestamps stay in the background: they are not shown in your entry log, and they do not change the performed date you chose. What you see in the log is the day the work happened.
Backdating is not a separate mode. It is the same entry form you always use, so everything else works as normal: property, category, participant, attachments with notes, and AI autofill or voice logging on Premium. You can also duplicate an existing entry and change only its date, the fastest way to fill in a repeated task you forgot to log for several weeks.
Once saved, the entry drops into its place in the log, which is sorted by performed date, newest first. An entry dated three months ago appears three months down the list, not at the top. If you backdate into a previous year, the Overview screen has a year selector for that year’s totals, and the Entry Log filters let you set any date range.
How it works
Tap + Add on the Entries tab, or the Add tab on iPhone and Android. On the web app, click + Add a New Entry.
Fill in the description, duration, property and category as usual.
Tap the Date field. On iPhone and Android, scroll the picker to the day the work happened and confirm. On the web app, type the date or pick it from the calendar control.
If you pick a future date, REPSLog shows “Date cannot be in the future” and leaves the date as it was. Pick a past date instead.
Attach any evidence you have for that day, such as a receipt photo or a contractor invoice.
Tap Save. The entry is stored with the performed date you chose.
Find it in the Entry Log at its date position. To review a whole past year, use the year selector on the Overview screen or set a date range in the Entry Log filters.
Why it matters for your hours
REPS requires more than 750 hours in real property trades or businesses, and material participation tests such as the 500-hour and 100-hour tests are also measured over the tax year. Hours only count if they are recorded against the day they happened, and a log that says everything was done on the day you remembered to type it is not a credible record. Backdating lets you rebuild the true timeline: the inspection on the 3rd, the turnover on the 12th, the contractor meeting on the 20th.
The IRS expects contemporaneous records, kept at or near the time of the activity. Logging a missed day a week later, with the correct date and a receipt attached, is far closer to that standard than reconstructing a whole year from memory in March. Do that reconstruction if you must, but ask your CPA how much weight a log built after the fact will carry, and attach every piece of evidence you can find for those dates.
For a short-term rental host relying on the STR loophole, backdating keeps each listing’s 100-hour count tied to the calendar of guest stays. The turnover happened on checkout day, the restocking run the day before check-in, the maintenance call the night the guest reported the leak: log each on its real date against that property and the STR view adds it to the property’s x/100 row for that year. Backdate your cleaner’s, co-host’s or manager’s hours as participants on their real dates too, so the “more than anyone else” comparison is built from the same timeline. How much weight a late-logged entry carries is your CPA’s call.
Good to know
Available on every plan, including Free, on iPhone, Android and the web app.
The Date field accepts any day from January 1, 2020 up to today. Future dates are refused with the message “Date cannot be in the future”.
For many past entries at once, CSV import on the web app is faster than the form. Import is on every plan.
The entry log sorts by performed date, newest first. A backdated entry appears at its date position, not at the top.
The created and last-edited timestamps are stored but not shown in your entry log. They never override the performed date you chose.
Backdated entries feed your Overview totals for the year they belong to. Use the year selector on the Overview to see a previous year.
No AI feature is involved in backdating.
Duplicate an existing entry and change the date to fill in a repeated task quickly.
Airbnb or Vrbo hosts on Premium: with Booking Calendar Sync, an entry added from a past guest stay is dated to the stay’s first day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I backdate entries in REPSLog?
Yes. Set the Date field on the entry form to the day the work happened. Any date from January 1, 2020 to today is accepted.
How far back can I log hours in REPSLog?
The entry form accepts dates back to January 1, 2020. If you have a long backlog of past entries, importing them from a CSV file on the web app is faster than typing each one.
Can I log REPS hours for a previous tax year?
Yes. Pick a date in that year on the entry form. Then use the year selector on the Overview screen, or a date range in the Entry Log filters, to see that year’s total.
Does REPSLog show when an entry was actually created?
The creation and edit times are stored in the background but are not shown in your entry log. The log shows the performed date you chose.
Can I log a future activity in REPSLog?
No. The Date field refuses any date after today with the message “Date cannot be in the future”. Log the activity once it has happened.
Why did my backdated entry disappear from the top of the list?
It did not disappear. The entry log is sorted by performed date, so an entry dated last month sits under last month’s other entries. Scroll down or filter by that date range to find it.
Can I backdate STR loophole hours to the guest checkout date?
Yes. Set the Date field to the checkout day and pick the short-term rental property; the entry counts toward that property’s 100-hour counter for that year. On Premium, Booking Calendar Sync can open a related entry from a past stay, dated to the stay’s first day.
Is REPSLog a good alternative to reconstructing my hours in a spreadsheet at year end?
It is the better route for the hours you still have to catch up on, because each backdated entry keeps a visible created-on timestamp, and the sooner you log, the more contemporaneous the record. From then on, log same-day.
Related features
Learn more
The Help Center walks through backdating with screenshots in How to Log Past Activities (Backdate Entries) in REPSLog.
From the blog: How do I move my REPS hours spreadsheet into REPSLog?.
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