Modern HOA management software

Built for self-managed communities

Best HOA accounting software for 2026

Updated Oct 20, 2026 · prices checked against each vendor's site

The best HOA accounting software for a volunteer board keeps operating and reserve funds apart, prepares the IRS Form 1120-H, and doesn't charge more as you add homes. Kahoa and RunHOA fit self-managed boards best. Buildium suits boards with a bookkeeper. AppFolio is built for management companies.

Kahoa makes Kahoa. We put it through the same HSAT as every other tool, and every pick lists where it falls short, ours included.

What is HOA accounting software?

HOA accounting software is bookkeeping built for homeowners associations. It tracks dues owed by each home, pays the association's bills, and separates money into funds, usually an operating fund and a reserve fund.

General tools like QuickBooks track a business's income. HOA accounting software tracks who owes what, which fund paid for what, and what the board must report to owners and the IRS each year.

760 of 4,092registered Utah HOAs list no management company. Their volunteer boards keep the books themselves.Utah HOA registry, counted by Kahoa, Jul 31 2026

$9.25 vs $7.55what a homeowner pays to send $250 in dues by card on PayHOA versus Kahoa.Vendor fee schedules, Oct 20 2026

30%federal tax on an HOA's non-exempt income, like interest, when it files Form 1120-H.IRS Form 1120-H instructions

Does it pass the HSAT?

The HSAT, our HOA Stewardship Accounting Standard, is 5 pass-or-fail questions a careful board asks before trusting software with the association's money. The HSAT is Kahoa's own test, not an official accounting standard.

01Are operating and reserve funds kept apart?Passes if the entry plan tracks operating and reserve money as separate funds.

02Is the 1120-H included?Passes if the yearly federal return is prepared from the books at no extra cost.

03Does the price stay flat as homes are added?Passes if the board pays the same at 25 homes as at 150.

04Are homeowner fees published?Passes if the fee a neighbor pays to send dues is listed up front.

05Can the board leave with its books?Passes if the board can export every ledger itself, any day, free.

How do the top HOA accounting tools compare?

each row links to its source

Software	HSAT	Board pays	Fund accounting	1120-H	Homeowner bank fee	Full export
Kahoakahoa.app/pricing	5 of 5	$50/moany number of homes	Included	Included	$2.45	Anytime, free
RunHOArunhoa.com/pricing	5 of 5	$399/yrany number of homes	Included	Included	0.8%, max $5board can absorb it	PDF, Word, Excel
PayHOApayhoa.com/pricing	3 of 5	$54–$275/morises with homes	Included	From $399 extra	$2.45	Self-serve CSV and PDF
Buildiumbuildium.com/pricing	2 of 5	$80/moEssential, up to 40 homes	Included	Not offered	$2.35+$99 setup per bank account	Partial
AppFolioappfolio.com/pricing	1 of 5	From $1.49/home/mo50-home minimum	Included	Not offered	$2.49third-party reports	Report by report
Condo Controlcondocontrol.com/pricing	1 of 5	From $67.50/mounder 50 units	Sold as modules	Not offered	Not published	Self-serve
TownSqtownsq.io/pricing	0 of 5	$90–$270/mo	Enterprise plan only	Not offered	~$1.50via ATG Pay	Not published

IncludedCosts extraNot offered or not published

HSAT: one point per question passed on the entry plan. Prices and fees from each vendor's public pricing page, checked Oct 20, 2026. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't list it publicly. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it within a day.

Which HOA accounting software is best for your board?

Best for self-managed boards

Kahoa

Our product

Kahoa connects to the association's bank, matches each deposit and withdrawal to the right fund, and prepares Form 1120-H from the same ledger. Kahoa costs $50 a month no matter how many homes the community has.

Why it's here

Bank feeds sort into operating and reserve automatically
Bills, dues and the 1120-H come from one ledger
The same price at 12 homes or 400

Where it falls short

Kahoa launched in 2026, so it has the shortest track record here
Kahoa's state-law guidance covers Utah first

Start a 30-day trial See pricing

Kahoa's dues screen showing 34 of 47 homes paid — Kahoa's dues ledger, with late homes and failed autopay flagged · image: Kahoa

The numbers

HSAT5 of 5

Board pays$50/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.45

1120-HIncluded

Best on the lowest budget

RunHOA

RunHOA is the cheapest full set of HOA books on this list at $399 a year, and RunHOA generates Form 1120-H. RunHOA suits boards that handle their own mailing. RunHOA passes the HSAT 5 of 5, tied with Kahoa; Kahoa ranks first here for its automatic bank feeds.

Why it's here

$399 a year covers every home
The board chooses who pays card fees

Where it falls short

RunHOA has no mailing service, only PDFs
RunHOA doesn't publish a storage limit

RunHOA pricing and alternatives PayHOA vs RunHOA

RunHOA's bank register for its Demo Valley HOA — RunHOA's bank register · image: RunHOA help center

The numbers

HSAT5 of 5

Board pays$399/yr

Homeowner bank fee0.8%, max $5

1120-HIncluded

Best for unlimited texts and calls

PayHOA

PayHOA offers solid HOA books and the most generous messaging on this list. PayHOA's price climbs through nine bands as homes are added, and 1120-H preparation costs extra.

Why it's here

Unlimited email, text and robocalls
Self-serve CSV and PDF export

Where it falls short

1120-H preparation starts at $399 a year more
Mailed letters cost $1.05–$1.25 each

PayHOA pricing and alternatives PayHOA vs TownSq

PayHOA's budget overview, budgeted against actual — PayHOA's budget overview, Apr 2026 · image: PayHOA help center

The numbers

HSAT3 of 5

Board pays$54–$275/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.45

1120-HFrom $399 extra

Best for boards with a bookkeeper

Buildium

Buildium provides property-management-grade accounting, with violations and unlimited storage on its Essential plan, $80 a month for up to 40 homes. Buildium's extras add up: $99 setup per bank account, an e-signature add-on and per-piece mail.

Why it's here

Deep reports a bookkeeper will recognize
Violations and storage included

Where it falls short

Buildium doesn't prepare the 1120-H
A full ledger export isn't self-serve

Buildium pricing and alternatives Buildium vs PayHOA

Buildium's bank reconciliation matching ledger entries to the bank feed — Buildium's bank reconciliation · image: Buildium help center

The numbers

HSAT2 of 5

Board pays$80/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.35

1120-HNot offered

Best for management companies

AppFolio

AppFolio is built for firms that run dozens of communities. AppFolio starts at $1.49 per home a month, with a 50-home minimum and a minimum spend, so most volunteer boards won't qualify.

Why it's here

Scales across a whole portfolio
Architectural requests included

Where it falls short

AppFolio doesn't publish its minimum spend
AppFolio has no 1120-H and no voting

AppFolio vs Buildium

AppFolio's association overview dashboard for board members — AppFolio's association overview · image: AppFolio product update, 2024

The numbers

HSAT1 of 5

Board paysFrom $1.49/home/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.49

1120-HNot offered

Best for condo buildings

Condo Control

Condo Control is strong on building operations: front desk, amenity booking and packages. Condo Control sells accounting in modules, and voting and violations are add-ons.

Why it's here

Made for staffed buildings
Free self-serve export

Where it falls short

Condo Control quotes communities of 50 units or more
Storage is capped at 10 GB

Condo Control's payments report, with email addresses blurred — Condo Control's payments report, emails blurred by Kahoa · image: Condo Control help center

The numbers

HSAT1 of 5

Board paysFrom $67.50/mo

Homeowner bank feeNot published

1120-HNot offered

Which is best for your community's size?

SmallUnder 25 homesRunHOA or Kahoa

Per-home pricing barely matters here. Pick on time saved: bank feeds and a prepared 1120-H spare a volunteer treasurer the most work.

Mid-size25–150 homesKahoa or PayHOA

Banded pricing starts to bite: PayHOA climbs from $54 to $142 a month across this range, and Buildium leaves its $80 Essential plan past 40 homes. Compare the price at your home count.

Large150+ homesKahoa or a management company

Flat pricing saves the most here. Above a few hundred homes, many boards hire a manager, who brings AppFolio or Vantaca.

What will homeowners pay in fees?

on a $250 dues payment

The board's subscription is only half the cost. Homeowners pay a fee each time they send dues, and across a year those fees can cost the community more than the software.

Software	Bank transfer	Card	Card, 12 payments
Kahoa	$2.45	$7.55	$90.60
RunHOA	$2.00	$7.55	$90.60
Buildium	$2.35	$7.48	$89.70
PayHOA	$2.45	$9.25	$111.00
TownSq	~$1.50	$9.75–$11.75	$117–$141

Card fees: Kahoa and RunHOA pass through Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30; Buildium 2.99%; PayHOA 3.5% + $0.50; TownSq ~3.5% + $1–$3 via ATG Pay. RunHOA's bank fee is 0.8% ($2.00 on $250), and RunHOA lets the board absorb it.

How do you choose in three questions?

Does a volunteer keep the books?

Yes: choose a tool that pulls bank feeds and prepares the 1120-H, like Kahoa or RunHOA. No, a bookkeeper or manager does: Buildium or AppFolio fit their habits.

Will the price change as homes are added?

Ask for the price at your home count today and at your full build-out. Flat pricing (Kahoa, RunHOA) stays put; banded pricing (PayHOA, TownSq) climbs.

Can you leave with your ledger?

Before you sign up, find the export. A full ledger export you can run yourself means the board, not the vendor, owns the association's records.

Still on QuickBooks or a spreadsheet?

What about QuickBooks?

QuickBooks wasn't built for HOA funds or dues, so treasurers end up keeping a second ledger beside it. Spreadsheets work until the treasurer changes.

QuickBooks for HOAs

Comparing two directlyPayHOA vs TownSqCompare PayHOA vs RunHOACompare Buildium vs PayHOACompare AppFolio vs BuildiumCompare All comparisonsBrowse

What else do boards ask?

Does my HOA have to file a tax return?

Yes. Most HOAs file IRS Form 1120-H each year. Form 1120-H taxes only non-exempt income, like interest and amenity rentals, at a flat 30%. For a calendar-year HOA, Form 1120-H is due April 15.

How long does switching HOA accounting software take?

Plan on one dues cycle. Export the owner list and ledger from the old tool, load them into the new one, run both side by side for a month, then cancel. Switching at the start of a fiscal year keeps the 1120-H simple.

Who shouldn't use Kahoa?

Management companies running many communities will find AppFolio or Vantaca a better fit. Staffed condo buildings that need a front desk and package log should look at Condo Control.

Can a volunteer treasurer do this without an accountant?

Day to day, yes, if the software sorts bank activity into funds. Many boards still pay a CPA for a year-end review, and clean books make that review short.

How much should HOA accounting software cost?

For a self-managed board, $33 to $100 a month covers HOA accounting software. Check the per-home price bands and the fees homeowners pay to send dues, which often cost the community more than the subscription.

Try it on your own books

Connect your bank and watch the funds sort themselves

Thirty days, no card. Bring last year's bank statements and Kahoa builds the ledger from them.

Start a 30-day trial See pricing

$50a month, flat, for every home in your community.