Summer is a great time to step back and do a quick tax check-in. A few seasonal choices—travel, home use, and charitable giving—can affect your tax bill more than you might expect.

Here are six summer-related tax opportunities to consider.

1) Rent out your home for 14 days or less

If you rent out your home for 14 days or fewer during the year, you generally don’t have to report the rental income for federal income tax purposes.

However, you also can’t deduct rental-related expenses (such as advertising or cleaning). Still, this can be a useful strategy if you live near a major event and can rent your home at a premium.

2) Use (and rent) your vacation home strategically

If you rent a second home (or your primary residence) for 15 days or more, you generally must report the rental income. The deductions you can take depend on whether the property is treated as a personal residence or a rental property for tax purposes.

A vacation home is generally treated as a personal residence if your personal use exceeds the greater of:

• 14 days, or
• 10% of the days you rent it at fair market rates

This classification matters because it affects how rental expenses and potential losses are treated.

3) Consider sales tax deductions on an RV or boat

If you itemize deductions, you may be able to deduct state and local sales taxes paid during the year (instead of state and local income taxes). That can make a difference if you purchase a high-ticket item like an RV or boat.

For 2026, the SALT deduction limit was increased under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The cap is $40,400 (or $20,200 for married filing separately), with potential reductions at higher income levels.

Also note: an RV or boat can qualify as a personal residence if it has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities—which may allow mortgage interest treatment in certain cases if you itemize.

4) Combine a business trip with a vacation (carefully)

If you’re self-employed or a business owner and the primary purpose of a trip is business, you may be able to deduct certain travel costs for the business portion of the trip.

In general:

• Airfare and business-day lodging/transportation may be deductible (subject to limits)
• Meals are generally subject to the 50% limitation
• Personal days and family expenses are not deductible (unless a family member is a bona fide employee traveling for a legitimate business reason)

5) Use the dependent care credit for day camp

If you work and meet the requirements, day camp costs may qualify for the dependent care credit.

For many taxpayers, the credit is generally:

• 20% of up to $3,000 of qualified expenses for one child, or
• 20% of up to $6,000 for two or more children

For 2026, the OBBBA increased the credit percentage for lower-income taxpayers (and certain middle-income taxpayers may fall between 20% and 35%).

Important: Overnight camps don’t qualify—this is for day camps only, including specialty camps.

6) Do a “summer cleanup” donation strategy

Donating household goods can create a charitable deduction based on fair market value, but only if you itemize deductions.

If you expect to take the standard deduction, consider a bunching strategy—grouping charitable donations into alternating years so itemizing becomes worthwhile in the donation year.

Also note: beginning in 2026, the OBBBA added a 0.5% AGI floor for charitable deductions for itemizers. That generally means only donations above 0.5% of AGI are deductible.

Before summer slips away

A little planning now can reduce surprises later. If you’d like to discuss how any of these strategies apply to your situation, contact your tax advisor.