I own half of a rental house. Do I enter the whole rent tenants paid, or just the half that is mine?

I own it with a sibling, it was the family home.  It's a single family house, not a duplex.  Not a partnership.  Family owned.

---

@Hal_Al wrote:

I'm of the opinion that yo do not need to file a partnership return.   

---

I concur. 

...mere co-ownership of property that is maintained, kept in repair, and rented or leased does not constitute a separate entity for federal tax purposes. For example , if an individual owner, or tenants in common, of farm property lease it to a farmer for a cash rental or a share of the crops, they do not necessarily create a separate entity for federal tax purposes.

See https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/301.7701-1

See also https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-02-22.pdf

---

@Carl11_2 wrote:

Overall, if you just report the rental income/expenses on a 1065 partnership return, your life will be significantly easier and much simpler.

---

I am not tracking the above-quoted statement since filing a 1065 makes life more difficult and complex.

Among other things:

* An EIN needs to be obtained for the partnership.

* An extra return needs to be prepared and filed with the IRS and that return has a due date that is a month earlier than individual income tax returns.

* K-1s need to be issued and the partners have to enter information from their K-1s into their individual income tax returns and retain their copies (until the partnership is dissolved and a final return is filed).

* The partners need to keep track of their inside and outside bases for the point at which there is a sale of their interest in the partnership or partnership property.

* Generally, compliance costs are increased as a result of all of the aforementioned. 

The parties are really much better off by each entering their half on Schedule E as suggested by @Hal_Al.

---

@Mike9241 wrote:

the above is from the IRS instructions for a partnership return. it would seem your venture meets the definition of a partnership. 

---

Except the regulations under the same code section you mentioned state, essentially, that the co-ownership of property that is maintained, kept in repair, and rented or leased does not constitute a separate entity for federal tax purposes.

Regardless, there does not really appear to be much risk involved if the co-owners report their shares (income and expenses) on their Schedules E rather than from a K-1 (1065). The rental income and expenses would be exactly the same in either case.