2015 Bloggers/Writers Allowable Tax Deductions

Tax Professionals Are Invited To Comment

Writers are allowed to deduct expenses on their tax returns incurred in the act of writing. Bloggers are writers and the focus of this post is to discuss allowable tax deductions for their work. We invite tax experts to participate by helping us add to the following  list of allowable tax deductions for Bloggers. We know you will come up with ideas we missed and that many others will benefit from your contributions to our Comments Section at the end of this BLOG!

Thanks sincerely for your participation in improving the list of allowable tax deductions for Bloggers/Writers.

Business Travel-Trips to interview, meet with sources for research purposes are legitimate business expenses. You can deduct airfare and hotel, and meal expenses( 50% percent of meal costs). Keep track of mileage when traveling by car; and cost of bus, train and subway travel to a library or bookstore for research.

Conferences-Travel to conferences on writing;  improving writing skills; distribution of blogs through social/professional media, etc..

Entertainment/Meals-When you need to hold a business discussion with a professional it is fine as long as you document and understand that you can only deduct 50% of the cost of the meal or event.

Email Accounts-Setting up email accounts associated with writing/blogs.

Insurance-If you are self-employed and have no income other than through blogging, you can deduct 100% of healthcare costs. You may also be able to deduct a portion of your Homeowners Insurance.

Memberships-It is often necessary to belong to sites that are experts in the distribution of your blogs. In the case of Tax Bloggers, membership in www.taxconnections.com enables a tax blogger to distribute their blog posts in 210 countries/territories.

Outsourcing-It is not unusual to have expenses related to proof-reading your blog posts; paying someone to design a book cover; or creating an eBook out of a series of blogs.

Phones-As long as your phone is 100% dedicated to business and nothing else, you can deduct 100% for your business. You may want to have a second phone for personal use.

Professional Services-Make certain to keep track of all fees associated with legal, accounting, consultants associated with your writing/blogging activities.

Research-A blogger needs to access many research resources to do their work. Those who blog also know about writers block. Sometimes you must place yourself in a different environment to be inspired to blog about topics related to the blog post. Research is deductible as long as you can prove it was necessary to research to write the blog from a different location. Keep detailed records and make certain you can prove it was necessary to research in a different location from your normal office environment.

Software-There is a great deal of valuable software available to help bloggers create great content and distribute it.

Supplies-If the supplies that you purchase are necessary to help you do your work, then they are deductible. Your computer, laptop, monitors, keyboards, mouse, printers, and any other equipment required is tax deductible. Also, think of office supplies like ink, paper, pens, notebooks, paperclips, cards, etc..

Website-Bloggers often promote their work on their own sites and the costs including domain and security certificates are also deductible.

We realize this list may not include every possible deduction for bloggers. However, we invite tax experts to comment on any other allowable tax deductions we may have missed.

Please Add Your Comments Below>>>

 

No Rendering of Advice The information contained within this blog post is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for obtaining advice from a Tax Advisor. Subscribers, users and online readers are advised not to act upon this information without seeking the service of a Tax Advisor. Please go to www.taxconnections.com to find a trusted Tax Advisor.

TaxConnections is where to find leading tax experts and technology around the world. Discover tax professionals who offer you a wide range of tax expertise and be more informed about the technology that supports them in operating efficiently and successfully.

TaxConnections connects tax professionals with new tax clients and tax jobs around the world. Tax Professional Members establish higher visibility online so prospective clients and employers can find our members easily. Each members also receives a Virtual Tax Office which is the most valuable online real estate available today! TaxConnections makes a difference in your professional life.

We offer a Special Membership rate to tax professionals out of work.
https://www.taxconnections.com/special-membership

Kat Jennings, CEO
TaxConnections
858.999.0053
kat@taxconnections.com

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ Flickr YouTube Vimeo    

Subscribe to TaxConnections Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.



3 comments on “2015 Bloggers/Writers Allowable Tax Deductions

  • Most bloggers do not get paid for their work.

    If they do not make a profit within 3 years, the IRS can claim that it is a “hobby” and deduction will not be allowed

  • Thanks Mitchell! This is a most interesting comment. If the blogger is using this to advertise their business services they would be making money from their blogging. Correct? Please comment further. Do you know of any cases in this regard.

  • Mitchell’s comment about “If they do not make a profit within 3 years, the IRS can claim that it is a “hobby” ” is not quite accurate.
    What the IRS tax code really says (Source: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Is-Your-Hobby-a-For-Profit-Endeavor%3F“) is “An activity is presumed for profit if it makes a profit in at least three of the last five tax years…”

    The IRS is NOT saying you must show a profit or else you’ll be considered a hobby. They are stating that if you do show a profit, you will be considered a business, which is what you want. You want to be considered a business because being considered a hobby is very detrimental tax-wise.

Comments are closed.