Freelance Taxes & Deductions

Yes — a drone purchased specifically to inspect roofs, chimneys, or other hard-to-reach areas during home inspections is a deductible business expense, treated the same as any other specialized inspection equipment. Drones have become an increasingly common tool for home inspectors, allowing safer and more thorough roof inspections without the need to physically climb onto every structure. Depending on the cost, a drone may qualify for Section 179, letting you deduct the full

Not directly — like any self-employed professional, you can't deduct the value of your own time or labor spent developing and testing recipes, but the actual ingredient and supply costs used during that testing process are deductible business expenses. This follows the same principle that applies across every service-based profession: the IRS doesn't allow you to assign a dollar value to your own time and deduct it, no matter how clearly that time relates to your business. Wh

It depends — legitimate costs tied to submitting your work for paid publication or representation are generally deductible, but this is an area worth extra caution, since the IRS scrutinizes writing-related deductions more closely when a writer isn't yet earning consistent income from their craft. Costs like manuscript formatting services, submission tracking software, or fees charged by legitimate literary agencies for specific services (not fees to simply "read" your work,

Yes — software and platforms used to create and manage model releases, client contracts, and shoot agreements are deductible business expenses for photographers, since these documents are a standard, necessary part of protecting your business and usage rights. Whether you use a dedicated model release app, a general e-signature platform, or a contract template service to generate releases and agreements, the subscription or per-document cost is an ordinary business expense. T

Yes — certification exams, translation software, and other tools tied to your language services are deductible for independent translators and interpreters, as long as they're used for paid client work rather than personal language study. Certification costs, like exam fees for a court or medical interpreter credential, are deductible business expenses because they're required or expected to land certain types of paid work. Translation memory software, terminology databases,

Yes — cameras, lenses, and other equipment used for paid photography work are deductible, but how you deduct them depends on the cost and whether the IRS treats the purchase as a one-time expense or something you write off gradually over several years. Smaller gear purchases, like memory cards, batteries, and camera bags, are typically deducted in full the year you buy them. Bigger purchases, like a camera body or a $2,000 lens, may qualify for Section 179, which allows you t

Wait a sec. I can’t deduct entertainment anymore? What if that’s my whole business?