Tax deductions for photographers
This article appears as part of Photographer’s Month.
What expenses can you legitimately deduct for your photography business? Keeping in mind that each country has different rules and exceptions, here’s a list of common tax deductions for photographers, taken from Chase Jarvis Photography.
If you gather up these expenses and categorize them properly in Wave (more on that below), you’ll be able to hand it all over to a qualified tax preparer and get maximum deductions with minimum hassle.
Gear Related
- Camera and lighting equipment
- Memory cards, hard drives and digital storage
- Film (if you are old school) and processing fees
- Repairs and rentals
Business Related
- Website costs
- Professional memberships, such as ASMP or ASPP
- Reference materials – books, magazines
- Contest entry fees
- Continuing education courses
- Copyright registration fees
- Production Cost
Production Costs
- Contractors, including stylists, assistants, models, location scouts, editors
- Wardrobe and props
- Permits, location fees or studio rental fees
- Travel expenses
In addition, there are the regular small business deductions that you can claim:
- Business insurance
- Office supplies
- Software costs
- Tax preparation fees
Your Wave profile will already have accounts like “office supplies” as well as other standard photography-related accounting features.
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The information and tips shared on this blog are meant to be used as learning and personal development tools as you launch, run and grow your business. While a good place to start, these articles should not take the place of personalized advice from professionals. As our lawyers would say: “All content on Wave’s blog is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered legal or financial advice.” Additionally, Wave is the legal copyright holder of all materials on the blog, and others cannot re-use or publish it without our written consent.