22 Tax Write-Offs for Freelance Costume & Fashion Designers
NAICS business codeYour NAICS business code is a six-digit string of numbers that shows the type of work your business does. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System. When you do your taxes, you'll enter it in Box B of your Schedule C.541400
Reviewed bySabrina Wiechart, CPASabrina is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 15 years of experience in tax preparation, planning, and S-Corp compliance. She holds a Master’s in Accounting and specializes in helping self-employed individuals make smart tax decisions. Sabrina is passionate about simplifying the S-Corp process and making sure every client keeps more of what they earn.Is there anything better than bringing designs to life through costuming? How about saving money on your taxes simply by doing the same work you already love? By claiming the ordinary business expenses you encounter every day — from fabric to sewing machines and more — you can significantly lower your tax bill. And we’ve made it even easier, by stitching together all the best write-offs for costume designers.
With so many bolts of write-offs to choose from, the only hard part will be figuring out what new look would best celebrate your savings!
Fabric, needles, thread, buttons, and other materials you use to make costumes are deductible.
Write off what you use to sew, from your Singer to lubricating oils and replacement seam guides.
The machine itself is a capital asset depreciated on Box 13, or expensed under Section 179. Only consumables like oils and replacement seam guides belong here.
Sketch books, pencils, dress forms, and other supplies you use to design costumes are deductible.
Subscriptions to fashion magazines and industry newsletters are write-offs.
Admission to a costume exhibit or museum you visit as genuine research for a production is deductible. Theater and film screenings are not — those count as entertainment, which the tax code disallows whatever the business reason.
Keeping up with the latest trends and techniques with books and courses can be written off.
This covers training that maintains or improves skills for the work you already do. Courses that qualify you for a new trade or profession are not deductible.
Write off the fees you pay to contract labor to help you complete projects.
Pay any one contractor $600 or more in a year and you'll need to file a Form 1099-NEC for them.
If you drive for work ...
Unless you happen to have an impressively stocked textile closet at hand, you'll likely need to drive to pick up fabric or supplies. Or for other things, like meeting a client, attending a cultural event, or driving to rehearsals. Luckily, work-related drives allow you to write off some car expenses.
Parking for a meeting downtown, or any other work trip, is tax-deductible!
A toll while driving to or from a work destination is tax-deductible!
If you buy a new car, you can write off part of the cost every year for five years.
Flashlights, tire iron, duct tape, and other tools you may need in your vehicle are deductible.
Car insurance monthly fees, registration, even roadside assistance are partially deductible — if you use the actual expense method. The standard mileage rate already covers them.
Oil changes, repairs, and regular checkups are deductible if you use the actual expense method. Take the standard mileage rate instead and they're already baked into your per-mile deduction.
If you discuss work at a restaurant ...
According to the IRS, grabbing a bite or drink with directors, producers, actors, or fellow costume designers to talk about work is considered a business meal. This means you can write the cost off on your taxes.
If you discuss work with a coworker, mentor, client, or prospective client, it's a write-off — 50% of the tab.
If you leave town for work ...
If you have to travel to an industry conference or a meeting with a client you're designing a costume for, you can write off your work-related travel expenses.
Planes, trains, and car rentals are all work-related travel costs that can be written off.
When you travel for work, lodging expenses such as hotel rooms or Airbnb are write-offs.
When you're traveling for work, your meals are 50% deductible — takeout included. (Long-haul truck drivers subject to DOT hours-of-service rules can deduct 80%.)
If you work from home ...
Home office expenses can be deducted if you have a designated workspace at home. This might be your desk, where you work on client development, conduct industry research, and manage your inventory. Or it might be your sewing table, where you design and work on costumes.
A desk, chairs, lamps, and other home office necessities are all tax write-offs. Anything over about $2,500 gets depreciated on Form 4562 instead of written off all at once.
Repairs just for your home office are 100% deductible. Repairs to the rest of your home count too, prorated by your business-use percentage on Form 8829.
Gotta keep the lights on in your home office! A portion of your electricity bill counts.
Whether it's rental or homeowners insurance, you can write off a portion through your home office deduction.
It'd be hard to work in an office without running water, huh? Your water bill counts.
You need internet to do your job! If you claim a home office, deduct it prorated on Form 8829 along with your other utilities. Internet you pay for on the road, purely for work, is 100% deductible.
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