26 Tax Write-Offs for Exterminators & Pest Control Businesses
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.561710
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.If you work for yourself as an exterminator, you’re used to squashing bugs. Now it’s time to turn that same hunter’s instinct toward snuffing out overpayments on your tax bill.
Don’t let the IRS burrow deeper into your wallet than they have to. By claiming your business expenses on your taxes, you're basically spraying a protective perimeter around your finances.
We’ve compiled the best write-offs for exterminators and pest control businesses, so you don’t even need to put out bait to attract those sweet savings.
Write off the protective gear, like goggles and gloves, you wear on the job.
Any uniforms you're required to wear on the job are considered tax-deductible.
This applies to clothing you can't reasonably wear outside of work. Everyday clothes don't qualify, even if you only wear them on the job.
Print and online advertising costs for your business are considered write-offs.
If you use software to keep track of appointments, write off the subscription.
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, and other website service fees are fully tax-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.
Any required certifications or licensing fees can be deducted.
Bait stations, rodent traps, and backpack sprayers you use on the job can be written off.
Any sprays, baits, and traps you buy can be deducted.
Sprayers, foggers, bait stations and traps you use on jobs are deductible.
Pesticides and chemical treatments are deductible supplies — cost of goods sold on Box 38 if you bill treatments as products.
Sprayers, foggers and bait stations are depreciated over time. Smaller tools can be expensed as supplies on Box 22.
Protecting yourself and your business with liability insurance? It's a write-off.
If you drive for work ...
A pest control specialist might have to drive to meet clients or pick up supplies. These are work-related trips that allow you to write off 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 ...
Perhaps you have some questions for a fellow exterminator about growing your business.
If you take them for lunch to pick their brain, you can write the cost off as a business meal.
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 ...
You can apply the travel tax deduction to lots of your travel costs. On-the-go meals, lodging, or transportation all count.
Keep this in mind if you go out of town for things like industry conferences or seminars.
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 ...
You qualify for the home office deduction if you regularly do business from an at-home workspace.
If you have a desk where you schedule meetings, conduct industry research, or work on client development, don't forget to claim the relevant write-offs!
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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