24 Tax Write-Offs for Self-Employed Florists
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.459310
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.It's hard to stop and smell the roses when taxes are due — even for a florist.
Luckily, anyone with self-employment income can lower their taxable income with work expenses. Supplies aren't free, after all. Why should you pay taxes on income that went right back out the door?
This guide offers a roadmap for the types of work expenses that can be written off on your taxes.
From clippers to gardening gloves, floral tape to flower frogs, these tools of the trade are indispensable — which makes them a write-off.
Bubble mailers, boxes, tissue paper and more: anything you buy to ship customer orders is a write-off.
Thorn sleeves, gloves, aprons, and shear guards that protect you while working with flowers are write-offs.
The depreciation on your machinery and equipment is considered tax-deductible.
If you have to keep inventory of products or samples, you can write these off.
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, and other website service fees are fully tax-deductible.
Print and online advertising costs for your business are considered write-offs.
If you need to hire an editor, designer, photographer, or other creative pro, write off what you pay them.
Pay any one contractor $600 or more in a year and you'll need to file a Form 1099-NEC for them.
FTD, Teleflora, BloomNet and other florist network memberships are deductible.
Protecting yourself and your business with liability insurance? It's a write-off.
Fees to renew your license to perform your work are fully deductible.
The cut Stripe, PayPal, Square or your invoicing platform takes on each payment is a write-off.
Educational courses and certifications to enhance your skills are considered tax write-offs.
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.
Does your business have a staff that you pay on W-2? Their wages count as a write-off.
If you have employees, you'll spend money to take care of them with health insurance and other benefits. Write off what you pay for these programs.
If you drive for work ...
You might drive your car to deliver arrangements. Or maybe it takes you back and forth from suppliers and vendors. Either way, you can write off part of what you spend on vehicle expenses, from gas to insurance.
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 ...
Are you grabbing a meal with a customer or a supplier? That makes it a business expense.
The IRS lets you write off 50% of what you spend on business meals. So go ahead — schedule that meeting with the wedding planner over lunch.
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 ...
From Floriexpo to the Society of American Florists Annual Convention, you've got plenty of reasons to travel out of town. As long as you're heading out for work-related reasons, the IRS has no problem with you writing off your airfare and accommodations.
Industry conferences aren't the only business trip-worthy events. If you meet with an out-of-town supplier or client, that also qualifies.
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 ...
Do you prepare floral arrangements, store your product, or maintain your professional social media from home? That qualifies you to deduct part of your rent, utilities, and other home expenses.
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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