25 Tax Write-Offs for Freelance Makeup Artists
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.812112
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.As a makeup artist, you know there’s nothing so ugly that it can’t be turned into a work of art — and believe it or not, that even holds true for your taxes! By claiming the business expenses you rack up every day on the job, you’ll uncover loads of hidden beauty that most people don’t know how to see.
To help you out, we’ve gathered the best write-offs for makeup artists in one place, so you have a whole palette of savings to work with! Talk about beautiful.
All of the makeup, brushes, and supplies used in your kit is tax-deductible.
Brush cleaners, makeup remover, and other supplies to take care of your supplies are deductible.
Membership fees you pay to get discounts from beauty stores can be written off.
Fees to renew your license to perform your work are fully deductible.
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.
Print and online advertising costs for your business are considered write-offs.
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, and other website service fees are fully tax-deductible.
Write off the tools you use to create assets, schedule posts, or pull analytics.
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.
Ring lights, LED panels and kit cases for on-location work are deductible supplies. Higher-cost items get depreciated on Box 13.
Protecting yourself and your business with liability insurance? It's a write-off.
The cut Stripe, PayPal, Square or your invoicing platform takes on each payment is a write-off.
If you drive for work ...
Working as a makeup artist naturally involves a lot of face-to-face interaction, whether you're meeting with a client to discuss their needs for an upcoming event or driving to someone's home to do their makeup.
Luckily, driving for work allows you to deduct a portion of your car expenses which can help save you money on your taxes.
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 ...
Networking is likely a big part of your job as a makeup artist.
Luckily, it counts as a business meal if you go to a restaurant with a client to discuss a brief or grab a work-related coffee with a fellow makeup artist or beauty industry coworker (like a manicurist or esthetician).
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 find yourself packing up your brushes and palettes for an out-of-town job, conference, training session, or networking event, remember that your travel expenses can be claimed on your taxes.
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 ...
If you run your makeup business out of your home, you can claim a portion of home office expenses such as internet and rent.
Don't forget to include the hours you spend on things like practicing makeup trends, working on lead generation and advertising, taking online courses, and managing paperwork and finances.
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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