26 Tax Write-Offs for Freelance Marketers
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.541910
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 freelance marketer, you’re used to putting a positive spin on things. But here’s something you don’t need to exaggerate: simply by claiming the everyday sort of business expenses you encounter as a marketer, you’ll be able to significantly lower your bill come tax time!
From productivity software to office supplies and more, marketers can claim a wide range of business expenses. That's true whether you drive value as a social media strategist, an SEO consultant, a growth marketer, or some other way.
Check out this list of the best write-offs for marketers, all in one place. Now that’s something worth hyping up!
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, and other website service fees are fully tax-deductible.
Print and online advertising costs for your business are considered write-offs.
Business cards, postcards, and other materials used to promote yourself are deductible.
Educational books to increase your knowledge and skills are tax write-offs.
Tickets and entry fees to networking events to grow your client base can be written off.
If you buy a phone or laptop and use it for work, it's partially deductible — in proportion to how much you use it for business. The device itself is depreciated on Box 13 (or expensed under Section 179); your monthly service plan belongs on Box 27b, and accessories on Box 22.
An additional monitor, keyboard, or other accessories you use for work are write-offs.
You can write off software and tools used for analyzing your competitors and campaigns.
Write off the tools you use to create assets, schedule posts, or pull analytics.
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.
Canva Pro, Adobe Stock and other libraries you pull images, video or design assets from 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.
If you drive for work ...
If you have to drive for work — whether to pick up office supplies or to attend a seminar, networking event, or client meeting — lower your taxable income by writing off car-related 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 ...
Pitching your marketing services to clients doesn't just happen in the office. You may want to take a potential lead out for dinner to tell them how you can help grow their brand.
Because this is work-related, it counts as a business meal and can be written off your taxes. So would learning from a mentor over coffee, or getting together with a potential collaborator at your favorite lunch-time joint.
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 ...
Perhaps you already know you can write off the cost of a ticket to a marketing conference or networking event.
But don't forget the cost of traveling for out-of-town business trips is also deductible!
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 ...
Completing marketing projects for clients, researching new PR trends, or coming up with your own advertising assets are all tasks a marketer might do at a designated workspace in their home.
In this case, you can write off a portion of your home office 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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