27 Tax Write-Offs for Personal Trainers & Fitness Instructors
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.812990
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.They say it’s “no pain, no gain.” But what if we told you that when it comes to your taxes, there’s an easy way to gain without any of the pain?
As a freelance personal trainer, you can put your ordinary expenses — from kettlebells to gym memberships — to work. Think of it as sweating out savings from your tax bill.
Fitness equipment, like weights, resistance bands, and mats can all be written off.
Larger purchases — squat racks, treadmills, cardio machines — are depreciated on Box 13 rather than expensed all at once as supplies.
Gym memberships or fitness classes you pay for can be deducted.
Spotify, Pandora, or other music streaming services you use while with clients are write-offs.
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.
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.
Print and online advertising costs for your business are considered write-offs.
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.
Depending on your state's laws, you may need insurance to keep your fitness business running. (Or you might just want it to protect yourself.) Luckily, that's a write-off.
Business cards, postcards, and other materials used to promote yourself are deductible.
Legal fees paid to set up your business or draw up paperwork are deductible.
If you drive for work ...
If you use your car for your physical training business, like to meet a client or attend a fitness class, you can write off some of your car expenses.
Keep in mind: the portion you can write off is equivalent to the percentage you use your car for work. So if you use your car 70% of the time for personal reasons, you can only write off 30% of your 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 ...
You might meet with a client over a meal to talk about their fitness goals or with a fellow trainer or instructor to talk about strategies for growing your business.
Both of these would be considered business expenses and can be written off 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 ...
Have your eye on an industry conference that could be a great networking opportunity? Go for it! The same goes for teaching a class at an out-of-town retreat, or meeting with a client who might sign you on for the season.
As long as the trip is directly business-related, you can write your travel costs off 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 ...
Why might a physical trainer work from home?
To manage finances and paperwork
To conduct industry research
To work on client development
To create and manage their professional social media accounts
If this is the case for you, you can claim 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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