24 Tax Write-Offs for Pressure Washing 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.561790
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 run a pressure washing business, you might invest a fair amount of your own money into it. (Especially on equipment, like a high-pressure washer, hot water unit, X-jet, and a van to transport everything.)
Luckily, you can write off the cost of tools that are necessary for your job, as well as a number of other things, like car expenses, home office expenses, business meals, or business trips.
Power washers and related equipment used for work are tax-deductible.
Smaller accessories and consumables stay on Box 22 as supplies.
Soap, chemicals, and other supplies needed to power wash are tax write-offs.
Any maintenance or repairs needed for your equipment to operate are fully deductible.
Write off the protective gear, like goggles and gloves, you wear on the job.
Print and online advertising costs for your business are considered write-offs.
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, and other website service fees are fully tax-deductible.
Freelancers, contractors, or other services that help you run your business are tax-deductible.
Pay any one contractor $600 or more in a year and you'll need to file a Form 1099-NEC for them.
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.
If you drive for work ...
Picking up pressure washing supplies or meeting with a client are both reasons a power washer might drive for work and claim related car expenses on their 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 ...
The business meal deduction includes grabbing a coffee with a mentor to share industry insights or going for dinner with a vendor to chat about potential partnerships.
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 head to another city for a work meeting or networking event, far enough away that you need to stop overnight before heading back, don't forget to claim travel expenses 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 exclusively work on client development, industry research, or marketing from a designated workspace in your home, go ahead and claim the home office deduction when you file your business taxes.
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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