Tax Deductions for Fashion Designers for 2020

To deduct the costs in your trade or business, you must demonstrate that the costs are “normal and necessary”. A typical cost in your particular line of work is the normal cost.  The application of these terms to you depends largely on the “facts and circumstances” of your particular situation.  So now we will talk about tax deductions for fashion designers. Below there are 20 common deductions that you can write down or print out and keep for tax time.

What are tax deductions?

Tax deductions are one of the few tax problems that cause some concern. While no one likes to pay taxes, everyone loves to use deductions to reduce their taxes. To put it bluntly, a tax deduction reduces your taxable income, thereby reducing your tax liability. That is actually a tax credit, which directly reduces the amount of taxes owed instead of reducing your taxable income.

Tax deductions have two main types: the standard deduction and itemized deductions. The standard deduction is that amount, a standard dollar amount that the IRS sets annually. This is the easiest deduction to take because there are no calculations to make, there are no receipts to collect, and there are no additional tax forms to prepare. Although it is easy, it may not always be the best option. That’s where itemized deductions come in. Detailed tax deductions require a little more work, but they can also mean big savings on your overall tax bill. This is a good deduction, but if you have a home, make contributions to a retirement account, or have made charitable contributions, the standard deduction may be less than you could list.

Tax deductions for fashion designers:

To deduct the costs in your trade or business, you must demonstrate that the costs are “normal and necessary”.  An appropriate, but not necessary, cost is essential to your business. The application of these terms to you depends largely on the “facts and circumstances” of your particular situation.

A deduction from business expenses should also be taken into account for any reimbursement you have received or may have received from that cost, from your employer or other source. The information provided here is a concise summary of the business spending rules applicable to fashion models and artists. For more details on specific business expenses, required records, and various government regulations you can also check the government website.

This is a basic list of 20 typical expenses incurred by designers:

1. Book, magazines, reference material
2. Business gifts
3. Business insurance
4. Business meals
5. Taxis, metro, buses
6. Copy, print
7. Cultural events/fashion show ticket
8. Equipment and software
9. Film and processing
10. Gas and electricity
11. Materials/fabrics
12. Membership (museums, professional organizations)
13. Couriers, private mail carriers, postage
14. Office supplies
15. Promotion
16. Supplies
17. Studio rental
18. Tax preparation, legal fees
19. Telephone/internet
20. Travel

Of course, you can have other types of costs and tax deductions relating to your designing and fashion work so speak to a tax expert if you are unsure.

Some things to consider:

If you plan to list deductions, there are a few things to consider. First, many deductions are limited to a certain threshold size. A common example of this is in relation to healthcare costs. Therefore, you may not have enough health costs to take advantage of the deduction. The limits also apply to people with higher incomes, and if their income is above the threshold for the year, they can be lowered.

Before you go, I hope this article about tax deductions for fashion designers is helpful for you. Contact us today to speak to an accountant near you.