What Can I Write Off on My Taxes? A Self-Employed Checklist

The one rule behind every write-off

Before the checklist, know the test the IRS applies. A business expense is deductible if it is ordinary and necessary for your work. Ordinary means common and accepted in your line of business. Necessary means helpful and appropriate. It does not have to be unavoidable, just genuinely tied to earning your income. Personal and living costs are not deductible.

One more rule does a lot of heavy lifting: if something is used for both business and personal life, you can only write off the business share. Your phone, your car, your internet: deduct the percentage you use for work, not the whole bill.

This guide is for self-employed people, freelancers, and small business owners filing Schedule C. If you are a regular W-2 employee, most of these are off the table, because unreimbursed employee expenses were suspended for tax years after 2017.

The write-off checklist

Here are the categories most self-employed people can claim. Treat it as a starting map, not a guarantee that every item applies to you.

• Home office. If you use part of your home exclusively and regularly for business, you can deduct it. There is a simplified method (a set rate per square foot of office space, up to a capped area) or the actual-expense method that prorates rent, utilities, and insurance. The space has to be used only for work to qualify.
• Mileage and vehicle. Deduct business driving either with the standard mileage rate per business mile or with actual vehicle costs split by business use. Keep a mileage log. See the current IRS mileage rate for 2026. Commuting does not count.
• Software and subscriptions. Tools you use for the business: accounting apps, design software, hosting, cloud storage, industry subscriptions.
• Equipment. Computers, cameras, machinery, and other longer-lasting business gear. Larger purchases may be deducted right away or over time depending on the rules and the cost.
• Supplies. The smaller consumables you burn through running the business: paper, packaging, materials, shipping supplies.
• Phone and internet. Deduct the business-use percentage. If your phone is half personal, only the business half is deductible.
• Travel. Ordinary and necessary business trips away from your tax home: airfare, hotels, rental cars, and baggage. The trip has to be genuinely for business.
• Meals. Business meals are generally deductible at 50% when they are not lavish. Keep the itemized receipt and note the business purpose and who was there.
• Marketing and advertising. Ads, your website, business cards, promotional costs, and similar spending to bring in work.
• Professional services. Fees you pay an accountant, bookkeeper, lawyer, or consultant for the business.
• Self-employed health insurance. If you qualify, you may deduct premiums for medical, dental, and qualifying long-term care for yourself and your family. This is figured on its own form and reported on Schedule 1.
• Retirement contributions. Contributions to a self-employed plan like a SEP IRA or a solo 401(k) can lower your taxable income while building your own retirement savings.

Watch the mixed-use trap: phone, internet, and your car are the three expenses people overclaim. Log the business percentage honestly and you can defend every dollar.

What documentation you actually need

This is where most write-offs are won or lost. The rule is simple: if you cannot prove it, you cannot safely claim it.

For each expense, keep:

1. An itemized receipt or invoice that shows the line items, date, vendor, and amount. A card statement alone shows a total but not what you bought, which is why an itemized receipt is the standard.
2. The business purpose. A quick note of why it was for work. This matters most for meals and travel, where the reason is not obvious from the receipt.
3. Mileage logs for vehicle deductions: dates, miles, and the business reason for each trip.
4. A consistent category so the expense lands in the right spot on your tax form and your totals are ready.

The IRS generally suggests keeping records for at least three years, and longer for assets like equipment. For more on timelines, see how long to keep receipts. The hard part is rarely the rules. It is finding the paper a year later.

A few common mistakes to avoid

Knowing the categories is half the job. Avoiding the easy errors is the other half.

• Claiming the full cost of mixed-use items. Your phone, car, and home internet almost always have a personal side. Deduct the business percentage, not the whole bill.
• Relying on memory. By April you will not recall why a March lunch was a business meal. Note the purpose the same day.
• Mixing personal and business spending. A separate business card or account makes every deduction far easier to defend and to total.
• Tossing receipts because you have the statement. The statement proves you paid; the itemized receipt proves what you bought. You generally want both.

None of this is complicated, but it adds up over a year of transactions. The filers who claim the most are usually the ones who captured the proof as they went, not the ones who scrambled at tax time.

The faster way: let Mylo back every write-off with proof

This checklist is only useful if you have the receipts to support it. Mylo handles that part. It scans your email inboxes and the store and vendor accounts where receipts hide, pulls the itemized version, and matches each one to the card transaction that paid for it. Software, supplies, travel, meals, and the rest land in clean categories with proof attached.

No new card and no manual entry. Mylo works on top of the Visa, Mastercard, or Amex you already use, and syncs categorized expenses straight to QuickBooks. So when you sit down to claim everything on this list, the documentation is already there. Free on iOS, Android, and the web.

This is general information, not tax advice. Rules, limits, and percentages change, so confirm your situation with a tax professional or the IRS. Sources: IRS.gov (Deducting Business Expenses; Schedule C instructions; Topic no. 509 Business Use of Home; Topic no. 511 Business Travel Expenses; Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center).