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*Important Disclaimer: I am not a tax professional. If you are self-employed, this list is a good place to start, but always consult a professional when filing taxes and determining deductions.

Why are self-employed tax write offs important for musicians and private music teachers?

In a nutshell, tax write offs lower your taxable income.

If you work for yourself, you are most likely considered (in the United States) a Sole Proprietorship. That means you pay taxes at the self-employment rate, and you’re probably looking for ways to lower that number – you’re probably looking for sole proprietor tax deductions, or tax deductions for musicians specifically.

As of right now, the self-employment tax rate is around 15%, which is much higher than the employment tax rate of around 7%. Doesn’t seem fair, right?

Where us self-employed folks get our break is in our deductions. Money we spend on our business reduces our overall taxable income. So if we play our cards right, we are paying that 15% on less overall income.

This list of musician tax write offs has 2 important uses:

1. Help prep your tax documents for this year
2. Help you plan your expenses for next year

It’s important to think about how you spend your money as a self-employed tax payer. I have some examples throughout this post of times when I planned well, and times when I didn’t. Those years I didn’t plan well, I ended up owing a lot more in taxes.

Another crucial thing to remember: only write off costs you have records for. Thanks to digital banking, this has become much easier, but it is still important to keep bills and receipts just to cover your butt.

Again, this is important: I am not a tax professional. I’m just a self-employed tax payer who has learned a few things over the years. I bring my list to an accountant each year to make sure everything is above board, and I advise you to do the same.

List of self-employed music teacher and musician tax music teacher and write offs

The name of the game here is business expenses. If you pay for something you use for your business, you can probably write it off.

If you teach private music lessons from Home or Pay for Office Space

If you use a designated space in your home or pay for an office space, there are some significant costs that you can write off:

Utilities

Internet, water, gas, and electricity are the most common utilities that self-employed music teachers write off on their taxes. If you own your house, you can even write off mortgage payments (sometimes).

Office Space

If you pay rent for a space, that cost can be deducted. If you work from home, provide your accountant with the square footage of your office, and they can calculate how much of a deduction you can claim based on that. Sometimes your home rent can even be written off.

You can also write off office furnishings and any home improvements that might impact your work space.

If you are a traveling musician

Whether you travel from house to house or drive to a studio to teach each day, or use your personal vehicle to get to and from gigs, one of the best write offs for sole proprietors is travel expenses:

Car Expenses

Gas, maintenance, and car payments are all tax-deductible if you use your car to get to work – one of the benefits of self-employment!

Business Mileage

As a self-employed music teacher, you also get to write off a certain number of cents for every mile driven – for business. So a commute to and from work or between student houses can add up. Just make sure to log your miles.

General Business Expenses

Purchases you make for your business, whether subscriptions (my personal favorite kind of self-employed musician tax write offs are the ones that are easy to track – like subscriptions) or one-off expenses, can be written off.

Sheet Music and Books

One of the most common expenses for private music teachers and musicians is sheet music and books. I use Scribd for most of my sheet music, and it’s a subscription – bonus points for being easy to track! Read all the reasons why I use Scribd for my sheet music here.

Any other sheet music or books you purchase can be written off, and again – make sure you keep records.

Advertising

Any money you spend to promote yourself can be a tax deduction, whether it’s digital advertising costs, business cards, or website maintenance costs (hosting, domain, or hiring the job out). You can even write off graphic design costs like Canva if you use them for your business.

Pro-Tip: I like to do a lot of my advertising through Square (the program I use for just about everything – read about why I love square so much here if you’re interested) because it keeps my records all in the same place!

Teaching Supplies

White boards, markers, planners, staff paper, pencils, pens, and yes, even boom sticks can be written off on your taxes. Be sure to keep your records, though! (or use an app like Keeper to track)

Biggest self-employed tax deductions for musicians and music teachers

Now we are at the fun part of our list of self-employed music teacher and musician tax write offs (I think). Making big purchases can feel a little bit scary, but I absolutely love that they serve a dual purpose!

As promised, I will tell you that I’ve used each of these subsections as self-employed tax write offs in different years. This year, however, I realized that I didn’t make any sizeable purchases for my business. It was a good reminder for me to be intentional this year about how I spend my money for my business. We should be taking advantage of the system in front of us!

Instruments

As a voice and piano teacher, I clearly can’t purchase a new voice, but I can purchase a new keyboard or piano (if I had all the money I needed, I would purchase my dream keyboard and be set for the year). But no matter what instruments you teach, a new purchase can be a write off.

Fun fact: there is also a tax form (IRS form 4562) to allow instrument depreciation to be a music teacher and musician tax write off. Ask your accountant about it!

Technology

Last year, I got myself a brand-new Macbook Air, and it made a huge difference when it came to do my taxes. Not only that, but I got a great machine on which to work for my private music business, both in lessons and in putting together this site. Plus, I’m an Apple girl, and I love when I get to buy new tech toys.

Update: In 2022, instead of going brand-new, I went to BackMarket and got a better computer for way less money. They have great quality refurbished technology and technology accessories for great prices. My husband and I have purchased several things from BackMarket and have been impressed by the quality every single time.

Even better: use the code below for $10 off your order at Backmarket:

BackMarket $10 off Code

18106d818da96d23

Vehicle

The year you purchase a new vehicle, your down-payment can be a tax write off as well as your monthly payments. Depending on the size of your down-payment, it can make a huge difference in your final taxable income.

So… now what do you do with this (incomplete) list of write offs for self-employed musicians and music teachers like you?

1. Use this list to track your expenses this year
   Keep track of how much you spend on each of these items that are applicable to your business. The more thorough records you keep, the easier your taxes will be each year.
2. Use this list to look for deductions for last year
   Go through your bank statements and find expenses that you might be able to write off this year. Or, if time is running short, let Keeper do it for you.
3. Use this list to plan your spending for this year
   A little intentionality can go a long way – planning a larger purchase or finding ways to put more of your money towards your business each month can take some of the edge off at tax time.

This is not an exhaustive list! If you have any other self-employed tax write offs or write offs for musicians that have been helpful to you, leave a comment!