26 Tax Write-Offs for Freelance Designers
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.541400
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.From icon sets to social media ads, designers like you are the backbone of making our digital world functional and beautiful. But did you know that being a freelance graphic or UX designer means you get access to unique tax savings?
Any ordinary business expense that you encounter as you slay the beasts of blank space and bland design can help reduce your tax bill. And we’ve made it even easier, by creating a shortcut list of the best write-offs for graphic designers. No special brush sets required.
Photoshop, InDesign, and any other design software you need can be written off.
Computers, extra monitors, webcams and microphones you need for work are write-offs. The device is depreciated on Box 13, or expensed up front under Section 179 or the de minimis safe harbor, and only the business-use share counts.
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, and other website service fees are fully tax-deductible.
Courses, conferences, workshops, and premium listservs: write off anything you pay for to enhance your design skills or further your career.
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.
Ad campaigns on Google, Meta, TikTok, and more are all deductible on your taxes.
Fonts, brushes, stock images, and any other digital assets you use for design are deductible.
Deduct anything you buy for your office, like pens, binders, folders, printer ink, or a whiteboard.
Business cards, postcards, and other materials used to promote yourself are deductible.
If you pay for cloud data storage to store files for work, it's a write-off.
Printing physical portfolios and client proofs is deductible.
Errors and omissions coverage protects you when a client claims your advice or work caused them a loss — the premiums are deductible.
Fees to renew your license to perform your work are fully deductible.
The cut Stripe, PayPal, Square or your invoicing platform takes on each payment is a write-off.
If you drive for work ...
If you drive a car for your 1099 graphic design work, like to attend a networking event or client meeting, or to pick up office supplies, you can claim a tax write-off on the associated 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 ...
Stocking your home office with food doesn't count as a business expense. However, going to a coffee shop or restaurant with clients or fellow graphic designers can be written off as a business meal if the purpose of the meeting is to talk about work.
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 ...
Let us paint you a picture: You head out of town for three days to attend a graphic design conference. You spend 2.5 of those days on travel and networking at the conference, and half a day exploring the town. This still counts as a deductible business trip, because the majority of your time was spent on work! This also counts for other work-related trips, like workshops or client meetings.
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 use your designated workspace to make personal calls once in a while, that's fine. But to claim the home office deduction, you should spend the majority of your time there on work-related matters, like creating designs for a client, coming up with marketing and advertising assets, or working on client development.
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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