Tax Advice

Since tax day, April 15th, is right around the corner. (April 15 also happens to be my birthday!!) I thought I’d give a few pointers for what I use as a tax write off for my business. After all, I love to doing what I do for a living (being a voice actor AND a writer) but this IS a business. And even though for the most part I stay in my studio voicing projects all day or writing, I do go out sometimes for meetings, comic cons, book stores and office supplies. So here are some tips.

Ok, first things first…I’m NOT A CPA!! I don’t know taxes. I have someone do my taxes for me. But, I’ve been doing this VO thing (and writing thing) for a while now and I believe I know what I can and can’t write off for my business. So here’s my advice. (For what it’s worth)

For the most part, if you’re in the voiceover business, you should already know that if you join wa Pay 2 Play site like V123 or VoiceRealm (and many more like them) the money you invest into these web sites is a tax write off. (I don’t use these sites anymore but if you do, you can use it as a business expense.)

I’m sure you also know that if you buy any new equipment for your business (like a new microphone or speakers) you can not only write off the expenses of what you bought but you can also write off the miles that you used in your car to GET there!

I sometimes go to Ad Club and Chamber of Commerce meetings in my local area to meet new people who might want to use my voice for a commercial or for other things. To go to a business luncheon or a meeting (or to join these groups) cost money. That’s a tax write off! Plus, the miles you use in your car to get there is a tax write off too.

If you go to a new business in town and pass your business card to them in hopes that they might want to buy your voice for a radio or TV commercial then the miles you used to get there is a tax write off. Of course, if they DON’T buy from you then you might have a hard time proving that you actually went there. So my tax guy advises not to write off to many of these, unless they actually become a new client of yours!

Also, simple things like buying paper for your printer, pens and paper clips is also a tax write off if you use them for your business. Don’t forget, the miles you had to drive to get to the store to buy these things.

As for my writing career, if I buy a table at a comic con, that‘s a write off. Also the miles it takes to go there too. If I get a free table at a comic book store or book store I can still write off the miles it takes to get there.

I can also write off the hotel costs too.

If I by a new computer that will be used for writing and for my voice actor career, that’s a write off. If I by virus protection for my computer, that’s a write off.

I’m sure you get the idea by now.

These are some of the few things that I use as a tax write off in my business.

If you’re in the voice over business, do you know of any more things a voice actor can write off? Maybe there are a few things that some of us didn’t know about.

I hope to hear your input on this before my birthday…ah, I mean tax day!

Frank