Tax deductions for social media managers
Canva is the obvious one. Here is what else a social media manager can deduct, what most miss, and what each puts back at your tax rate.
Free. No bank login. Snap a receipt and see what it puts back.
What social media managers miss
Not the laptop or the phone; everyone finds those. These are particular to the work, and each is shown the way Reimburse would log it.
Ad spend you front for clients
Paid on your card, it’s a business expense, and what the client pays back is income, so the two cancel. Leave out the expense and you pay tax on the repayment.
Scheduling and design tools
Canva, schedulers and analytics are ordinary business software.
A high phone share
If the phone is where the work happens, its business share can be most of the bill. Keep a note of how you set the percentage.
Stock media and music
Licenses bought to use in client posts are a cost of the work.
Editors and designers you hire
Contract labor, in full. A 1099-NEC once you pay someone $2,000 in 2026 by check, transfer or cash.
Where a social media manager’s receipts go
Each goes on its own line of Schedule C. Start from this page and Reimburse reads your receipts as a social media manager’s, so the line is right the first time.
| On the receipt | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Canva, Later or Buffer | Other expenses, line 27a, as software. |
| A freelance editor or designer | Contract labor, line 11. |
| Ads that promote your own services | Advertising, line 8. |
| Stock photos and music licenses | Other expenses, line 27a. |
| A gimbal, mic or ring light under $2,500 | Supplies, line 22, all in the year you buy it, if you elect the de minimis safe harbor. |
| The phone bill | Utilities, line 25, at the business share. |
What to write on it
- Which client, and is it billed back? Ad spend you front and the client’s repayment belong on the books together.
- How much of the phone is work? Write down how you set the percentage, so it holds up.
- Who did the work? Contractors need a W-9, and a 1099-NEC once you pay them $2,000 in 2026.
A social media manager’s year
An example, not an average: a freelance social media manager clearing $60,000 across six small-business clients, working from home and her phone. Every amount is priced at your rate; change it below and the year moves.
| What | Schedule C | Deductible | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| A freelance designer and a video editor | Line 11 | $4,800 | $1,731 back |
| Scheduling, design and analytics tools | Line 27a | $1,800 | $649 back |
| The home office, 200 sq ft | Line 30 | $1,000 | $361 back |
| Phone, 80% business | Line 25 | $960 | $346 back |
| Flights and a hotel for a conference | Line 24a | $900 | $325 back |
| The conference ticket | Line 27a | $700 | $252 back |
| Stock photos, video and music licenses | Line 27a | $600 | $216 back |
| Ads for your own services | Line 8 | $500 | $180 back |
| Internet, 50% business | Line 25 | $450 | $162 back |
| A gimbal, a mic and a ring light | Line 22 | $420 | $151 back |
| Courses in platform strategy | Line 27a | $400 | $144 back |
| Liability insurance | Line 15 | $350 | $126 back |
| Client meals, half of $240 | Line 24b | $120 | $43 back |
| The year | $13,000 | $4,688 back |
Sounds deductible, isn’t
Or has a catch.
- Your personal accounts
- Boosts and subscriptions for a personal profile are personal. Ads that sell your own services are advertising.
- Clothes for content you shoot
- Clothes you could wear anywhere are personal, even if you only wear them on camera.
- A phone share you can’t explain
- The business percentage has to follow how you actually use it, not a round number.
Questions social media managers ask
What can a social media manager write off?
The tools you schedule, design and report with, the contractors you hire, ads for your own business, stock media, a home office and the business share of your phone and internet. Personal accounts and everyday clothes don’t count.
Can I deduct ad spend I pay for a client?
Yes. If you pay it and bill the client, the spend is a business expense and the repayment is income. Record both, so you aren’t taxed on the repayment alone.
How much of my phone can I write off?
The business share, based on how you actually use it. If most of your working day happens on the phone, that share can be high, but it should be a figure you can explain.
Priced at your rate
What a deduction puts back depends on your state, your profit and how you file. Change any of it and every figure on this page reprices.
I run in . I file , and this year the business should clear about , with from a job or anything else.
of every dollar you spend on the business comes back to you.
14.1¢ is self-employment tax, 8.9¢ federal income tax and 3.7¢ California.
Your answers come with you. Next is your first receipt.
What every freelancer can deduct
- Is your phone bill tax deductible?Partly
- Is home internet tax deductible?Partly
- Are software subscriptions tax deductible?Yes
- Can you deduct what you pay contractors?Yes
- Is advertising tax deductible?Yes
- Is a home office tax deductible?Yes
- Are equipment and furniture tax deductible?Yes
- Are courses and training tax deductible?Yes
Checked on September 25, 2026 against Instructions for Schedule C, Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC and Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business. An estimate for your records, not tax advice.
Snap the next receipt.
Set up for social media managers and Reimburse reads each receipt as a social media manager’s, files it on its Schedule C line and shows what it puts back.