Tax deductions for writers and editors
The laptop is the obvious one. Here is what else a writer or editor can deduct, from research and an agent’s commission to submission fees, and what each puts back at your tax rate.
Free. No bank login. Snap a receipt and see what it puts back.
What writers and editors 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.
Your agent’s commission
Report the full advance or royalty as income and deduct the agent’s share as a commission, even when the agent pays you the rest.
Books and research materials
What you buy to research a piece you’re writing or pitching, including archives and paywalled sources.
Submission and contest fees
Getting work in front of editors and judges is part of selling it.
Research travel for a specific piece
When the trip is mainly for work you’re doing, like reporting a story or a book under contract, not work you might do someday.
Transcription and archives
Interview transcription, newspaper subscriptions and research databases you use for the work.
An editor or researcher
Contract labor, in full. A 1099-NEC once you pay someone $2,000 in a year.
Where a writer’s receipts go
Each goes on its own line of Schedule C. Start from this page and Reimburse reads your receipts as a writer’s, so the line is right the first time.
| On the receipt | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Your agent’s share | Commissions and fees, line 10. |
| Books bought for research | Supplies, line 22. |
| Newspaper and database subscriptions | Other expenses, line 27a. |
| An editor or researcher | Contract labor, line 11. |
| A reporting trip | Travel, line 24a, with half of the meals on line 24b. |
| Guild or association dues | Other expenses, line 27a. |
What to write on it
- Which piece is it for? Research is deductible when it serves work you’re doing. Name the story or the book.
- Who did you meet? A meal with a source or an editor is half deductible. Write down the name and what you discussed.
- Paid in full, or net of the agent? The whole amount is income and the agent’s share is a commission.
A writer’s year
An example, not an average: a freelance journalist and author clearing $60,000 from articles and a book advance, with one reporting trip. Every amount is priced at your rate; change it below and the year moves.
| What | Schedule C | Deductible | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| An agent’s 15% of a $20,000 advance | Line 10 | $3,000 | $1,082 back |
| A reporting trip for the book | Line 24a | $1,640 | $591 back |
| A freelance editor | Line 11 | $1,200 | $433 back |
| Books and research materials | Line 22 | $680 | $245 back |
| The writing room, 120 sq ft | Line 30 | $600 | $216 back |
| A writers’ conference | Line 27a | $550 | $198 back |
| Paywalls and archives | Line 27a | $480 | $173 back |
| Phone, 50% business | Line 25 | $420 | $151 back |
| Writing and transcription software | Line 27a | $360 | $130 back |
| A website and a newsletter | Line 8 | $300 | $108 back |
| Professional association dues | Line 27a | $250 | $90 back |
| Submission and contest fees | Line 27a | $220 | $79 back |
| Meals with sources, half of $260 | Line 24b | $130 | $47 back |
| The year | $9,830 | $3,545 back |
Sounds deductible, isn’t
Or has a catch.
- Reading for pleasure
- The novels on the nightstand stay personal, even for a novelist.
- A trip to soak up a setting
- Travel as research needs a piece you’re working on. A trip that might inspire something someday is a vacation.
- Years without income
- The IRS can treat writing with no profit motive as a hobby. Pitching, submitting and keeping records show you run it to make money.
Questions writers and editors ask
What can a freelance writer write off?
Research materials, software, a home office used only for writing, an agent’s commission, submission fees, editors, and travel for a specific piece. Personal reading and vacations stay personal.
Are books tax deductible for writers?
Books bought to research work you’re writing or pitching are. Books you read for pleasure aren’t, even if reading widely helps your writing.
Is an agent’s commission deductible?
Yes. Report the full advance or royalty as income and deduct the commission on line 10.
Can writers deduct travel for research?
When the trip is mainly for a piece you’re working on, yes: the flight, the hotel and half of the meals. A trip that might someday inspire a story is a vacation.
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 a laptop tax deductible?Yes
- Are software subscriptions tax deductible?Yes
- Is a home office tax deductible?Yes
- Are business travel expenses tax deductible?Yes
- Are business meals tax deductible?Half
- Are courses and training tax deductible?Yes
- Can you deduct what you pay contractors?Yes
- Is a business website tax deductible?Yes
Checked on September 25, 2026 against Publication 463, Travel, Gift and Car Expenses, Instructions for Schedule C, Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business and Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC. An estimate for your records, not tax advice.
Snap the next receipt.
Set up for writers and editors and Reimburse reads each receipt as a writer’s, files it on its Schedule C line and shows what it puts back.