How do I expense something if it's job related?

Question

I've been hired to do a video shoot that does not have hair and wardrobe on the set. I'm going to need to shop for some items for the part. Is this something that I can submit as an expense when I do my taxes at the end of the year? How does that usually work? Thanks!

Answer 1

I guess I need a little clarity. If you're asking if you can deduct these expenses from your taxes, the answer is yes. If you've agree to a price and then realized these additional services are needed and are wondering who's paying and if you can expense them to the client, read on.

That's a question that should have been settled BEFORE you agreed to do the shoot. However hired you may have anticipated that you were going to provide that as part of your service. If so, you've got to pay. Fortunately, you get to deduct that as a business expense on your taxes.

So, the first thing I'd suggest is to call whoever hired you and explain that certainly things are needed, like wardrobe and hair. Then SHUT UP. If they've already planned on providing those services, they'll give you the scoop. If they haven't, volunteer to use your resources and ask them if they'd like to be billed directly, or if you should expense it. DO NOT volunteer to pay.

Please excuse my disjointed reply. It wasn't until I was done that I realized you might have just needed to know if those kind of expenses are deductible from your taxes...