Schedule C Deduction Finder
Pick your profession and get a tailored checklist of tax write-offs — each mapped to its IRS Schedule C line, with a running estimate of the tax you'd save.
- Line 8Advertising & marketing
Ads, your website and hosting, business cards, promotional spend.
- Line 9Business mileage
Business miles at the 2026 rate of 72.5¢ — logged by date and purpose.
- Line 10Payment processing fees
Stripe, PayPal, Square, and marketplace fees skimmed before you're paid.
- Line 15Business insurance
Liability, errors-and-omissions, and equipment coverage.
- Line 17Legal & professional services
CPA and bookkeeping fees, legal help — and your TaxClover subscription.
- Line 18Office supplies
Stationery, printer ink, postage, and other consumables.
- Line 24aBusiness travel
Airfare, hotels, and rental cars for genuine business trips.
- Line 24bBusiness meals (50%)
Meals with clients or while traveling for work — half is deductible.
- Line 25Phone & internet (business %)
The business-use share of the phone and internet you work from.
- Line 27bSoftware & subscriptions
The recurring SaaS tools your business runs on.
- Line 27bEducation & professional development
Courses, conferences, books, and dues that build your existing skills.
- Line 30Home office
A space used regularly and exclusively for business — simplified or actual method.
- 1040 adj.Self-employed health insurance
Your own premiums — an above-the-line adjustment, not a Schedule C line.
- 1040 adj.SEP-IRA / Solo 401(k) contributions
Retirement contributions reduce taxable income — also an adjustment.
What Schedule C is
Schedule C is the form sole proprietors and single-member LLCs use to report business income and expenses. Part II lists deductible expenses on numbered lines 8 through 27 — advertising, car expenses, supplies, software, and more. Every legitimate deduction lowers your net profit, and net profit is what self-employment and income tax are calculated on.
How this finder works
Pick your line of work and the tool builds a checklist combining the write-offs most specific to your profession with the deductions nearly every freelancer should review. Each item shows the Schedule C line it belongs on. Add a rough annual amount and the tool estimates the tax those deductions save you.
Deductions vs. above-the-line adjustments
A couple of the biggest tax savers for the self-employed — your own health insurance premiums and retirement plan contributions — aren't Schedule C expenses at all. They're adjustments on Form 1040 itself. The checklist flags those so you don't miss them or file them in the wrong place.
Frequently asked
What can I write off as a freelancer?+
Any expense that's ordinary and necessary for your business — software, a portion of your phone and internet, business mileage, supplies, professional services, insurance, travel, and a home office, among others. This finder lists the ones most relevant to your profession.
What's the difference between a deduction and a credit?+
A deduction reduces the income you're taxed on; a credit reduces the tax itself, dollar for dollar. The items in this tool are deductions and adjustments — they shrink taxable income, and the tool estimates the resulting tax saved at a roughly 30% combined rate.
Do I need receipts for these deductions?+
Yes — keep documentation for every deduction: receipts, invoices, a mileage log, and bank or card records. TaxClover stores receipts and categorizes expenses by Schedule C line so the records are ready at tax time.
Stop running the numbers by hand.
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