The Ultimate Self-Employed Tax Deductions Checklist for 2026

If you're self-employed, you're leaving money on the table every year. Not because you're bad at your job — but because most freelancers have no idea what they're legally allowed to deduct. The average independent contractor overpays by $1,500 to $3,000 annually just on deductions they didn't know existed.

This checklist fixes that.

Self-Employment Tax Basics: What You're Actually Paying

Before diving into deductions, you need to understand what you're being taxed on. Self-employment tax has two parts:

• Social Security (12.4%): Applies to the first $168,600 of net earnings (2026)
• Medicare (2.9%): Applies to all net earnings, with an additional 0.9% on income above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly)

That's 15.3% total — plus your regular income tax. The good news: you get to deduct half of your self-employment tax when calculating your adjusted gross income. That brings your effective SE tax rate down to about 14.1%.

The key number: Your net profit (revenue minus expenses) is what gets taxed. Expenses reduce your taxable income. That's why deductions matter so much when you're self-employed.

The Top 20 Deductions Every Self-Employed Person Should Know

Here's the complete list. Read it once. Bookmark it. Come back every January.

1. Home Office Deduction

You can deduct a portion of your home expenses if you use a space exclusively for business. Two methods:

• Simplified: $5 per square foot, up to 300 sq ft = $1,500 max
• Regular: Proportional share of mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs, and depreciation

If you're taking the simplified method, you still need a dedicated workspace — "the corner of my kitchen table" doesn't count. Exclusive and regular use is the IRS standard.

2. Vehicle and Mileage Expenses

If you drive for business — visiting clients, picking up supplies, attending industry events — you can deduct those miles. For 2026, the standard mileage rate is 70 cents per mile.

The easiest way to track this: keep a mileage log in Eonebill's free mileage calculator. Log each trip as you take it, not at the end of the year.

3. Phone and Internet

Personal phone and internet bills are not deductible. But the business portion is — if you have a separate business line or can document business use percentage. A dedicated business phone line is fully deductible. If you use one phone for both, calculate the business percentage and deduct that portion.

4. Software and Tools

Yes, your invoice software is deductible. So is your project management tool, your design software subscription, your cloud storage, your code editor, and your grammar checker if it helps you communicate with clients. Full list of commonly deductible software:

• Accounting and invoicing software (Eonebill, QuickBooks)
• Project management tools (Notion, Asana, Basecamp)
• Creative software (Adobe CC, Figma, Sketch)
• Communication tools (Slack Pro, Zoom Pro)
• Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Workspace)

The key: the expense must be for business use. If you have a personal Dropbox account and a business one, only the business account is deductible.

5. Health Insurance Premiums

If you're self-employed and not covered by a spouse's employer plan, you can deduct 100% of your health insurance premiums — including dental and vision. This is an "above-the-line" deduction, meaning it reduces your taxable income even if you don't itemize.

6. Retirement Contributions

Self-employed retirement accounts let you save for retirement while cutting your tax bill:

• SEP IRA: Contribute up to 25% of net self-employment income, maximum $69,000 (2026)
• Solo 401(k): Same contribution limits as a SEP IRA, with the additional option of making employee contributions (up to $23,000 as an employee deferral)
• SIMPLE IRA: Good for lower-income years, with lower contribution limits

Contributing to retirement isn't just good financial planning — it's one of the most powerful tax moves available to self-employed people.

7. Professional Development and Courses

Continuing education directly related to your profession is deductible. This includes:

• Industry conferences (registration, travel, and lodging)
• Online courses and certifications
• Professional memberships and licenses
• Business books and subscriptions

Courses that help you maintain or improve skills for your current business? Deductible. Courses that train you for a new career entirely? Not deductible.

8. Office Supplies

Pens, paper, printer ink, folders, sticky notes, notebooks — any consumable supplies used in your business are deductible. These add up faster than most people realize, often $500-$1,500 per year for a typical freelancer.

9. Business Insurance

Professional liability insurance, general liability insurance, business property insurance, and equipment breakdown coverage — all deductible. If you work from a home office, your homeowner's insurance policy may not cover business equipment, which is why separate business insurance is worth considering.

10. Bank Fees and Payment Processing Fees

Bank monthly fees, wire transfer fees, ATM fees when traveling for business — all deductible as miscellaneous business expenses. Payment processor fees (Stripe, PayPal) are also deductible. If you use a payment processor that charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, that 2.9% is a legitimate deduction.

11. Marketing and Advertising

Your business website hosting, domain registration, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, industry directory listings, business cards, and promotional materials — all deductible. Traditional advertising counts too: print ads, radio spots, sponsorships.

12. Business Travel and Meals

Travel is fully deductible when you're away from your tax home for business purposes: airfare, hotels, ground transportation, and 50% of meals.

Meals alone (not travel): 50% deductible if they are business-related — a working lunch with a client, meals during a conference, or food delivered to your office while working late. Keep receipts and note the business purpose.

Note: The 50% limit on meal deductions has been a contentious area. Currently it stays at 50%, though there's been legislative discussion about changing it.

13. Professional Services

CPAs, tax attorneys, bookkeepers, and business consultants — their fees are fully deductible. This is one of the most commonly overlooked deductions. If you're paying someone to help you run your business better, that's a deduction.

14. Equipment Depreciation

Large purchases (computers, cameras, machinery) are generally not fully deductible in the year of purchase under current law — they must be depreciated over time. However, Section 179 allows you to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment in the year it's placed in service (up to certain limits). For 2026, the Section 179 limit is $1,160,000. The "de minimis safe harbor" rule also lets businesses expense items under $2,500 per item without a full depreciation schedule.

15. Licenses and Permits

Business licenses, professional licenses, permit fees, and regulatory compliance costs — all deductible as business expenses. If your state requires a general business license, that's deductible. If you're a real estate agent who needs a license renewal, that's deductible.

16. Shipping and Postage

Shipping costs for business merchandise, postage for mailing contracts and invoices, and courier fees for sending documents to clients — all deductible. If you're shipping products to customers, the shipping cost can be factored into your product pricing and deducted as a cost of goods sold.

17. Subcontractor Payments

If you hire other freelancers or contractors to help with client work, their payments are a deductible business expense — as long as you issue them a 1099-NEC form if you pay them $600 or more in a calendar year.

18. Bad Debt

If a client stiffs you — invoices sent, services rendered, and no payment after collection efforts — you may be able to deduct the unpaid amount as a bad debt. This is only for debts that were included in income previously (e.g., you invoiced and reported the income on an accrual basis). Worth knowing: the deduction requires documented collection efforts.

19. Continuing Education

Similar to professional development but focused on maintaining current credentials: license renewals, CE credits for professionals (CPAs, attorneys, nurses, real estate agents), and recertification fees. The IRS distinguishes this from professional development that "qualifies you for a new trade or business."

20. Business Gifts

You can deduct up to $25 per person per year for business gifts. This is not $25 per gift — it's $25 total per person annually. Branded company swag (t-shirts, mugs) that costs less than $4 per item and features your company name/logo doesn't count against the $25 limit. Client appreciation gifts, conference giveaways, and business relationship gifts — track these carefully.

How to Track Deductions Year-Round (Don't Wait Until Tax Season)

Here's the mistake almost every freelancer makes: they try to reconstruct their expenses in March. They dig through credit card statements, try to remember what that random Amazon charge was for, and guess at categories.

Don't do that.

Step 1: Snap Receipts Immediately

The moment you spend money on something business-related, take a photo of the receipt. Upload it to Eonebill's AI expense tracker and let the AI extract vendor, amount, date, and category automatically. This takes about 10 seconds and saves you hours of painful reconstruction in April.

Step 2: Categorize by IRS Schedule C Category

Eonebill automatically maps your expenses to IRS Schedule C categories. There are roughly 26 categories on Schedule C — Eonebill covers the 12 most common ones. If you buy something, categorize it at the time of purchase. Your future self (and your CPA) will thank you.

Step 3: Review Monthly

Set a monthly calendar reminder to review your expenses. This isn't just about catching duplicate charges — it's about seeing patterns. Are you spending more than you expected on software? Is your client entertainment deductible? Monthly reviews turn tax prep into a 15-minute task instead of a two-day nightmare.

Quarterly Estimated Tax: Don't Get Surprised

Most self-employed people dread April because they owe a big tax bill they didn't plan for. The fix is quarterly estimated tax payments.

Estimated taxes are due four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. If you expect to owe $1,000 or more, the IRS wants you to pay quarterly.

The rule of thumb: set aside 25-30% of every payment you receive from clients. Put it in a separate savings account. Don't touch it. When quarterly estimated tax is due, you have the money.

How to calculate: Use IRS Form 1040-ES, or let Eonebill's sales tax calculator give you a quick estimate of what you should be setting aside.

The Bottom Line

Tax deductions for self-employed people aren't a loophole — they're the IRS's explicit invitation for you to reinvest in your business. The tax code is designed to encourage entrepreneurship. Use it.

The self-employed person who tracks expenses year-round, categorizes them properly, and makes quarterly estimated tax payments will consistently outperform the one who wing it. Not because they earn more — but because they keep more of what they earn.

Start tracking automatically with AI → Try Eonebill Free

Grace is a freelance writer and former CPA who helps independent contractors navigate the financial side of self-employment. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional for your specific situation.