Tag: Tax planning
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Taxation of Unemployment Benefits for Musicians
On March 11, the President signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which changed the taxation of unemployment benefits. Many musicians received unemployment benefits in 2020 due to Coronavirus shutdowns. Unemployment benefits have always taxable income, however, ARPA will allow you to exclude up to $10,200 of benefits from your 2020 income. Musicians can qualify…
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Deducting Concert Clothes
Can professional musicians deduct the purchase of required concert clothes? Yes, but you need to meet the IRS requirements for “uniforms” for the expense to be allowable. The IRS has a two-part test for deducting concert clothes. You are required to wear the clothes as a condition of your job. The clothes are not suitable…
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Tax Parity Act Would Help W-2 Musicians
In 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) eliminated Unreimbursed Employee Expenses as a tax deduction. For musicians who are W-2 employees, this meant we lost the ability to deduct expenses, often significant, like our instruments and equipment, concert clothes, repairs, a home office, travel for work, study, or auditions, and even Union dues.…
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Estimated Tax Payments For Musicians
The IRS requires that tax payers make timely tax payments, which for many self-employed musicians, including 1099s, means having to make quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year. Otherwise, you could be subject to penalties for the underpayment of taxes, even if you pay the whole sum in April. The rules for underpayment apply to…
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20% Pass Through Deduction for Musicians
You’ve probably heard about the new 20% tax deduction for “Pass Through” entities under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), and have wondered if musicians qualify. For those who are self-employed (1099, not W-2) here are five frequently asked questions: 1. Do I have to form a corporation in order to qualify for this…
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Musicians, Reduce Your Taxes Without Itemizing
If you used to itemize your tax deductions, chances are you will not be able to do so in 2018 under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). While it sounds good that the standard deduction has been increased to $12,000 single and $24,000 married, many musicians are lamenting that they no longer can…
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Bonus Depreciation for Self-Employed Musicians
We’ve written extensively about the loss of tax deductions for W-2 musicians under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). For self-employed musicians, however, there are some changes for 2018 which may benefit you if you are an Independent Contractor (1099), Sole Proprietor, or have formed an LLC or Corporation. Specifically, Section 179 has been…
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Tax Bill Passes; Strategies for Musicians
Two weeks ago, we posted how musicians would lose their tax deductions under the proposed tax bill in the Senate. Let me again state that this applies to musicians who take itemized deductions on Schedule A against their W-2 income. For 1099 income or self-employment income reported on Schedule C, there will be little or…
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Is Your Car Eligible for a $7,500 Tax Credit?
As a free-lance musician, I can think of many times when I have spent three hours or more in the car, round-trip, for a two and a half hour rehearsal. In most cases, our pay for a gig is fixed, so the only way to take home more money is to reduce our expenses. If…
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The Musician’s Guide to Mileage, Part 2
Are you missing out on driving expenses you could be deducting from your taxes? In Part 1 of this series, we differentiated between commuting and types of travel which are tax deductible for professional musicians. Now, in Part 2, we will consider which will maximize your tax deduction: using the IRS Standard Mileage Rate or the…
