The guide

Tattoo Artist Write-Offs: The Complete List

If you buy it for work, drive for work, or take a class to get better at your work, it usually counts as a write-off. Here is a straight list of what tattoo artists can deduct, so you keep more of what you earn.

Track each item as you go and you will not miss anything at the end of the year.

Supplies and equipment

The supplies you use up and the equipment that lasts. If you use it for tattooing, record it.

• Consumables: needles, cartridges, ink, caps, tubes, grips, green soap, razors, gloves, barrier film, paper towels, ointment, stencil paper and transfer solution.
• Machines and power: coil and rotary machines, pen machines, power supplies, foot switches, clip cords and batteries.
• Station and studio: your chair, armrest, cart, lamp, tablet or light box for drawing, and the cost of setting up a clean station.
• Sterilization and safety: autoclave, pouches, disposal bins, sharps containers and cleaning supplies.
• Software and subscriptions: drawing apps, booking tools, a business app like Inkperch, and the phone or tablet plan you use for work.

Booth rent and shop splits

What you pay to work out of a shop is one of the biggest deductions most artists have. It is easy to overlook because it does not feel like a purchase.

• Booth rent you pay the shop, weekly or monthly.
• The shop split when the shop takes a percentage of each tattoo. The shop's share is not your income, so it should not be taxed as if it were.
• Card processing fees taken out of each payment.
• Supply fees or station fees some shops charge on top of rent.

Set your split once in Inkperch and every payment subtracts the shop's cut, so your books show what you actually kept.

Guest spots and convention travel

When work takes you out of town, the trip is deductible too. If the reason for the travel is tattooing, the travel counts.

• Flights, trains and rental cars to a guest spot or convention.
• Hotels and lodging for the nights you are there to work.
• Booth fees and table costs at the show.
• Meals while traveling for work (usually only part of the cost, so keep the receipt).
• Baggage, parking, tolls and rideshares for the trip.

Mileage (the one most artists miss)

This is the deduction most artists forget. Every drive for work counts at the standard mileage rate, and the miles add up over a year of supply trips and guest spots.

• Driving to a guest spot or a convention.
• Trips to buy ink, needles and other supplies.
• Trips to a client's location for private or on-location work.
• Driving to the bank, the post office, or anywhere else for the business.

You cannot claim miles you did not record. Log each drive when you make it and Inkperch counts it at the current rate, so the total is accurate at the end of the year instead of a guess.

Education, seminars, and licensing

Training that improves your work and the costs of staying licensed both count.

• Seminars, workshops and guest classes to improve your work.
• Bloodborne pathogen and first-aid certification.
• Licenses, permits and shop registration your city or state requires.
• Reference books, brushes, paint and paper you use to practice drawing.
• Professional memberships and dues.

What doesn't count

A short list, because claiming the wrong thing causes problems.

• Everyday clothes, even all-black work clothes, unless they are branded or actual protective gear.
• Your regular commute from home to your main shop counts as personal miles, not business miles.
• Personal meals that are not tied to work travel or a business meeting.
• The personal share of anything you use for both work and life, such as your phone. Claim only the work portion, not the whole bill.

How to track it without a shoebox of receipts

The list only helps if the numbers are there when you need them. Record each item when it happens instead of sorting through a year of receipts in April.

• Photograph the receipt when you get it and the app reads the amount, vendor and date.
• Log the drive before you forget the mileage.
• Set your split so the shop's cut comes off automatically.
• Export everything at the end of the year in one file for your accountant.

That is what Inkperch does: income, expenses, mileage, and every client in one place, on the road or at home. Do a little tracking as you work, and every write-off on this list is already counted.

This is general information for working artists, not tax advice, and the rules and rates change. Talk to a tax professional about your own situation. The main point is simple: track everything as you go so nothing gets missed.