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Taxes for Food Bloggers: Business or Hobby?

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Please note:  the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act changed the treatment of hobby expenses.

Eater, writer, bean counter.  So say my business cards, yet I’ve never touched the topics of accounting or taxes on this here blog.  I mean, taxes…  Blegh.  Am I right?  But after attending the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle last week, I got to thinking.  Did these foodies know food blogger conference expenses are tax deductible?

Business or Hobby?

You dedicate all of your free time to your blog.  It’s like, a second job or something.  Right?  That’s how most serious food bloggers feel about their blogs, but the IRS may see it differently, and that could majorly impact the Federal tax due on your blog earnings.  Whomp. Whomp.

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My Favs, Ramblings

10 Tips for Tax Season

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Those of you who are NOT tax accountants probably think of taxes on one of two days during the year:

a.) the day you get your w-2

b.) April 15th (AKA the day your tax return is due)

Ohhhhh how blissful that must be!  Tax accountants, on the other hand, live and breathe taxes.  We are number crunching, tax law massaging, carbo loading monsters this time of year.  Understandably, this season puts crazy stress on us and leads to periods of extreme unhappiness followed by periods of extreme slap-happiness in rapid succession.

Up and down, up and down.

Smile –> Sad smile  –> Surprised smile  –> Angry smile –> Rolling on the floor laughing  ->  Crying face  ->  Vampire bat

This is tax season #6 for moi and E.V.E.R.Y year I see myself and my coworkers fall into this instability.

Not this year, Uncle Sam.  Not this year. 

10 Tips for tax season.

  1. Find time for fun.
  2. Eat healthfully…  Especially when it’s 10 pm, you’re still at the office, and that Krispy Kreme donut has been calllllllllllllling your name all.friggin.day.
  3. Breathe.
  4. Exercise woman!  All that stuff about exercise and endorphins is true and don’t you forget it!
  5. Back.away.from.your.desk.  BACK AWAY.
  6. Smile.  Even it it hurts.  (AKA fake it til you make it, baby)
  7. DO NOT project your stress on to your lovely coworkers.  They’ve got enough poo on their shoulders without you flinging more at them.
  8. Go pee (you know you’ve been holding it for the last 2, possibly 3, hours)
  9. Dance.  Bust out at least one dance move, at a minimum, each day.  Work it…. workkkkkkk it.
  10. It’s just taxes.

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