Any "ordinary and necessary" expense of your business — ordinary meaning common in your trade, necessary meaning helpful and appropriate (not indispensable). The twelve categories in this finder are the highest-frequency ones for solo freelancers, but the standard is broader: if you spent it to earn freelance income and can document it, it is a candidate. The governing reference is IRS Publication 334.

A deduction saves you your marginal tax rate on each deducted dollar — not the deduction amount itself. At a 22% marginal rate, a $1,000 deduction saves $220 of federal income tax. Deductions that reduce net self-employment earnings (most Schedule C items) also trim the 15.3% SE tax, which is why the true value is often higher than the income-tax math alone. Health-insurance and retirement deductions are above-the-line: they cut income tax but not SE tax.

2026 is a split year: 72.5¢/mile for business driving January 1–June 30 (Notice 2026-10), raised to 76¢/mile July 1–December 31 (Announcement 2026-11) — the first mid-year increase since 2022. This finder defaults to 76¢; if your driving spans the split, use a weighted average. You need a mileage log (date, destination, business purpose) — estimates from memory do not survive audits. Source: IRS standard mileage rates.

Two methods. Simplified: $5 per square foot of exclusive, regular business use, up to 300 sq ft ($1,500 max) — no depreciation recapture later. Actual expenses: the business percentage of rent, utilities, insurance, and repairs — more paperwork, often a bigger number, but depreciation taken must be recaptured if you sell the home. The non-negotiable condition for both: the space must be used exclusively and regularly for business. A desk in the living room you also eat at fails the test.

Yes. Business meals are 50% deductible, and the finder applies that haircut automatically — enter the full spend. You also need substantiation: amount, date, place, business purpose, and who was there. Lavish or extravagant meals can be disallowed, and personal meals with a business chat squeezed in do not qualify. Keep receipts plus a one-line note in your calendar; that combination is what auditors accept.

Yes — the self-employed health insurance deduction lets you deduct premiums for medical, dental, and vision coverage for yourself, your spouse, and dependents, as an above-the-line deduction (it reduces income tax, though not SE tax). Conditions: the plan must be in your name or the business's, and you cannot be eligible for subsidized employer coverage (yours or a spouse's). It cannot exceed your net self-employment income.

SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), and SIMPLE IRA contributions are all deductible, with the Solo 401(k) generally allowing the largest contributions at a given income (employee deferral + employer profit-sharing). These are above-the-line deductions that cut income tax but not SE tax. 2026 limits adjust yearly — confirm the current year's figures before maxing out. The finder's default is a placeholder; your real number comes from your plan and income.

For most categories, yes in practice: bank/credit-card records plus the business purpose. The IRS is strictest on travel, meals, and vehicle use — those need contemporaneous logs, not reconstructions. The home-office simplified method needs a floor-plan-ish record of the space. Digital copies are fine. Rule of thumb: if you cannot produce it in an audit, assume the deduction disappears — which is exactly why "track everything through the year" is step 6 of the how-it-works above.

Yes, if the education maintains or improves skills in your current business. A web developer's advanced JavaScript course qualifies; a web developer's real-estate licensing course generally does not, because it qualifies you for a new trade. Conferences count too (travel + registration), with the same business-purpose bar. Keep the syllabus or agenda as proof of relevance.

The finder's verdict flags thin usage for a reason. The most-missed: home office (people assume their space is too small — 100 sq ft is $500), business mileage beyond client visits (supply runs, post office, bank), professional services (your accountant's fee), software renewals buried in subscriptions, and the business percentage of phone/internet. Run the finder quarterly, not annually — memories fade and receipts vanish.

No. This is a planning estimate. Deduction eligibility turns on facts — exclusive use, substantiation, income limits, filing status — that a calculator cannot verify. Defaults are national-typical starting points, not recommendations. Confirm every category you claim against IRS Publication 334 and, for anything consequential, a licensed tax professional.