10 Travel Blogger Tax Deductions You're Missing Out On

You may think you don't qualify for tax deductions as a travel blogger, but you often do. In fact, missing travel blogger tax deductions can cost you thousands of dollars every year! 

In turn, when you understand what business expenses you can write off as a travel blogger, you get to keep more money in your pocket instead of handing it over to the IRS. This guide breaks down the 10 most commonly missed deductions that could reduce your tax bill this year by a lot.

How Do Bloggers Pay Taxes?

Bloggers typically operate as self-employed business owners in the eyes of the IRS. When you monetize your blog through ads, sponsorships, affiliate links, or any other method, you're running a business.

You may run your business as a sole proprietorship, an LLC, and even an S-Corp, depending on your situation. There are pros and cons to each business structure:

• Sole proprietorships are the simplest to set up and require no formal paperwork, but they offer no liability protection.

• LLCs provide legal separation between your personal and business assets, which protects you if someone sues your business.

• S-Corps can save you money on self-employment taxes once you're earning substantial income, but they require more administrative work like running payroll and filing additional tax forms.

Unlike traditional employees who have taxes automatically withheld from their paychecks, you need to track everything yourself and make quarterly estimated tax payments four times per year.

How you file and pay your taxes depends on your business structure.

For example, sole proprietors and single-member LLCs report income on Schedule C of their personal tax return. S-Corps file a separate corporate return and issue you a W-2 for salary plus a K-1 for your share of business profits.

Can Influencers Write Off Expenses?

YES! Any ordinary and necessary business expense that helps you create content, maintain your blog, or generate income is potentially deductible.

The IRS allows businesses and self-employed individuals to subtract legitimate business expenses from their income before calculating taxes. 

For example, if you earn $60,000 from your blog but spend $15,000 on deductible expenses, you only pay taxes on $45,000.

Learn more about how influencers handle taxes.

Can You Write Off Travel as a Blogger?

Yes, but only when the travel has a genuine business purpose. Traveling to create content, attend conferences, meet with brands, or research destinations for your blog typically qualifies as a deductible business expense.

Even if you mix in some personal activities, you can still usually deduct the business portion of your travel expenses.

10 Travel Blogger Tax Deductions to Take Advantage Of

1. Home Office Deduction

If you have a dedicated space in your home where you write posts, edit photos, respond to emails, or handle other business tasks, you can deduct a portion of your housing costs. This includes rent or mortgage interest, utilities, internet, renters or homeowners insurance, and repairs.

The space needs to be used regularly and exclusively for business.

A corner desk in your living room doesn't count, but a spare bedroom converted into an office does. You can calculate the deduction using the simplified method ($5 per square foot up to 300 square feet) or the actual expense method based on the percentage of your home you use for business.

Learn more about the S-Corp home office deduction.

2. Travel Expenses

Your flights, hotels, rental cars, parking fees, tolls, public transportation, and 50% of meals during business trips are all deductible. However, you'll need to document the business purpose of each trip.

Taking a brand trip to review a resort or visiting a destination to create content for your blog will most likely be deductible. But going on a personal vacation where you happen to post a few photos won't be.

You can mix personal and business travel, but you can't deduct the personal portion.

3. Content Creation Equipment

Cameras, lenses, tripods, drones, lighting equipment, microphones, memory cards, camera bags, and any other gear you use to create content are fully deductible business expenses.

You can also deduct your smartphone and laptop if you use them for business purposes.

If you use these devices for both personal and business activities, you can only deduct the percentage used for business. AKA, a phone that's 70% business use means you can write off 70% of the cost.

4. Website and Hosting

Your domain registration, web hosting fees, website builder subscriptions (like Squarespace or WordPress), SSL certificates, and any other costs to keep your blog online are deductible.

If you paid someone to design or develop your website (like a website designer), those costs are deductible too. The same goes for website maintenance, security plugins, and backup services.

Learn more about sneaky tax loopholes for small businesses.

5. Software Subscriptions

As a content creator, you likely use tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, and Tailwind. You also probably have subscriptions to project management software, email marketing platforms, and other software that help you run your business.

All of these are deductible.

6. Professional Services

Payments to freelancers and contractors who help you run your blog are deductible. This includes virtual assistants, photo editors, graphic designers, copywriters, web developers, SEO specialists, accountants, bookkeepers, and lawyers.

If you pay any individual contractor $600 or more during the year, you'll need to send them a 1099-NEC form. But even payments under $600 are still deductible. You just don't have to issue a form.

7. Education/Professional Development

Courses, workshops, conferences, and coaching programs that help you improve your blogging skills or grow your business are deductible. For example, you may want to take an online course about SEO or invest in business coaching.

8. Marketing and Advertising

When you spend money on promoting your travel, it's deductible. 

This includes paid ads, promotional materials, business cards, and other marketing expenses. Essentially, any costs that come with growing your following can be part of influencer tax write-offs with the right strategy. 

9. Insurance

Business liability insurance protects you if someone claims your content caused them harm. If you carry this coverage, the insurance premiums are fully deductible.

You may also want to get equipment insurance to cover your camera gear, laptop, and other expensive equipment, and it'll also be a deductible business expense.

10. Miscellaneous Often-Missed Deductions

These smaller expenses can add up to meaningful deductions:

• Coworking space memberships: If you rent a desk at a coworking space instead of working from home, those monthly fees are fully deductible.

• Business meals with collaborators: When you meet with other bloggers, brand representatives, or business partners to discuss work, you can deduct 50% of the meal cost.

• Props and styling materials for photos: If you bought something specifically for content creation, you can usually deduct it.

Overall, it's not just travel-related expenses that you can take advantage of to lower your tax bill! 

As long as you can separate the expenses related to your blogging business and personal expenses, there's a ton of opportunity to reduce your tax liability.

Working with a Tax Professional

If you made more than a few thousand dollars last year, or if you're planning to scale your business this year, an accountant or a tax strategist can save you more money than they cost.

You especially need professional help if you're juggling multiple income streams, traveling internationally for business, working with brands across different states, or thinking about changing your business structure.

Tax laws get complicated fast when your business grows beyond simple ad revenue.

Making mistakes on your tax return or calculating quarterly payments incorrectly can trigger penalties and interest charges that far exceed what you'd pay for professional help.

Get a Personalized Tax Strategy with Desi Tax Service®

Desi Tax Service® specializes in helping content creators, online entrepreneurs, and small business owners navigate their taxes with confidence. 

We understand the unique challenges that travel bloggers and influencers face, and we create a personalized tax strategy that makes sense for your business.

Stop leaving money on the table! Learn more about our services or schedule a consultation with our team.