A common question I heard during tax season was whether or not clothing and shoes purchased specifically for work purposes could be deducted as a business expense. It seems logical that you should be able to deduct an outfit you only wear for shooting weddings or speaking at events, but unfortunately that won’t be good enough for the IRS when it comes to deducting the expense.
If your clothing purchase satisfies these requirements found in the IRS Publication 17, then they can be deducted as a business expense. If not, consider them a personal purchase.
- Clothing must be specifically required by your employer
- It is not enough that you do not wear your clothes away from work
- The clothing must not be suitable for taking the place of your regular clothing
Some common jobs that would have clothing that satisfies these requirements include delivery workers, firefighters, and health care workers.
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