Tax Deductions for Authors & Writers

Average weekly pay:          $250 
Employment size:               4,500  
Future growth:                    Very Strong     
Skill level                               Bachelor degree or higher  

An author is the originator of any written work. Generally, we think of authors/writers writing novels, plays, musicals, manuscripts, texts or multimedia products. Authors require high levels of interest, personal commitment and ideally creative talent. Tasks include:

• Creating and developing ideas and themes for written works.
• Interviews and researching subject matter.
• Planning, organising and writing material.
  

Typical tax deductions include:

• Travel expenses incurred for research-related travel or short writing trips. For example, although Jane Rawlings lives in Edinburgh, when she was having trouble finishing one of the Harry Potter novels, she moved into a local Edinburgh hotel for a month.  The deductible travel expenses will include airfares, accommodation and meals. These expenses will need to be apportioned for any private travel purposes.
• Professional seminars, courses, conferences and workshops.
• Reference books, technical journals and trade magazines related to your work as a writer.
• Computer depreciation, interest and repairs. 
• Internet access charges.
• Phone calls.
• Home office heating, cooling, lighting and cleaning costs.
• Work-related portion of pay TV access payments if you can show that you are required to access pay TV as part of your work.
• Writing course and studies that specifically helped you maintain or improve your writing skills or knowledge, or are likely to result in an increase of income from writing.
• Work or business portion of motor vehicle expenses incurred as a writer.  Deductible travel includes research trips.
  

Non-deductible expenses:

• Writing courses undertaken before you started working as a writer or making a living from writing.