Freelance Expense Sorter
Paste a messy list of what you spent: one expense per line, amounts optional. Get it back sorted into Schedule C lines, with the catches flagged.
Results appear here. Try the example to see how it works.
The four rules that trip up freelancers
- Meals are half off. Business meals with a client or while travelling are 50% deductible; entertainment (concerts, sports tickets) is not deductible at all.
- Mixed-use means a percentage. Your phone and internet are deductible only for the business share. Pick a reasonable percentage and keep it consistent.
- Clothes rarely count. Only if they are unsuitable for everyday wear, like safety gear or a costume.
- Big equipment can be expensed. A laptop or camera can usually be deducted in full the year you buy it under the de minimis rule (up to $2,500 per item) or Section 179, rather than depreciated.
Once you have your total, drop it into the take-home calculator as business expenses to see what it saves you.
Questions freelancers ask
What expenses can freelancers deduct?
Ordinary and necessary costs of running the business: software and subscriptions, equipment, office supplies, business mileage or car expenses, a qualifying home office, business insurance, professional fees, advertising, contract labor, education that maintains your current skills, and 50% of business meals.
Where do expenses go on Schedule C?
Schedule C has numbered lines for common categories (line 8 advertising, line 9 car and truck, line 17 legal and professional, line 18 office expense, line 22 supplies, line 24 travel and meals, and so on). Anything that doesn't fit goes on line 27a "Other expenses" with a description in Part V.
Is my data stored?
Your list is sent once to an AI model through Vercel AI Gateway to produce the categories, and is not saved by this site. Remove names or account numbers before pasting.