Tax Information for Actors & Stage Managers
from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
The following lists indicate the business expense deductions to which performing artists are usually entitled. The first list includes un-reimbursed business expenses incurred “in-town,” that is, while you are working or seeking employment in your home city. The other list includes those expenses usually incurred “out-of-town,” working or seeking employment – requiring at least one overnight stay – away from your tax home.
NOTE: Records of all expenditures should be kept according to the category (in-town or out-of-town) to which they apply as they must be reported on separate schedules on income tax returns.
IN-TOWN EXPENSES
1. Photos and Resumes
2. Agent’s/Manager’s Commissions
3. Union Dues/Initiation Fees
4. Office Supplies/Stationary/Postage
5. Academy and Players Guide
6. Accompanist/Audition Expense
7. Answering Service
8. Coaching/Lessons for Performance 9. Entertainment for Business
10. Gifts for Business
11. Sheet music, records, books, tapes 12. Rehearsal clothes & maintenance 13. Tickets for Professional Research 14. Trade Publications
15. Transportation Seeking Employment
OUT-OF-TOWN-EXPENSES
1. Travel
2. Lodging Expenses
3. Meals
4. Laundry and Dry Cleaning
5. Local Transportation
6. Auto Rental for Business
7. Gasoline/Auto Repairs & Maintenance 8. Telephone Charges
9. Tips and Gratuities
10. Other Expenses related to Qualifying
Travel
If you go out on a tour or get a job which will necessitate your working in another state, be sure to check with your employer as to the non-resident tax obligations imposed by the other state(s) or city(ies). Keep records, not only of what you earn in wages and per diem (if any), but the exact dates you spent in each locality. These records, along with those you have kept on your business expenses, will be beneficial to you and your tax preparer when you file your income tax returns. Provide your employer with the address at which you can be reached in January of next year and request that complete W-2 forms, reflecting your non-resident wages and withholdings, be sent to you as soon as they are available. You can usually (though not always) track down a New York employer, but getting information from a former employer in another state can take weeks, even months, especially in tax season.
The IRS does not accept estimates or approximations of any expenses. Paid receipts, canceled checks, bank and credit card statements, a detailed diary and other such documentation are required as proof of expenditures. You may claim the above-listed business expenses on your tax returns only to the extent you can prove you incurred them.
For more information about VITA, visit www.actorsequity.org
from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
The following lists indicate the business expense deductions to which performing artists are usually entitled. The first list includes un-reimbursed business expenses incurred “in-town,” that is, while you are working or seeking employment in your home city. The other list includes those expenses usually incurred “out-of-town,” working or seeking employment – requiring at least one overnight stay – away from your tax home.
NOTE: Records of all expenditures should be kept according to the category (in-town or out-of-town) to which they apply as they must be reported on separate schedules on income tax returns.
IN-TOWN EXPENSES
1. Photos and Resumes
2. Agent’s/Manager’s Commissions
3. Union Dues/Initiation Fees
4. Office Supplies/Stationary/Postage
5. Academy and Players Guide
6. Accompanist/Audition Expense
7. Answering Service
8. Coaching/Lessons for Performance 9. Entertainment for Business
10. Gifts for Business
11. Sheet music, records, books, tapes 12. Rehearsal clothes & maintenance 13. Tickets for Professional Research 14. Trade Publications
15. Transportation Seeking Employment
OUT-OF-TOWN-EXPENSES
1. Travel
2. Lodging Expenses
3. Meals
4. Laundry and Dry Cleaning
5. Local Transportation
6. Auto Rental for Business
7. Gasoline/Auto Repairs & Maintenance 8. Telephone Charges
9. Tips and Gratuities
10. Other Expenses related to Qualifying
Travel
If you go out on a tour or get a job which will necessitate your working in another state, be sure to check with your employer as to the non-resident tax obligations imposed by the other state(s) or city(ies). Keep records, not only of what you earn in wages and per diem (if any), but the exact dates you spent in each locality. These records, along with those you have kept on your business expenses, will be beneficial to you and your tax preparer when you file your income tax returns. Provide your employer with the address at which you can be reached in January of next year and request that complete W-2 forms, reflecting your non-resident wages and withholdings, be sent to you as soon as they are available. You can usually (though not always) track down a New York employer, but getting information from a former employer in another state can take weeks, even months, especially in tax season.
The IRS does not accept estimates or approximations of any expenses. Paid receipts, canceled checks, bank and credit card statements, a detailed diary and other such documentation are required as proof of expenditures. You may claim the above-listed business expenses on your tax returns only to the extent you can prove you incurred them.
For more information about VITA, visit www.actorsequity.org