Top Deductions for Barbers
Whether you rent a chair, run a suite, or own the shop, most of what you spend to keep the chair full lowers your tax bill. The trick is knowing which costs count and keeping records that hold up. Here is where most barbers find their deductions.
Booth or chair rent
If you rent a chair or a booth, that rent is fully deductible, and for most renting barbers it is the single largest write-off on the return. Any percentage you pay the shop owner on your service revenue counts too. Keep your rental agreement and a record of every payment, whether you pay weekly or monthly.
Clippers, blades, and upkeep
Clippers, trimmers, shears, straight razors, guards, combs, and brushes are all deductible, and so is keeping them working: blade sharpening, replacement blades, clipper repairs, and oil. These small recurring costs are easy to lose track of and add up to real money over a year of cuts.
Sanitation and supplies
The supplies your state board requires are deductible: disinfectant and Barbicide, gloves, neck strips, capes, and towels, plus the laundry to keep the capes and towels clean. Save the receipts even for the small drugstore runs.
Product and retail inventory
The pomade, shave cream, aftershave, and styling product you use in the chair are deductible in the year you buy them. The retail product you sell to clients is tracked a little differently, as cost of goods sold against your retail sales, but it eventually offsets what you charge. Keep your distributor invoices.
License, education, and insurance
Your barber license renewal, continuing education, the classes and shows that sharpen your craft, and your professional liability insurance all count. So do booking and payment software (including ApptOnly), your business phone use, and marketing. Education that builds on your current skills is deductible. Training for a brand-new profession is not.
ApptOnly's Finances page runs your tax math as you earn, so you can see what to set aside before the next quarterly deadline rolls around.
This isn't tax advice. Tax rules change and individual situations vary. Talk to a CPA for guidance specific to your business.