Top Deductions for Massage Therapists
Between the table, the linens, the oils, and the hours of continuing education your license demands, a massage practice carries steady costs. Almost all of them are deductible. Here is where massage therapists most often find their write-offs.
Your table, linens, and supplies
Your massage table or chair, sheets, blankets, bolsters, hot stones, and a hot towel cabinet are all deductible. Smaller purchases you can usually write off the year you buy them. A bigger purchase like a new table can be deducted up front or spread over several years. The consumables are deductible too: oils, lotions, creams, sanitizer, table paper, and the laundry bill for keeping your linens clean.
Continuing education and membership
The CEU hours your state board requires, the courses behind them, and your license renewal all count. So do professional association dues, including AMTA or ABMP membership. The rule of thumb: training that maintains or improves the skills you already use is deductible. Training that qualifies you for a brand-new profession is not.
Your space
If you rent a treatment room, a studio, or a suite, that rent is fully deductible, along with any percentage you pay a clinic on your service revenue. If you work from a dedicated space at home that you use only for your practice, the home office deduction may apply too.
Mobile practice and mileage
If you bring the table to your clients, the driving between appointments is deductible. Track the miles with an app and take the standard mileage rate, or deduct the business share of your actual vehicle costs. One catch: driving from home to a regular studio location is a commute, and commutes don't count.
Insurance and everyday costs
Professional liability insurance is deductible, and it is one expense no bodyworker should skip. So are booking and payment software (including ApptOnly), your business phone use, marketing, and the fees you pay a CPA for your business return.
ApptOnly's Finances page runs the 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.