Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

2024 Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿C

Profit or Loss From Business

Cat. No. 24329W

Dec 6, 2024

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

2024 Instructions for Schedule C

Profit or Loss From Business

Use Schedule﻿ ﻿C (Form 1040) to report income or (loss) from a business you operated or a profession you practiced as a sole proprietor. An activity qualifies as a business if your primary purpose for engaging in the activity is for income or profit and you are involved in the activity with continuity and regularity. For example, a sporadic activity, a not-for-profit activity, or a hobby does not qualify as a business. To report income from a nonbusiness activity, see the instructions for Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿8j.

Also, use Schedule﻿ ﻿C to report (a) wages and expenses you had as a statutory employee; (b) income and deductions of certain qualified joint ventures; and (c) certain amounts shown on a Form 1099, such as Form 1099-MISC, Form 1099-NEC, and Form 1099-K. See the instructions on your Form 1099 for more information about what to report on Schedule﻿ ﻿C.

You may be subject to state and local taxes and other requirements such as business licenses and fees. Check with your state and local governments for more information.

Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless otherwise noted.

Future Developments

For the latest information about developments related to Schedule﻿ ﻿C and its instructions, such as legislation enacted after they were published, go to IRS.gov/ScheduleC.

What's New

Form 1040-SS filers and business use of home.

For 2024, taxpayers who file Form 1040-SS and claim a deduction for business use of home will report the expense on Schedule﻿ ﻿C (Form 1040). Filers will use Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home, if applicable, to figure the deduction and report the amount on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿30.

Standard mileage rate.

The business standard mileage rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile.

Bonus depreciation.

The bonus depreciation deduction under section 168(k) continues its phaseout in 2024 with a reduction of the applicable limit from 80% to 60%.

Reminders

Redesigned Form 1040-SS.

Schedule﻿ ﻿C (Form 1040) is available to be filed with Form 1040-SS, if applicable. It replaces Form 1040-SS, Part IV. For additional information, see the Instructions for Form 1040-SS.

Business meals deduction.

The business meals deduction is 50%.

Reporting nontaxable Medicaid waiver payments.

Certain Medicaid waiver payments that are reported to you on Form 1099-MISC or Form 1099-NEC may be nontaxable. For information on how to report those payments on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, see Medicaid waiver payments, later.

Gig economy tax center.

The gig (or on-demand, sharing, or access) economy refers to an activity where people earn income providing on-demand work, services, or goods. Go to IRS.gov/Gig to get more information about the tax consequences of participating in the gig economy.

Excess business loss limitation.

If you report a loss on line﻿ ﻿31 of your Schedule﻿ ﻿C (Form 1040), you may be subject to a business loss limitation. The disallowed loss resulting from the limitation will not be reflected on line﻿ ﻿31 of your Schedule﻿ ﻿C. Instead, use Form 461 to determine the amount of your excess business loss, which will be included as income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿8p. Any disallowed loss resulting from this limitation will be treated as a net operating loss that must be carried forward and deducted in a subsequent year.

See Form 461 and its instructions for details on the excess business loss limitation.

Small Business and Self-Employed (SB/SE) Tax Center.

Do you need help with a tax issue or preparing your return, or do you need a free publication or form? SB/SE serves taxpayers who file Form 1040, 1040-SR, Schedules C, E, F, or Form 2106, as well as small business taxpayers with assets under $10 million. For additional information, go to the Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center at IRS.gov/SmallBiz.

General Instructions

Other Schedules and Forms You May Have To File

Schedule﻿ ﻿A (Form 1040) to deduct interest, taxes, and casualty losses not related to your business.

Schedule﻿ ﻿E (Form 1040) to report rental real estate and royalty income or (loss) that is not subject to self-employment tax.

Schedule﻿ ﻿F (Form 1040) to report profit or (loss) from farming.

Schedule﻿ ﻿J (Form 1040) to figure your tax by averaging your farming or fishing income over the previous 3 years. Doing so may reduce your tax.

Schedule﻿ ﻿SE (Form 1040) to pay self-employment tax on income from any trade or business.

Form 461 to report an excess business loss.

Form 3800 to claim any of the general business credits.

Form 4562 to claim depreciation and amortization on assets placed in service in 2024, to claim amortization that began in 2024, to make an election under section 179 to expense certain property, or to report information on listed property.

Form 4684 to report a casualty or theft gain or (loss) involving property used in your trade or business or income-producing property.

Form 4797 to report sales, exchanges, and involuntary conversions (not from a casualty or theft) of trade or business property.

Form 6198 to apply a limitation to your loss if you have a business loss and you have amounts invested in the business for which you are not at risk.

Form 6252 to report income from an installment agreement.

Form 7205 to claim the IRC 179D deduction for qualifying energy efficient commercial building expenses.

Form 8582 to apply a limitation to your loss from passive activities.

Form 8594 to report certain purchases or sales of groups of assets that constitute a trade or business.

Form 8824 to report like-kind exchanges.

Form 8829 to claim actual expenses for business use of your home.

Form 8936 to claim the commercial clean vehicle credit.

Form 8960 to pay Net Investment Income Tax on certain income from your passive activities.

Form 8990 to determine whether your business interest deduction is limited.

Form 8995 or 8995-A to claim a deduction for qualified business income.

Single-member limited liability company (LLC).

Generally, a single-member domestic LLC is not treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes. If you are the sole member of a domestic LLC, file Schedule﻿ ﻿C (or Schedule﻿ ﻿E or F, if applicable) unless you have elected to treat the domestic LLC as a corporation. See Form 8832 for details on making this election and for information about the tax treatment of a foreign LLC.

Single-member LLCs with employees.

A single-member LLC must file employment tax returns using the LLC's name and employer identification number (EIN) rather than the owner's name and EIN, even if the LLC is not treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes.

Heavy highway vehicle use tax.

If you use certain highway trucks, truck-trailers, tractor-trailers, or buses in your trade or business, you may have to pay a federal highway motor vehicle use tax. See the Instructions for Form 2290 to find out if you must pay this tax and go to IRS.gov/Trucker for the most recent developments.

Information returns.

You may have to file information returns for wages paid to employees, and certain payments of fees and other nonemployee compensation, interest, rents, royalties, real estate transactions, annuities, and pensions. See Line I, later, and IRS.gov/Form1099 for details and other payments that may require you to file a Form 1099.

If you received cash of more than $10,000 in one or more related transactions in your trade or business, you may have to file Form 8300. For details, see the Instructions for Form 8300 and Pub. 1544. See also the IRS Form 8300 Reference Guide, available at IRS.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-Self-Employed/IRS-Form-8300-Reference-Guide.

E-filing Forms 1099.

The Taxpayer First Act of 2019 authorized the Department of the Treasury and the IRS to issue regulations that reduce the 250-return e-file threshold. T.D. 9972, published February 23, 2023, lowered the e-file threshold to 10 (calculated by aggregating all information returns), effective for information returns required to be filed after 2023. Go to IRS.gov/filing/e-file-information-returns for e-file options.

Business Owned and Operated by Spouses

Generally, if you and your spouse jointly own and operate an unincorporated business and share in the profits and losses, you are partners in a partnership, whether or not you have a formal partnership agreement. You generally have to file Form 1065 instead of Schedule﻿ ﻿C for your joint business activity; however, you may not have to file Form 1065 if either of the following applies.

You and your spouse elect to be treated as a qualified joint venture. See Qualified Joint Venture next.

You and your spouse wholly own the unincorporated business as community property and you treat the business as a sole proprietorship. See Community Income, later.

Otherwise, use Form 1065. See Pub. 541 for information about partnerships.

Qualified Joint Venture

You and your spouse can elect to treat an unincorporated business as a qualified joint venture instead of a partnership if you:

Each materially participate in the business (see Material participation, later, in the instructions for line G);

Are the only owners of the business; and

File a joint return for the tax year.

Making the election will allow you to avoid the complexity of Form 1065, but still give each of you credit for social security earnings on which retirement benefits, disability benefits, survivor benefits, and insurance (Medicare) benefits are based. In most cases, this election will not increase the total tax owed on the joint return.

Jointly owned property.

You and your spouse must operate a business to make this election. Do not make the election for jointly owned property that is not a trade or business.

Only businesses that are owned and operated by spouses as co-owners (and not in the name of a state law entity) qualify for the election. Thus, a business owned and operated by spouses through an LLC does not qualify for the election of a qualified joint venture.

Making the election.

To make this election, divide all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit attributable to the business between you and your spouse based on your respective interests in the business. Each of you must file a separate Schedule﻿ ﻿C or F (Form 1040). Enter your share of the applicable income, deduction, or (loss) on the appropriate lines of your separate Schedule﻿ ﻿C or F (Form 1040). Each of you may also need to file a separate Schedule﻿ ﻿SE (Form 1040) to pay self-employment tax. If the business was taxed as a partnership before you made the election, the partnership will be treated as terminating at the end of the preceding tax year. For information on how to report the termination of the partnership, see Pub. 541.

Revoking the election.

The election can be revoked only with the permission of the IRS. However, the election remains in effect only for as long as you and your spouse continue to meet the requirements to make the election. If you and your spouse fail to meet the requirements for any year, you will need to make a new election to be treated as a qualified joint venture in any future year.

Employer identification number (EIN).

You and your spouse do not need to obtain an EIN to make the election. But you may need an EIN to file other returns, such as employment or excise tax returns. To apply for an EIN, see the Instructions for Form SS-4 or go to IRS.gov/EIN.

Rental real estate business.

If you and your spouse make the election for your rental real estate business, you must each report your share of income and deductions on Schedule﻿ ﻿E (Form 1040). Rental real estate income is not generally included in net earnings from self-employment subject to self-employment tax and is generally subject to the passive loss limitation rules. Electing qualified joint venture status does not alter the application of the self-employment tax or the passive loss limitation rules.

More information.

For more information on qualified joint ventures, go to IRS.gov/QJV.

Community Income

If you and your spouse wholly own an unincorporated business as community property under the community property laws of a state, foreign country, or U.S. territory, you can treat your wholly owned, unincorporated business as a sole proprietorship, instead of a partnership. Any change in your reporting position will be treated as a conversion of the entity.

Report your income and deductions as follows.

If only one spouse participates in the business, all of the income from that business is the self-employment earnings of the spouse who carried on the business.

If both spouses participate, the unincorporated business is generally treated as a partnership and the income and deductions are allocated to the spouses based on their distributive shares.

If either or both spouses are partners in a partnership, see Pub. 541.

If both spouses elected to treat the business as a qualifying joint venture, see Qualified Joint Venture, earlier.

States with community property laws include Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. See Pub. 555 for more information about community property laws.

Reportable Transaction Disclosure Statement

Use Form 8886 to disclose information for each reportable transaction in which you participated. Form 8886 must be filed for each tax year that your federal income tax liability is affected by your participation in the transaction. You may have to pay a penalty if you are required to file Form 8886 but don’t do so. You may also have to pay interest and penalties on any reportable transaction understatements. The following are reportable transactions.

Any listed transaction that is the same as or substantially similar to tax avoidance transactions identified by the IRS in published guidance.

Any transaction offered to you or a related party under conditions of confidentiality for which you paid an advisor a fee of at least $50,000.

Certain transactions for which you or a related party have contractual protection against disallowance of the tax benefits.

Certain transactions resulting in a loss of at least $2 million in any single tax year or $4 million in any combination of tax years. (At least $50,000 for a single tax year if the loss arose from a foreign currency transaction defined in section 988(c)(1), whether or not the loss flows through from an S corporation or partnership.)

Certain transactions of interest entered into that are the same or substantially similar to one of the types of transactions that the IRS has identified by published guidance as a transaction of interest.

See the Instructions for Form 8886 for more details. See also chapter﻿ ﻿2 of Pub. 550.

Capital Construction Fund

Do not claim on Schedule﻿ ﻿C the deduction for amounts contributed to a capital construction fund set up under chapter﻿ ﻿535 of title 46 of the United States Code. Instead, reduce the amount you would otherwise enter on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line﻿ ﻿15, by the amount of the deduction. Next to line﻿ ﻿15, enter “CCF” and the amount of the deduction. For details, see Pub. 595.

Additional Information

See Pub. 334 for more information for small businesses.

Specific Instructions

Filers of Form 1041.

Do not complete the block labeled “Social security number (SSN).” Instead, enter the EIN issued to the estate or trust on line D.

Line A

Describe the business or professional activity that provided your principal source of income reported on line﻿ ﻿1. If you owned more than one business, complete a separate Schedule﻿ ﻿C for each business. Give the general field or activity and the type of product or service. If your general field or activity is wholesale or retail trade, or services connected with production services (mining, construction, or manufacturing), also give the type of customer or client; for example, “wholesale sale of hardware to retailers” or “appraisal of real estate for lending institutions.”

Line B

Enter on line B the six-digit code from the Principal Business or Professional Activity Codes chart at the end of these instructions. For nonstore retailers, select the PBA code by the primary product that your establishment sells. For example, establishments primarily selling prescription and non-prescription drugs, select PBA code 456110 Pharmacies & drug retailers.

Line D

Enter on line D the EIN that was issued to you on Form SS-4. Do not enter your SSN on this line. Do not enter another taxpayer's EIN (for example, from any Forms 1099-MISC that you received). If you do not have an EIN, leave line D blank.

You need an EIN only if you have a qualified retirement plan or are required to file employment, excise, alcohol, tobacco, or firearms returns, or are a payer of gambling winnings. If you need an EIN, see the Instructions for Form SS-4.

Single-member LLCs.

If you are the sole owner of an LLC that is not treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes, enter on line D the EIN that was issued to the LLC (in the LLC's legal name) for a qualified retirement plan, to file employment, excise, alcohol, tobacco, or firearms returns, or as a payer of gambling winnings. If you do not have such an EIN, leave line D blank.

Line E

Enter your business address. Show a street address instead of a box number. Include the suite or room number, if any. If you conducted the business from your home located at the address shown on page 1 of your tax return, you don’t have to complete this line.

Line F

Generally, you can use the cash method, an accrual method, or any other method permitted by the Internal Revenue Code. In all cases, the method used must clearly reflect income. Unless you are a small business taxpayer (defined later under Part III), you must use an accrual method for sales and purchases of inventory items. Special rules apply to long-term contracts (see section 460 for details). See also Rev. Proc. 2024﻿-﻿23 for changes in methods of accounting, available at IRS.gov/irb/2024﻿-﻿23_IRB#REV-PROC-2024﻿-﻿23.

If you use the cash method, show all items of taxable income actually or constructively received during the year (in cash, property, or services). Income is constructively received when it is credited to your account or made available to you without restriction. Also, show amounts actually paid during the year for deductible expenses. However, if the payment of an expenditure creates an asset having a useful life that extends beyond 12 months or the end of the next tax year, it may not be deductible or may be deductible only in part for the year of the payment. See chapter﻿ ﻿2 of Pub. 334, Tax Guide for Small Business.

For amounts includible in income and deductible as expense under an accrual method, see Pub. 538.

To change your accounting method, you must generally file Form 3115. You may also have to make an adjustment to prevent amounts of income or expense from being duplicated or omitted. This is called a section 481(a) adjustment.

Example. You change to the cash method of accounting and choose to account for inventoriable items in the same manner as non-incidental materials and supplies for the 2024 tax year. You accrued sales in 2023 for which you received payment in 2024. You must report those sales in both years as a result of changing your accounting method and must make a section 481(a) adjustment to prevent duplication of income.

A net negative section 481 adjustment is generally taken into account in the year of change. A net positive section 481(a) adjustment is generally taken into account over a period of 4 years. Include any net positive section 481(a) adjustments on line﻿ ﻿6. If the net section 481(a) adjustment is negative, report it in Part V.

More information.

For more information about changing your accounting method and the section 481(a) adjustment, see the Instructions for Form 3115. Additional information is also available in various revenue procedures. See Rev. Proc. 2024﻿-﻿23 (and any subsequent revenue procedures modifying Rev. Proc. 2024﻿-﻿23) for a list of automatic changes, including a description of its effect on prior lists of automatic changes.Rev. Proc. 2024﻿-﻿23 is available at IRS.gov/irb/2024﻿-﻿23_IRB#REV-PROC-2024﻿-﻿23.

Line G

If your business activity is not a rental activity and you meet any of the material participation tests, explained next, or the exception for oil and gas applies, check the“Yes” box. Otherwise, check “No.” If you check “No,” this activity is passive. If you have a loss from a passive activity, see Limit on losses, later. If you have a profit from the rental of property to a nonpassive activity, see Recharacterization of Passive Income in Pub. 925 to find out how to report the net income.

Material participation.

For purposes of the seven material participation tests listed later, participation generally includes any work you did in connection with an activity, if you owned an interest in the activity at the time you did the work. The capacity in which you did the work does not matter. However, work is not treated as participation if it is work that an owner would not customarily do in the same type of activity and one of your main reasons for doing the work was to avoid the disallowance of losses or credits from the activity under the passive activity rules.

Work you did as an investor in an activity is not treated as participation unless you were directly involved in the day-to-day management or operations of the activity. Work performed as an investor includes:

Studying and reviewing financial statements or reports on the activity,

Preparing or compiling summaries or analyses of the finances or operations of the activity for your own use, and

Monitoring the finances or operations of the activity in a nonmanagerial capacity.

Participation by your spouse during the tax year in an activity in which you own an interest can be counted as your participation in the activity. This rule applies even if your spouse did not own an interest in the activity and whether or not you and your spouse file a joint return. However, this rule does not apply for purposes of determining whether you and your spouse can elect to have your business treated as a qualified joint venture instead of a partnership (see Qualified Joint Venture, earlier).

For purposes of the passive activity rules, you materially participated in the operation of a trade or business activity during 2024 if you met any of the following seven tests.

You participated in the activity for more than 500 hours during the tax year.

Your participation in the activity for the tax year was substantially all of the participation in the activity of all individuals (including individuals who did not own any interest in the activity) for the tax year.

You participated in the activity for more than 100 hours during the tax year, and you participated at least as much as any other person for the tax year. This includes individuals who did not own any interest in the activity.

The activity is a significant participation activity for the tax year, and you participated in all significant participation activities for more than 500 hours during the year. An activity is a “significant participation activity” if it involves the conduct of a trade or business, you participated in the activity for more than 100 hours during the tax year, and you did not materially participate under any of the material participation tests (other than this test 4).

You materially participated in the activity for any 5 of the prior 10 tax years.

The activity is a personal service activity in which you materially participated for any 3 prior tax years. A personal service activity is an activity that involves performing personal services in the field of health, law, engineering, architecture, accounting, actuarial science, performing arts, or consulting, or any other trade or business in which capital is not a material income-producing factor.

Based on all the facts and circumstances, you participated in the activity on a regular, continuous, and substantial basis for more than 100 hours during the tax year. Your participation in managing the activity does not count in determining if you meet this test if any person (except you) (a) received compensation for performing management services in connection with the activity, or (b) spent more hours during the tax year than you spent performing management services in connection with the activity (regardless of whether the person was compensated for the services).

Rental of personal property.

Generally, a rental activity (such as long-term equipment leasing) is a passive activity even if you materially participated in the activity. However, if you met any of the five exceptions listed under Rental Activities in the Instructions for Form 8582, the rental of the property is not treated as a rental activity and the material participation rules explained earlier apply.

Exception for oil and gas.

If you are filing Schedule﻿ ﻿C to report income and deductions from an oil or gas well in which you own a working interest directly or through an entity that does not limit your liability, check the “Yes” box. The activity of owning a working interest is not a passive activity, regardless of your participation.

Limit on losses.

Your business activity loss may be limited if you checked the “No” box on line G. In addition, your rental activity loss may be limited even if you materially participated. In general, a business activity in which you do not materially participate or a rental activity is a passive activity and you have to use Form 8582 to apply a limitation that may reduce the loss, if any, that you may enter on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿31. For details, see Pub. 925.

Note. Line G doesn't apply to filers of Form 1040-SS.

Line H

If you started or acquired this business in 2024, check the box on line H. Also, check the box if you are reopening or restarting this business after temporarily closing it, and you didn’t file a 2023 Schedule﻿ ﻿C for this business.

Line I

If you made any payment in 2024 that would require you to file any Forms 1099, check the “Yes” box. Otherwise, check the “No” box.

You may have to file information returns for wages paid to employees, certain payments of fees and other nonemployee compensation, interest, rents, royalties, real estate transactions, annuities, and pensions. You may also have to file an information return if you sold $5,000 or more of consumer products to a person on a buy-sell, a deposit-commission, or other similar basis for resale.

Note. Line I doesn't apply to filers of Form 1040-SS.

The Guide to Information Returns in the 2024 General Instructions for Certain Information Returns identifies which Forms 1099 must be filed, the amounts to report, and the due dates for the required Forms 1099. For information, see IRS.gov/instructions/Form1099.

Part I. Income

Except as otherwise provided in the Internal Revenue Code, gross income includes income from whatever source derived. In certain circumstances, however, gross income does not include extraterritorial income that is qualifying foreign trade income. Use Form 8873 to figure the extraterritorial income exclusion. Report it on Schedule﻿ ﻿C as explained in the Instructions for Form 8873.

If you were a debtor in a chapter﻿ ﻿11 bankruptcy case during 2024, see Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Cases in the Instructions for Form 1040 (under Income) and the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿SE.

Be sure to report all income attributable to your trade or business from all sources. You may receive one or more Forms 1099 from people who are required to provide information to the IRS listing amounts that may be income you received as a result of your trade or business activities. The following is a list of some of the common Forms 1099.

1099-MISC. For more information about what is reported on Form 1099-MISC, see the Instructions for Recipient included on that form.

1099-NEC. For more information about what is reported on Form 1099-NEC, see the Instructions for Recipient included on that form.

1099-K. For more information about what is reported on Form 1099-K, see the Instructions for Payee included on that form and go to IRS.gov/Gig.

Income you report on Schedule﻿ ﻿C may be qualified business income and entitle you to a deduction on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line﻿ ﻿13. See Forms 8995 and 8995-A, and IRS.gov/Newsroom/Facts-About-the-Qualified-Business-Income-Deduction.

Line 1

Enter gross receipts from your trade or business. Be sure to check any Forms 1099 you received for business income that must be reported on this line.

If you received one or more Forms 1099-NEC, be sure line﻿ ﻿1 includes amounts properly shown on your Forms 1099-NEC. If the total amounts that were reported in box 1 of Forms 1099-NEC are more than the total you are reporting on line﻿ ﻿1, attach a statement explaining the difference.

Statutory employees.

If you received a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and the "Statutory employee" box in box 13 of that form was checked, report your income and expenses related to that income on Schedule﻿ ﻿C. Enter your statutory employee income from box 1 of Form W-2 on line﻿ ﻿1 of Schedule﻿ ﻿C and check the box on that line. Social security and Medicare tax should have been withheld from your earnings; as a result, you do not owe self-employment tax on these earnings. Statutory employees include full-time life insurance agents, certain agent or commission drivers and traveling salespersons, and certain homeworkers.

If you had both self-employment income and statutory employee income, you must file two Schedules C. You cannot combine these amounts on a single Schedule﻿ ﻿C.

Note. Statutory employees information doesn’t apply to Form 1040-SS filers.

Qualified joint ventures should report rental real estate income not subject to self-employment tax on Schedule﻿ ﻿E. See Qualified Joint Venture, earlier, and the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿E.

Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) income.

If you are a student-athlete, any monetary or financial gain, including non-cash compensation like merchandise or gift cards, you receive from a transaction in which you benefit from the use of your name, image, or likeness is NIL income. Generally, student-athletes are considered independent contractors for tax purposes and report NIL income and related expenses as self-employment income on Schedule﻿ ﻿C. However, report royalties and other NIL income that is not self-employment income on Schedule﻿ ﻿E instead.

Medicaid waiver payments.

If you are a sole proprietor in a business of providing home care services, certain Medicaid waiver payments you receive may be nontaxable. If you receive Medicaid waiver payments on a Form 1099-MISC or Form 1099-NEC that are excludable from gross income under Notice 2014﻿-﻿7, report the full amount of the payments as income on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿1. Then report the nontaxable and excludable amount as an expense in Part V, Other Expenses, and write “Notice 2014﻿-﻿7” next to the amount. These payments are nontaxable and excludable from income. Notice 2014﻿-﻿7 is available at IRS.gov/irb/2014﻿-﻿04_IRB#NOT-2014﻿-﻿7. For more information about these payments see the related questions and answer at Certain Medicaid Waiver Payments May Be Excludable From Income, available at IRS.gov/individuals/certain-medicaid-waiver-payments-may-be-excludable-from-income.

Installment sales.

Generally, the installment method cannot be used to report income from the sale of (a) personal property regularly sold under the installment method, or (b) real property held for resale to customers. But the installment method can be used to report income from sales of certain residential lots and timeshares if you elect to pay interest on the tax due on that income after the year of sale. See section 453(l)(2)(B) for details. If you make this election, include the interest in the total on Schedule 2 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿14, and enter the amount of interest and “453(l)(3)” on the line next to the entry space.

If you use the installment method, attach a statement to your return. Show separately for 2024 and the 3 preceding years: gross sales, cost of goods sold, gross profit, percentage of gross profit to gross sales, amounts collected, and gross profit on amounts collected.

Line 2

Report your sales returns and allowances as a positive number on line﻿ ﻿2. A sales return is a cash or credit refund you gave to customers who returned defective, damaged, or unwanted products. A sales allowance is a reduction in the selling price of products, instead of a cash or credit refund.

Line 6

Report on line﻿ ﻿6 business income not reported elsewhere in Part I. Be sure to include amounts from the following.

Finance reserve income.

Scrap sales.

Bad debts you recovered.

Interest (such as on notes and accounts receivable).

State gasoline or fuel tax refunds you received in 2024.

Any amount of credit for biofuel claimed on line﻿ ﻿3 of Form 6478.

Any amount of credit for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel claimed on line﻿ ﻿11 of Form 8864.

Credit for federal tax paid on fuels claimed on your 2023 Form 1040 or 1040-SR.

Prizes and awards related to your trade or business.

Amounts you received in your trade or business as shown on Form 1099-PATR.

Any amount of credit for COBRA premium assistance. See your Form(s) 941 or Form 944 for 2024 for the nonrefundable and refundable portions of this credit that you claimed against your employment taxes.

Other kinds of miscellaneous business income.

If the business use percentage of any listed property (defined underLine﻿ ﻿13, later) dropped to 50% or less in 2024, report on this line any recapture of excess depreciation, including any section 179 expense deduction. Use Part IV of Form 4797 to figure the recapture. Also, if the business use percentage drops to 50% or less on leased listed property (other than a vehicle), include on this line any inclusion amount. See chapter﻿ ﻿5 of Pub. 946 to figure the amount.

Part II. Expenses

Capitalizing costs of producing property and acquiring property for resale.

If you produced real or tangible personal property or acquired real or personal property for resale, you must generally capitalize certain expenses in inventory or other property. These expenses include the direct costs of the property and any indirect costs properly allocable to that property. Reduce the amounts on lines 8 through 26, 27b, and Part V by amounts capitalized. See Pub. 538 for a discussion of the uniform capitalization rules.

Exception for a small business taxpayer.

A small business taxpayer (defined later under Part III) is not required to capitalize certain expenses to inventory or other property. See Pub. 538 for more details.

Exception for creative property.

If you are a freelance artist, author, or photographer, you may be exempt from the capitalization rules. However, your personal efforts must have created (or reasonably be expected to create) the property. This exception does not apply to any expense related to printing, photographic plates, motion picture films, videotapes, or similar items. These expenses are subject to the capitalization rules. For details, seeUniform Capitalization Rules in Pub. 538.

Line 9

You can deduct the actual expenses of operating your car or truck or take the standard mileage rate. This is true even if you used your vehicle for hire (such as a taxicab). You must use actual expenses if you used five or more vehicles simultaneously in your business (such as in fleet operations). You can’t use actual expenses for a leased vehicle if you previously used the standard mileage rate for that vehicle.

You can take the standard mileage rate for 2024 only if you:

Owned the vehicle and used the standard mileage rate for the first year you placed the vehicle in service, or

Leased the vehicle and are using the standard mileage rate for the entire lease period.

If you take the standard mileage rate:

Multiply the number of business miles driven by 0.67. For example, 1,250 business miles driven × 0.67 = $837.50.

Add to this amount your parking fees and tolls; and

Enter the total on line﻿ ﻿9. Do not deduct depreciation, rent or lease payments, or your actual operating expenses.

If you deduct actual expenses:

Include on line﻿ ﻿9 the business portion of expenses for gasoline, oil, repairs, insurance, license plates, etc.; and

Show depreciation on line﻿ ﻿13 and rent or lease payments on line﻿ ﻿20a.

For details, see chapter﻿ ﻿4 of Pub. 463.

Information on your vehicle.

If you claim any car and truck expenses, you must provide certain information on the use of your vehicle by completing one of the following.

Complete Schedule﻿ ﻿C, Part IV, if (a) you are claiming the standard mileage rate, you lease your vehicle, or your vehicle is fully depreciated; and (b) you are not required to file Form 4562 for any other reason. If you used more than one vehicle during the year, attach a statement with the information requested in Schedule﻿ ﻿C, Part IV, for each additional vehicle.

Complete Form 4562, Part V, if you are claiming depreciation on your vehicle or you are required to file Form 4562 for any other reason (see Line﻿ ﻿13, later).

Line 10

Enter the total commissions and fees for the tax year. Do not include commissions or fees that are capitalized or deducted elsewhere on your return.

You must file Form 1099-NEC to report certain commissions and fees of $600 or more during the year. See the Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC for details.

Sales of property.

Generally, commissions and other fees paid to facilitate the sale of property must be capitalized. However, if you are a dealer in property, enter on line﻿ ﻿10 the commissions and fees you paid to facilitate the sale of that property.

Note.

A dealer in property is a person who regularly sells property in the ordinary course of their trade or business.

For more information on the capitalization of commissions and fees, see the examples under Regulations section 1.263(a)-1(e)(3).

Line 11

Enter the total cost of contract labor for the tax year. Contract labor includes payments to persons you do not treat as employees (for example, independent contractors) for services performed for your trade or business. Do not include contract labor deducted elsewhere on your return, such as contract labor includible on line﻿ ﻿17, 21, 26, or 37. Also, do not include salaries and wages paid to your employees; instead, see Line﻿ ﻿26, later.

You must file Form 1099-NEC to report contract labor payments of $600 or more during the year. See the Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC for details.

Line 12

Enter your deduction for depletion on this line. If you have timber depletion, attach Form T (Timber). See chapter﻿ ﻿7 of Pub. 225 for additional details.

Depletion is generally an item of tax preference under the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). See section 57.

Line 13

Depreciation and section 179 expense deduction.

Depreciation is the annual deduction allowed to recover the cost or other basis of business or investment property having a useful life substantially beyond the tax year. You can also depreciate improvements made to leased business property. However, stock in trade, inventories, and land are not depreciable. Depreciation starts when you first use the property in your business or for the production of income. It ends when you take the property out of service, deduct all your depreciable cost or other basis, or no longer use the property in your business or for the production of income. You can also elect under section 179 to expense part or all of the cost of certain property you bought in 2024 for use in your business. See the Instructions for Form 4562 and Pub. 946 to figure the amount to enter on line﻿ ﻿13.

When to attach Form 4562.

You must complete and attach Form 4562 only if you are claiming:

Depreciation on property placed in service during 2024;

Depreciation on listed property (defined later), regardless of the date it was placed in service; or

A section 179 expense deduction.

If you acquired depreciable property for the first time in 2024, see Pub. 946.

Listed property.

Listed property generally includes, but is not limited to:

Passenger automobiles weighing 6,000 pounds or less;

Any other property used for transportation if the nature of the property lends itself to personal use, such as motorcycles, pickup trucks, etc.; and

Any property used for entertainment or recreational purposes (such as photographic, phonographic, communication, and video recording equipment).

Exception.

Listed property does not include photographic, phonographic, communication, or video equipment used exclusively in your trade or business or at your regular business establishment. For purposes of this exception, a portion of your home is treated as a regular business establishment only if that portion meets the requirements under section 280A(c)(1) for deducting expenses for the business use of your home.

Recapture.

See Line﻿ ﻿6, earlier, if the business use percentage of any listed property dropped to 50% or less in 2024.

Line 14

Deduct contributions to employee benefit programs that are not an incidental part of a pension or profit-sharing plan included on line﻿ ﻿19. Examples are accident and health plans, group-term life insurance, and dependent care assistance programs. If you made contributions on your behalf as a self-employed person to a dependent care assistance program, complete Form 2441, Parts I and III, to figure your deductible contributions to that program.

You cannot deduct contributions you made on your behalf as a self-employed person for group-term life insurance.

Do not include on line﻿ ﻿14 any contributions you made on your behalf as a self-employed person to an accident and health plan. However, you may be able to deduct on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿17, the amount you paid for health insurance on behalf of yourself, your spouse, and dependents, even if you do not itemize your deductions. See the instructions for line 17, Schedule 1, contained within the Instructions for Form 1040.

You must reduce your line﻿ ﻿14 deduction by the amount of any credit for small employer health insurance premiums determined on Form 8941. See Form 8941 and its instructions to determine which expenses are eligible for the credit.

Line 15

Deduct premiums paid for business insurance on line﻿ ﻿15. Deduct on line﻿ ﻿14 amounts paid for employee accident and health insurance. Do not deduct amounts credited to a reserve for self-insurance or premiums paid for a policy that pays for your lost earnings due to sickness or disability. For details, see Pub. 334, chapter﻿ ﻿8.

Lines 16a and 16b

Interest allocation rules.

The tax treatment of interest expense differs depending on its type. For example, home mortgage interest and investment interest are treated differently. “Interest allocation” rules require you to allocate (classify) your interest expense so it is deducted (or capitalized) on the correct line of your return and receives the right tax treatment. These rules could affect how much interest you are allowed to deduct on Schedule﻿ ﻿C.

Generally, you allocate interest expense by tracing how the proceeds of the loan were used. See chapter﻿ ﻿4 of Pub. 225, generally, for details.

Limitation on business interest.

You must file Form 8990 to deduct any interest expenses of this trade or business unless you are a small business taxpayer (defined under Part III) or meet one of the other filing exceptions listed in the Instructions for Form 8990.

If you must file Form 8990, figure the limit on your business interest expenses on Form 8990 before completing lines 16a and 16b. Follow the instructions under How to report, later, but report the reduced interest on lines 16a and 16b. The interest you can't deduct this year will carry forward to next year on Form 8990.

If you are a small business taxpayer or meet one of the other filing exceptions for Form 8990, follow the instructions under How to report, later, and report all of your deductible interest on lines 16a and 16b.

How to report.

If you have a mortgage on real property used in your business, enter on line﻿ ﻿16a the interest you paid for 2024 to banks or other financial institutions for which you received a Form 1098 (or similar statement). If you did not receive a Form 1098, enter the interest on line﻿ ﻿16b.

If you paid more mortgage interest than is shown on Form 1098, include the amount on line﻿ ﻿16a. Attach a statement to your return explaining the difference and enter “See attached” in the margin next to line﻿ ﻿16a. Don’t include mortgage interest that must be capitalized, for example, added to basis. See Pub. 551, under Uniform Capitalization Rules, for details.

deduction for mortgage interest paid on home equity loans and lines of credit is limitedThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, section 11043, limited the deduction for mortgage interest paid on home equity loans and lines of credit. See section 163(h)(3)(F).

If you and at least one other person (other than your spouse if you file a joint return) were liable for and paid interest on the mortgage and the other person received the Form 1098, include your share of the interest on line﻿ ﻿16b. Attach a statement to your return showing the name and address of the person who received the Form 1098. In the margin next to line﻿ ﻿16b, enter “See attached.”

If you paid interest in 2024 that also applies to future years, deduct only the part that applies to 2024.

Line 17

Include on this line fees charged by accountants and attorneys that are ordinary and necessary expenses directly related to operating your business.

Include fees for tax advice related to your business and for preparation of the tax forms related to your business. Also, include expenses incurred in resolving asserted tax deficiencies related to your business.

For more information, see Pub. 334.

Line 18

Include on this line your expenses for office supplies and postage.

Line 19

Enter your deduction for the contributions you made for the benefit of your employees to a pension, profit-sharing, or annuity plan (including SEP, SIMPLE, and SARSEP plans described in Pub. 560). If the plan included you as a self-employed person, enter the contributions made as an employer on your behalf on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿16, not on Schedule﻿ ﻿C.

This deduction may be subject to limitations. For more information on potential limitations, see Pub. 560.

In most cases, you must file the applicable form listed below if you maintain a pension, profit-sharing, or other funded-deferred compensation plan. The filing requirement is not affected by whether or not the plan qualified under the Internal Revenue Code, or whether or not you claim a deduction for the current tax year. There is a penalty for failure to timely file these forms.

Form 5500-EZ.

File this form if you have a one-participant retirement plan that meets certain requirements. A one-participant plan is a plan that covers only you (or you and your spouse).

Form 5500-SF.

File this form electronically with the Department of Labor (at efast.dol.gov) if you have a small plan (fewer than 100 participants in most cases) that meets certain requirements.

Form 5500.

File this form electronically with the Department of Labor (at efast.dol.gov) for a plan that does not meet the requirements for filing Form 5500-EZ or Form 5500-SF.

For details, see Pub. 560.

Lines 20a and 20b

If you rented or leased vehicles, machinery, or equipment, enter on line﻿ ﻿20a the business portion of your rental cost. But if you leased a vehicle for a term of 30 days or more, you may have to reduce your deduction by the inclusion amount. See Leasing a Car in chapter﻿ ﻿4 of Pub. 463 to figure this amount.

Enter on line﻿ ﻿20b amounts paid to rent or lease other property, such as office space in a building.

Line 21

Deduct the cost of incidental repairs and maintenance that do not add to the property's value or appreciably prolong its life. Do not deduct the value of your own labor. Do not deduct amounts spent to restore or replace property; they must be capitalized.

Line 22

In most cases, you can deduct the cost of materials and supplies only to the extent you actually consumed and used them in your business during the tax year (unless you deducted them in a prior tax year). However, if you had incidental materials and supplies on hand for which you kept no inventories or records of use, you can deduct the cost of those you actually purchased during the tax year, provided that method clearly reflects income.

You can also deduct the cost of books, professional instruments, equipment, etc., if you normally use them within a year. However, if their usefulness extends substantially beyond a year, you must generally recover their costs through depreciation.

Line 23

You can deduct the following taxes and licenses on this line.

State and local sales taxes imposed on you as the seller of goods or services. If you collected this tax from the buyer, you must also include the amount collected in gross receipts or sales on line﻿ ﻿1.

Real estate and personal property taxes on business assets.

Licenses and regulatory fees for your trade or business paid each year to state or local governments. But some licenses, such as liquor licenses, may have to be amortized. See the Instructions for Form 4562, Depreciation and Amortization, for more information on amortization.

Social security and Medicare taxes paid to match required withholding from your employees’ wages. Reduce your deduction by the amount shown on Form 8846, line﻿ ﻿4.

Federal unemployment tax paid.

Federal highway use tax.

Contributions to a state unemployment insurance fund or disability benefit fund if they are considered taxes under state law.

Do not deduct the following.

Federal income taxes, including your self-employment tax. However, you can deduct one-half of your self-employment tax on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿15 (but if filing Form 1040-NR, then only when covered under the U.S. social security system due to an international social security agreement).

Estate and gift taxes.

Taxes assessed to pay for improvements, such as paving and sewers.

Taxes on your home or personal use property.

State and local sales taxes on property purchased for use in your business. Instead, treat these taxes as part of the cost of the property.

State and local sales taxes imposed on the buyer that you were required to collect and pay over to state or local governments. These taxes are not included in gross receipts or sales nor are they a deductible expense. However, if the state or local government allowed you to retain any part of the sales tax you collected, you must include that amount as income on line﻿ ﻿6.

Other taxes and license fees not related to your business.

Line 24a

Enter your expenses for lodging and transportation connected with overnight travel for business while away from your tax home. In most cases, your tax home is your main place of business, regardless of where you maintain your family home. You can’t deduct expenses paid or incurred in connection with employment away from home if that period of employment exceeds 1 year. Also, you cannot deduct travel expenses for your spouse, your dependent, or any other individual unless that person is your employee, the travel is for a bona fide business purpose, and the expenses would otherwise be deductible by that person.

Do not include expenses for meals on this line. Instead, see Line﻿ ﻿24b, later. Do not include entertainment expenses on this line.

Instead of keeping records of your actual incidental expenses, you can use an optional method for deducting incidental expenses only if you did not pay or incur meal expenses on a day you were traveling away from your tax home. The amount of the deduction is $5 a day. Incidental expenses include fees and tips given to porters, baggage carriers, bellhops, hotel maids, stewards or stewardesses and others on ships, and hotel servants in foreign countries. They do not include expenses for laundry, cleaning and pressing of clothing, lodging taxes, or the costs of telegrams or telephone calls. You cannot use this method on any day that you use the standard meal allowance (as explained underLine﻿ ﻿24b, later).

You can’t deduct expenses for attending a convention, seminar, or similar meeting held outside the North American area unless the meeting is directly related to your trade or business and it is as reasonable for the meeting to be held outside the North American area as within it. These rules apply to both employers and employees. Other rules apply to luxury water travel.

For details on travel expenses, see chapter﻿ ﻿1 of Pub. 463.

Line 24b

Enter your deductible business meal expenses. This includes expenses for meals while traveling away from home for business. Your deductible business meal expenses are a percentage of your actual business meal expenses or standard meal allowance. See Amount of deduction, later, for the percentage that applies to your actual meal expenses or standard meal allowance. In most cases, the percentage is 50%.

Do not include entertainment expenses on this line.

Business meal expenses.

You can deduct a percentage of the actual cost of a meal if the following conditions are met.

The meal expense was an ordinary and necessary expense in carrying on your trade or business.

The expense was not lavish or extravagant under the circumstances.

You or your employee was present at the meal.

The meal was provided to a current or potential business customer, client, consultant, or similar business contact.

In the case of food or beverages provided during or at an entertainment event, the food and beverages were purchased separately from the entertainment, or the cost of the food and beverages was stated separately from the cost of the entertainment on one or more bills, invoices, or receipts.

CautionYou cannot avoid the entertainment disallowance rule by inflating the amount charged for food and beverages.

See Notice 2018﻿-﻿76 for examples and more information. Notice 2018﻿-﻿76 is available at IRS.gov/irb/2018﻿-﻿42_IRB#NOT-2018﻿-﻿76.

Standard meal allowance.

Instead of deducting the actual cost of your meals while traveling away from home, you can use the standard meal allowance for your daily meals and incidental expenses. Under this method, you deduct a specified amount, depending on where you travel, instead of keeping records of your actual meal expenses. However, you must still keep records to prove the time, place, and business purpose of your travel.

The standard meal allowance is the federal meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) rate. You can find these rates for locations inside and outside the continental United States by going to the General Services Administration's website at GSA.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/mie-breakdown.

See chapter﻿ ﻿2 of Pub. 463 for details on how to figure your deduction using the standard meal allowance, including special rules for partial days of travel. For special per diem rates and rules of high cost locales, see Notice 2023﻿-﻿68, available at IRS.gov/irb/2023﻿-﻿41_IRB#NOT-2023﻿-﻿68. See also Notice 2024﻿-﻿68, available at IRS.gov/irb/2024﻿-﻿41_IRB#NOT-2024﻿-﻿68.

Amount of deduction.

For business meals, you can deduct 50% of your business meal expenses, including meals incurred while away from home on business. However, for individuals subject to the Department of Transportation (DOT) hours of service limits, the percentage for other business meals is increased to 80% for business meals consumed during, or incident to, any period of duty for which those limits are in effect. Individuals subject to the DOT hours of service limits include the following.

Certain air transportation workers (such as pilots, crew, dispatchers, mechanics, and control tower operators) who are under Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

Interstate truck operators who are under DOT regulations.

Certain merchant mariners who are under Coast Guard regulations.

However, you can fully deduct meals and incidentals furnished or reimbursed to an employee if you properly treat the expense as wages subject to withholding. You can also fully deduct meals and incidentals provided to a nonemployee to the extent the expenses are includible in the gross income of that person and reported on Form 1099-NEC. See chapter﻿ ﻿5 of Pub. 15 (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide, for details and other exceptions. See also chapter﻿ ﻿8 of Pub. 334.

Daycare providers.

If you qualify as a family daycare provider, you can use the standard meal and snack rates, instead of actual costs, to figure the deductible cost of meals and snacks provided to eligible children. If you receive reimbursement under a food program of the Department of Agriculture, only deduct the cost of food that exceeds reimbursement, if any. See Pub. 587 for details, including recordkeeping requirements.

Line 25

Deduct utility expenses only for your trade or business.

Local telephone service.

If you used your home phone for business, do not deduct the base rate (including taxes) of the first phone line into your residence. But you can deduct any additional costs you incurred for business that are more than the base rate of the first phone line. For example, if you had a second line, you can deduct the business percentage of the charges for that line, including the base rate charges.

Line 26

Enter the total salaries and wages for the tax year reduced by the amount of the following credit(s), if applicable.

Work Opportunity Credit (Form 5884).

Empowerment Zone Employment Credit (Form 8844).

Credit for Employer Differential Wage Payments (Form 8932).

Employer Credit for Paid Family and Medical Leave (Form 8994).

Do not reduce your deduction for any portion of a credit that was passed through to you from a pass-through entity. See the instructions for the credit form for more information.

Do not include salaries and wages deducted elsewhere on your return or amounts paid to yourself.

If you provided taxable fringe benefits to your employees, such as personal use of a car, do not deduct as wages the amount applicable to depreciation and other expenses claimed elsewhere.

In most cases, you are required to file Form W-2 for each employee. See the General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3.

Line 27b

Energy efficient commercial buildings deduction.

You may be able to deduct part or all of the expenses of modifying an existing commercial building to make it energy efficient. For details, see Form 7205 and its instructions. Attach Form 7205 to your tax return.

Line 30

Business use of your home.

You may be able to deduct certain expenses for business use of your home, subject to limitations. To claim a deduction for business use of your home, use Form 8829, or you can elect to determine the amount of the deduction using a simplified method.

 If you have a business use of another home, you can’t use the simplified method for that home. You can use the Form 8829 to claim expenses for business use of the other home.

Beginning in tax year 2024, filers of Form 1040-SS can use Form 8829 to figure their business use of home deduction, if applicable.

For additional information about claiming this deduction, see Pub. 587.

If you are not using the simplified method to determine the amount of expenses you may deduct for business use of a home, do not complete the additional entry spaces on line﻿ ﻿30 for total square footage of your home and of the part of the home used for business. Instead, include the amount from line﻿ ﻿36 of your Form 8829 on line﻿ ﻿30.

Simplified method.

The simplified method is an alternative to the calculation, allocation, and substantiation of actual expenses. In most cases, you’ll figure your deduction by multiplying the area (measured in square feet) used regularly and exclusively for business, regularly for daycare, or regularly for storage of inventory or product samples, by $5. The area you use to figure your deduction cannot exceed 300 square feet. You cannot use the simplified method to figure a deduction for rental use of your home.

Electing to use the simplified method.

You choose whether or not to use the simplified method each tax year. Make the election by using the simplified method to figure the deduction for the qualified business use of a home on a timely filed, original federal income tax return for that year. An election for a year, once made, is irrevocable. A change from using the simplified method in one year to actual expenses in a succeeding year, or vice versa, is not a change in method of accounting and does not require the consent of the Commissioner.

If you share your home with someone else who uses the home for a separate business that qualifies for this deduction, each of you may make your own election, but not for the same portion of the home.

If you conduct more than one business that qualifies for this deduction in your home, your election to use the simplified method applies to all your qualified business uses of your home. You are limited to a maximum of 300 square feet for all of the businesses you conduct in your home that qualify for this deduction. Allocate the actual square footage used (up to the maximum 300 square feet) among your qualified business uses in any reasonable manner you choose, but you may not allocate more square feet to a qualified business use than you actually use in that business.

Instructions for the Simplified Method Worksheet

Use this worksheet to figure the amount of expenses you may deduct for a qualified business use of a home if you are electing to use the simplified method for that home. If you are not electing to use the simplified method, use Form 8829.

Line﻿ ﻿1. If all gross income from your trade or business is from this qualified business use of your home, figure your gross income limitation as follows.

A.

Enter the amount from Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿29

B.

Enter any gain derived from the business use of your home and shown on Form 8949 (and included on Schedule﻿ ﻿D) or Form 4797

C.

Add lines A and B

D.

Enter the total amount of any losses (as a positive number) shown on Form 8949 (and included on Schedule﻿ ﻿D) or Form 4797 that are allocable to the business, but not allocable to the business use of the home

E.

Gross income limitation. Subtract line D from line C. Enter the result here and on line﻿ ﻿1 of the simplified method worksheet

If some of the income is from a place of business other than your home, you must first determine the part of your gross income (Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿7, and gains from Form 8949, Schedule﻿ ﻿D and Form 4797) from the business use of your home. In making this determination, consider the amount of time you spent at each location as well as other facts. After determining the part of your gross income from the business use of your home, subtract from that amount the total expenses shown on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿28, plus any losses shown on Form 8949 (and included on Schedule﻿ ﻿D) or Form 4797 that are allocable to the business in which you use your home but that are not allocable to the business use of the home. Enter the result on line﻿ ﻿1 of the simplified method worksheet.

Note: If you had more than one home in which you conducted this business during the year, include only the income earned and the deductions attributable to that income during the period you owned the home for which you elected to use the simplified method.

Line﻿ ﻿2. If you used the same area for the entire year, enter the smaller of the square feet you actually used or 300. If you and your spouse conducted the business as a qualified joint venture, split the square feet between you and your spouse in the same manner you split your other tax attributes. If you shared space with someone else, used the home for business for only part of the year, or the area you used changed during the year, see Figuring your allowable expenses for business use of the home, before entering an amount on this line. Do not enter more than 300 square feet or, if applicable, the average monthly allowable square footage on this line. See Part-year use or area changes (for simplified method only), later, for more information on how to figure your average monthly allowable square footage.

Line﻿ ﻿3b. If your qualified business use is providing daycare, you may need to account for the time that you used the same part of your home for other purposes. If you used the part of your home exclusively and regularly for providing daycare, enter 1.0 on line﻿ ﻿3b. If you did not use the part of your home exclusively for providing daycare, complete the Daycare Facility Worksheet to figure what number to enter on line﻿ ﻿3b.

Line﻿ ﻿6. Because you are using the simplified method this year, you cannot deduct the amounts you entered on lines 6a and 6b this year. If you file Form 8829 in a later year for your qualified business use of this home, you will be able to include these expenses when you figure your deduction.

6a.

If you didn’t file a 2023 Form 8829, your carryover of prior-year operating expenses is the amount of operating expenses shown in Part IV of the last Form 8829, if any, that you filed to claim a deduction for business use of the home. If you filed Form 1040-SS prior to 2024 and used a worksheet in Pub. 587 to figure your carryover of unallowed expenses, your carryover of prior-year operating expenses is the amount of operating expenses shown on your last worksheet from Pub. 587, if any, that you used to claim a deduction for business use of the home. This will be the amount from line﻿ ﻿6a of the Simplified Method Worksheet or line﻿ ﻿41 of the Worksheet to Figure the Deduction for Business Use of Your Home in Pub. 587.

6b.

If you didn’t file a 2023 Form 8829, your carryover of prior-year excess casualty losses and depreciation is the amount of excess casualty losses and depreciation shown in Part IV of the last Form 8829, if any, that you filed to claim a deduction for business use of the home. If you filed Form 1040-SS prior to 2024 and used a worksheet in Pub. 587 to figure your carryover of unallowed expenses, your carryover of prior-year excess casualty losses and depreciation is the amount of excess casualty losses and depreciation shown on your last worksheet from Pub. 587, if any, that you used to claim a deduction for business use of the home. This will be the amount from line﻿ ﻿6b of the Simplified Method Worksheet or line﻿ ﻿42 of the Worksheet to Figure the Deduction for Business Use of Your Home in Pub. 587.

Keep for Your Records Keep for Your Records

Simplified Method Worksheet

1.

Enter the amount of the gross income limitation. See the Instructions for the Simplified Method Worksheet above

1.

2.

Allowable square footage for the qualified business use. Don’t enter more than 300 square feet. See the Instructions for the Simplified Method Worksheet above

2.

3.

Simplified method amount

a.

Maximum allowable amount

3a.

$5

b.

For daycare facilities not used exclusively for business, see the instructions for line﻿ ﻿3b of this worksheet above, and enter the decimal amount from the Daycare Facility Worksheet; otherwise, enter 1.0

3b.

c.

Multiply line﻿ ﻿3a by line﻿ ﻿3b and enter the result to 2 decimal places

3c.

4.

Multiply line﻿ ﻿2 by line﻿ ﻿3c

4.

5.

Allowable expenses using the simplified method. Enter the smaller of line﻿ ﻿1 or line﻿ ﻿4 here and include that amount on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line﻿ ﻿30. If zero or less, enter -0-

5.

6.

Carryover of unallowed expenses from a prior year that are not allowed in 2024. Form 1040-SS filers, see the instructions above before completing.

a.

Operating expenses. Enter the amount from your last Form 8829, line﻿ ﻿43 (line﻿ ﻿42 if before 2018). See the instructions for line﻿ ﻿6a above

6a.

b.

Excess casualty losses and depreciation. Enter the amount from your last Form 8829, line﻿ ﻿44 (line﻿ ﻿43 if before 2018). See the instructions for line﻿ ﻿6b above

6b.

Instructions for the Daycare Facility Worksheet

Use this worksheet to figure the percentage to use on line﻿ ﻿3b of the Simplified Method Worksheet. If you don’t use the area of your home exclusively for daycare, you must reduce the prescribed rate before figuring your deduction using the simplified method.

If you used at least 300 square feet for daycare regularly and exclusively during the year, then you don’t need to complete this worksheet. This worksheet is only needed if you did not use the allowable area exclusively for daycare.

Line﻿ ﻿1. Enter the total number of hours the facility was used for daycare during the year.

Example. Your home is used Monday through Friday for 12 hours per day for 250 days during the year. It’s also used on 50 Saturdays for 8 hours a day. Enter 3,400 hours on line﻿ ﻿4 (3,000 hours for weekdays plus 400 hours for Saturdays).

Line﻿ ﻿2. If you used your home for daycare during the entire year, multiply 365 days (366 for a leap year) by 24 hours, and enter the result.

If you started or stopped using your home for daycare during the year, you must prorate the number of hours based on the number of days the home was available for daycare. Multiply 24 hours by the number of days available and enter the result.

Daycare Facility Worksheet (for simplified method)

1.

Multiply days used for daycare during the year by hours used per day

1.

2.

Total hours available for use during the year. See the Instructions for the Daycare Facility Worksheet

2.

3.

Divide line﻿ ﻿1 by line﻿ ﻿2. Enter the result as a decimal amount here and on line﻿ ﻿3b of the Simplified Method Worksheet

3.

If you used your home for more than one business, you will need to file a separate Schedule﻿ ﻿C for each business. Don’t combine your deductions for each business use on a single Schedule﻿ ﻿C.

Business use of more than one home.

You may have used more than one home in your business. If you used more than one home for the same business during 2024, you may elect to use the simplified method for only one home; you must file a Form 8829 to claim a business use of the home deduction for any additional home. If one or more of the homes were not used for the entire year (for example, you moved during the year), see Part-year use or area changes (for simplified method only), later, and Columns (a) and (b) in the Instructions for Form 8829.

Other requirements must still be met.

You must still meet all the use requirements to claim a deduction for business use of the home. The simplified method is only an alternative to the calculation, allocation, and substantiation of actual expenses. The simplified method is not an alternative to the exclusivity and other tests that must be met in order to qualify for this deduction. For more information about qualifying business uses, see Qualifying for a Deduction in Pub. 587.

Gross income limitation.

The amount of your deduction is still limited to the gross income derived from qualified business use of the home reduced by the business deductions that are not related to your use of the home. If this limitation reduces the amount of your deduction, you can’t carry over the difference to another tax year.

Carryover of actual expenses from Form 8829.

If you used Form 8829 in a prior year, and you had actual expenses that you could carry over to the next year, you can’t claim those expenses if you are using the simplified method. Instead, the actual expenses from Form 8829 that were not allowed will be carried over to the next year that you use actual expenses to figure your deduction.

Carryover of actual expenses for Form 1040-SS filers.

If you filed Form 1040-SS prior to 2024 and used a worksheet in Pub. 587 to figure your actual expenses that you could carry over to the next year, you can't claim those expenses if you are using the simplified method. Instead, the amount of your Operating expenses and Excess casualty losses and depreciation from your worksheet in Pub. 587 that were not allowed will be carried over to the next year that you use actual expenses to figure your deduction. The next time you claim actual expenses you need to file Form 8829.

Depreciation of home.

You can’t deduct any depreciation (including any additional first-year depreciation) or section 179 expense for the portion of your home that is used in a qualified business use if you figure the deduction for the business use of your home using the simplified method. The depreciation deduction allowable for that portion of the home for that year is deemed to be zero.

TipAlthough you can’t deduct any depreciation or section 179 expense for the portion of your home that is a qualified business use because you elect to use the simplified method, you may still claim depreciation or the section 179 expense deduction on other assets (for example, furniture and equipment) used in the qualified business use of your home.

Figuring your allowable expenses for business use of the home.

You will figure the deduction using Form 8829 or the Simplified Method Worksheet, or both.

You may not use the simplified method and also file Form 8829 for the same qualified business use of the same home.

Using Form 8829.

Use Form 8829 to figure and claim this deduction for a home if you are not or cannot use the simplified method for that home. For information about claiming this deduction using Form 8829, see the Instructions for Form 8829 and Pub. 587.

Using the simplified method.

Use the Simplified Method Worksheet in these instructions to figure your deduction for a qualified business use of your home if you are electing to use the simplified method for that home.

Shared use (for simplified method only).

If you share your home with someone else who uses the home for a separate business that also qualifies for this deduction, you may not include the same square feet to figure your deduction as the other person. You must allocate the shared space between you and the other person in a reasonable manner.

Example.

Taylor and Logan are roommates. Taylor uses 300 square feet of their home for a qualified business use. Logan uses 200 square feet of their home for a separate qualified business use. The qualified business uses share 100 square feet. In addition to the portion that they don’t share, Taylor and Logan can both claim 50 of the 100 square feet or divide the 100 square feet between them in any reasonable manner. If divided evenly, Taylor could claim 250 square feet using the simplified method and Logan could claim 150 square feet.

Part-year use or area changes (for simplified method only).

If your qualified business use was for a portion of the tax year (for example, a seasonal business, a business that begins during the year, or you moved during the year) or you changed the square footage of your qualified business use, your deduction is limited to the average monthly allowable square footage. You figure the average monthly allowable square footage by adding the amount of allowable square feet you used in each month and dividing the sum by 12.

When determining the average monthly allowable square footage, you can’t take more than 300 square feet into account for any one month. Additionally, if your qualified business use was less than 15 days in a month, use -0- for that month.

Example 1.

Finley files a federal income tax return on a calendar year basis. On July 20, Finley began using 400 square feet of the home for a qualified business use. Finley continued to use the 400 square feet until the end of the year. Finley's average monthly allowable square footage is 125 square feet (300 square feet for August through December divided by the number of months in the year ((300 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300)/12)).

Example 2.

Riley files a federal income tax return on a calendar year basis. On April 20, Riley began using 100 square feet of the home for a qualified business use. On August 5, Riley expanded the area of qualified business use to 350 square feet. Riley continued to use the 350 square feet until the end of the year. Riley's average monthly allowable square footage is 150 square feet (100 square feet for May through July and 300 square feet for August through December divided by the number of months in the year ((100 + 100 +100 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300)/12)).

Example 3.

Carter files a federal income tax return on a calendar year basis. From January 1 through July 16, Carter used 300 square feet of the home for a qualified business use. On July 17, Carter moved to a new home and immediately began using 200 square feet of the new home for the same qualified business use. Using the simplified method to deduct expenses for the qualified business use for the previous home, Carter’s average monthly allowable square footage is 175 square feet (300 square feet for January through July divided by the number of months in the year ((300 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300)/12)). Carter also prepared Form 8829 to deduct the actual expenses associated with the qualified business use of the new home.

Once you have determined your allowable square footage, enter the result on line﻿ ﻿2 of the Simplified Method Worksheet.

If you moved during the year, your average allowable square footage will generally be less than 300.

You can use the Area Adjustment Worksheet in Pub. 587 to help you determine the allowable square footage to enter on line﻿ ﻿2 of the Simplified Method Worksheet.

Reporting your expenses for business use of the home.

If you didn’t use the simplified method, include the amount from line﻿ ﻿36 of Form 8829 on line﻿ ﻿30 of the Schedule﻿ ﻿C you are filing for that business.

If you used the simplified method.

If you elect to use the simplified method for the business use of a home, complete the additional entry spaces on line﻿ ﻿30 for that home only. Include the amount from line﻿ ﻿5 of the Simplified Method Worksheet on line﻿ ﻿30.

If you itemize your deductions on Schedule﻿ ﻿A (Form 1040), you may deduct your mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and casualty losses on Schedule﻿ ﻿A (Form 1040) as if you didn’t use your home for business. You can’t deduct any excess mortgage interest, excess real estate taxes, or excess casualty losses on Schedule﻿ ﻿C for this home.

Use Part II of Schedule﻿ ﻿C to deduct business expenses that are unrelated to the qualified business use of the home (for example, expenses for advertising, wages, or supplies, or depreciation of equipment or furniture).

Deduction figured on multiple forms.

If you used more than one home for a business during the year, use a Form 8829 for each home or use the simplified method for one home and Form 8829 for any other home. Combine the amount you figured using the simplified method and the amounts you figured on your Forms 8829, and then enter the total on line﻿ ﻿30 of the Schedule﻿ ﻿C for that business.

Line 31

Figuring your net profit or loss.

If your expenses (including the expenses you report on line﻿ ﻿30) are more than your gross income, don’t enter your loss on line﻿ ﻿31 until you have applied the at-risk rules and the passive activity loss rules. To apply these rules, follow the instructions under Line﻿ ﻿32, later, and the Instructions for Form 8582. After applying those rules, the amount on line﻿ ﻿31 will be your loss, and it may be smaller than the amount you figured by subtracting line﻿ ﻿30 from line﻿ ﻿29.

If your gross income is more than your expenses (including the expenses you report on line﻿ ﻿30), and you don’t have prior year unallowed passive activity losses, subtract line﻿ ﻿30 from line﻿ ﻿29. The result is your net profit.

If your gross income is more than your expenses (including the expenses you report on line﻿ ﻿30), and you have prior year unallowed passive activity losses, don’t enter your net profit on line﻿ ﻿31 until you have figured the amount of prior year unallowed passive activity losses you may claim this year for this activity. Use Form 8582 to figure the amount of prior year unallowed passive activity losses you may include on line﻿ ﻿31. Be sure to indicate that you are including prior year passive activity losses by entering "PAL" to the left of the entry space.

 If you checked the "No" box on line G, see the Instructions for Form 8582; you may need to include information from this schedule on Form 8582, even if you have a net profit.

Rental real estate activity.

Unless you are a qualifying real estate professional, a rental real estate activity is a passive activity, even if you materially participated in the activity. If you have a loss, you may need to file Form 8582 to apply a limitation that may reduce your loss. See the Instructions for Form 8582.

Reporting your net profit or loss.

Once you have figured your net profit or loss, report it as follows.

If you enter a loss on line﻿ ﻿31, you may have an excess business loss. Use Form 461 to figure your excess business loss.

Individuals.

Enter your net profit or loss on line﻿ ﻿31 and include it on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿3. Also, include your net profit or loss on Schedule﻿ ﻿SE, line﻿ ﻿2. However, if you are a statutory employee or notary public, see Statutory employees or Notary public, later.

Nonresident aliens.

Enter your net profit or loss on line﻿ ﻿31 and include it on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿3. You should also include this amount on Schedule﻿ ﻿SE, line﻿ ﻿2, if you are covered under the U.S. social security system due to an international social security agreement currently in effect. See the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿SE for information on international social security agreements. However, if you are a statutory employee or notary public, see Statutory employees or Notary public, later.

Trusts and estates.

Enter the net profit or loss on line﻿ ﻿31 and include it on Form 1041, line﻿ ﻿3.

Statutory employees.

Enter your net profit or loss on line﻿ ﻿31 and include it on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿3. However, do not report this amount on Schedule﻿ ﻿SE, line﻿ ﻿2. If you were a statutory employee and you are required to file Schedule﻿ ﻿SE because of other self-employment income, see the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿SE.

Notary public.

Do not enter your net profit from line﻿ ﻿31 on Schedule﻿ ﻿SE, line﻿ ﻿2, unless you are required to file Schedule﻿ ﻿SE because you have other self-employment income. See the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿SE.

You can deduct one-half of your self-employment tax on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line﻿ ﻿15. See the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿SE for details.

Community income.

If you and your spouse had community income and are filing separate returns, see the Instructions for Schedule﻿ ﻿SE before figuring self-employment tax.

Earned income credit (EIC).

If you have a net profit on line﻿ ﻿31, this amount is earned income and may qualify you for the EIC.

CautionTo figure your EIC, use the instructions for Form 1040, line﻿ ﻿27. Complete all applicable steps plus Worksheet B. If you are required to file Schedule﻿ ﻿SE, remember to enter one-half of your self-employment tax in Part 1, line﻿ ﻿1d, of Worksheet B.

Line 32

You don’t need to complete line﻿ ﻿32 if line﻿ ﻿7 is more than the total of lines 28 and 30.

At-risk rules.

In most cases, if you have a business loss and amounts invested in the business for which you are not at risk, complete Form 6198 to apply a limitation that may reduce your loss. The at-risk rules generally limit the amount of loss (including loss on the disposition of assets) you can claim to the amount you could actually lose in the business.

Check box 32b if you have amounts invested in this business for which you are not at risk, such as the following.

Nonrecourse loans used to finance the business, to acquire property used in the business, or to acquire the business that are not secured by your own property (other than property used in the business), and for which you are not personally responsible to repay. However, there is an exception for certain nonrecourse financing borrowed by you in connection with holding real property. See the Instructions for Form 6198 and Pub. 925.

Cash, property, or borrowed amounts used in the business (or contributed to the business, or used to acquire the business) that are protected against loss by a guarantee, stop-loss agreement, or other similar arrangement (excluding casualty insurance and insurance against tort liability).

Amounts borrowed for use in the business from a person who has an interest in the business, other than as a creditor, or who is related under section 465(b)(3)(C) to a person (other than you) having such an interest.

Figuring your loss.

Before determining your loss, check box 32a or 32b to indicate whether the loss from your business activity is limited by the at-risk rules. Follow the instructions, next, that apply to your box 32 activity.

Note. Line﻿ ﻿32 doesn't apply to filers of Form 1040-SS.

All investment is at risk.

If all amounts are at risk in this business, check box 32a. If you answered “Yes” on line G, your loss will not be reduced by the at-risk rules or the passive activity loss rules. See Line﻿ ﻿31, earlier, for how to report your loss.

If you answered “No” on line G, you may need to complete Form 8582 to figure your loss to enter on line﻿ ﻿31. See the Instructions for Form 8582 for details.

Some investment is not at risk.

If some investment is not at risk, check box 32b; the at-risk rules apply to your loss. Be sure to attach Form 6198 to your return.

 If you answered "Yes" on line G, complete Form 6198 to figure the loss to enter on line﻿ ﻿31. The passive activity loss rules do not apply. See Line﻿ ﻿31, earlier, for how to report your loss.

If you answered "No" on line G, the passive activity loss rules may apply. First, complete Form 6198 to figure the amount of your profit or (loss) for the at-risk activity, which may include amounts reported on other forms and schedules, and the at-risk amount for the activity. Follow the Instructions for Form 6198 to determine how much of your Schedule﻿ ﻿C loss will be allowed. After you figure the amount of your loss that is allowed under the at-risk rules, you may need to complete Form 8582 to figure the passive activity loss to enter on line﻿ ﻿31. See the Instructions for Form 8582 for details.

cautionIf you checked box 32b because some investment is not at risk and you do not attach Form 6198, the processing of your return may be delayed.

At-risk loss deduction.

Any loss from this business not allowed for 2024 only because of the at-risk rules is treated as a deduction allocable to the business in 2025.

More information.

For details, see the Instructions for Form 6198 and Pub. 925.

Part III. Cost of Goods Sold

In most cases, if you engaged in a trade or business in which the production, purchase, or sale of merchandise was an income-producing factor, you must take inventories into account at the beginning and end of your tax year.

Exception for small business taxpayers.

If you are a small business taxpayer, you can choose not to keep an inventory, but you must still use a method of accounting for inventory that clearly reflects income. If you choose not to keep an inventory, you won't be treated as failing to clearly reflect income if your method of accounting for inventory treats inventory as non-incidental material or supplies, or conforms to your financial accounting treatment of inventories. If, however, you choose to keep an inventory, you must generally value the inventory each year to determine your cost of goods sold in Part III of Schedule﻿ ﻿C.

Small business taxpayer.

You qualify as a small business taxpayer if you (a) have average annual gross receipts of $30 million or less for the 3 prior tax years, and (b) are not a tax shelter (as defined in section 448(d)(3)).

If your business has not been in existence for all of the 3-tax-year period used in figuring average gross receipts, base your average on the period it has existed, and if your business has a predecessor entity, include the gross receipts of the predecessor entity from the 3-tax-year period when figuring average gross receipts. If your business (or predecessor entity) had short tax years for any of the 3-tax-year period, annualize your business' gross receipts for the short tax years that are part of the 3-tax-year period.

See Pub. 538 for more information.

Treating inventory as non-incidental material or supplies.

If you account for inventories as materials and supplies that are not incidental, you deduct the amounts paid to acquire or produce the inventoriable items (treated as materials and supplies) in the year in which they are first used or consumed in your operations.

Financial accounting treatment of inventories.

Your financial accounting treatment of inventories is determined with regard to the method of accounting you use in your applicable financial statement (as defined in section 451(b)(3)) or, if you don’t have an applicable financial statement, with regard to the method of accounting you use in your books and records that have been prepared in accordance with your accounting procedures.

More information.

For more information about this exception for small businesses using this method of accounting for inventoriable items, see Pub. 538.

Changing your method of accounting for inventory.

If you want to change your method of accounting for inventory, file Form 3115. For details, see Line F, earlier.

CautionCertain direct and indirect expenses may have to be capitalized or included in inventory. See Part II, earlier. See Pub. 538 for additional information.

Line 33

Your inventories can be valued at cost, the lower of cost or market, or any other method approved by the IRS.

Line﻿ ﻿33 doesn't apply to filers of Form 1040-SS.

Line 35

If you are changing your method of accounting beginning with 2024, refigure last year's closing inventory using your new method of accounting and enter the result on line﻿ ﻿35. If there is a difference between last year's closing inventory and the refigured amount, attach an explanation and take it into account when figuring your section 481(a) adjustment. For details, see the example under Line F, earlier.

Part IV. Information on Your Vehicle

Line 44b

In most cases, commuting is travel between your home and a work location. If you converted your vehicle during the year from personal to business use (or vice versa), enter your commuting miles only for the period you drove your vehicle for business.

Travel that meets any of the following conditions isn't commuting; it is considered deductible business travel.

You have at least one regular work location away from your home and the travel is to a temporary work location in the same trade or business, regardless of the distance. Generally, a temporary work location is one where your employment is expected to last 1 year or less. See Pub. 463 for more details.

The travel is to a temporary work location outside the metropolitan area where you live and normally work.

Your home is your principal place of business under section 280A(c)(1)(A) (for purposes of deducting expenses for business use of your home) and the travel is to another work location in the same trade or business, regardless of whether that location is regular or temporary and regardless of distance.

Line 47

Specific recordkeeping rules apply to car or truck expenses. For more information about what records you must keep, see Pub. 463.

You may maintain written evidence by using an electronic storage system that meets certain requirements. For more information about electronic storage systems, see Pub. 583.

Part V. Other Expenses. Line﻿ ﻿48

Include all ordinary and necessary business expenses not deducted elsewhere on Schedule﻿ ﻿C. List the type and amount of each expense separately in the space provided. Enter the total on lines 48 and 27a. Do not include the cost of business equipment or furniture; replacements or permanent improvements to property; or personal, living, and family expenses. Do not include charitable contributions. Also, you can’t deduct fines or penalties paid to a government for violating any law. For details on business expenses, see Pub. 334, chapter﻿ ﻿8.

Amortization.

Include amortization in this part. For amortization that begins in 2024, complete and attach Form 4562.

You can amortize such costs as:

The cost of pollution-control facilities;

Amounts paid for research and experimentation;

Amounts paid to acquire, protect, expand, register, or defend trademarks or trade names; or

Goodwill and certain other intangibles.

In most cases, you cannot amortize real property construction period interest and taxes. Special rules apply for allocating interest to real or personal property produced in your trade or business.

For a complete list, see the instructions for Form 4562, Part VI.

At-risk loss deduction.

Any loss from this business that was not allowed last year because of the at-risk rules is treated as a deduction allocable to this business in 2024.

Bad debts.

Include debts and partial debts from sales or services that were included in income and are definitely known to be worthless. If you later collect a debt that you deducted as a bad debt, include it as income in the year collected. For details, see Pub. 334, chapter﻿ ﻿8.

Business startup costs.

If your business began in 2024, you can elect to deduct up to $5,000 of certain business startup costs. The $5,000 limit is reduced (but not below zero) by the amount by which your total startup costs exceed $50,000. Your remaining startup costs can be amortized over a 180-month period, beginning with the month the business began.

For details, see IRS.gov/Newsroom/Heres-how-businesses-can-deduct-startup-costs-from-their-federal-taxes. For amortization that begins in 2024, complete and attach Form 4562.

Deduction for removing barriers to individuals with disabilities and the elderly.

You may be able to deduct up to $15,000 of costs paid or incurred in 2024 to remove architectural or transportation barriers to individuals with disabilities and the elderly. However, you can’t take both a credit (on Form 8826) and a deduction for the same expenditures.

Nontaxable Medicaid waiver payments.

Include the nontaxable amount of your Medicaid waiver payments. See Medicaid waiver payments, earlier.

De minimis safe harbor for tangible property.

Generally, you must capitalize costs to acquire or produce real or tangible personal property used in your trade or business, such as buildings, equipment, or furniture. However, if you elect to use the de minimis safe harbor for tangible property, you may deduct de minimis amounts paid to acquire or produce certain tangible property if these amounts are deducted by you for financial accounting purposes or in keeping your books and records.

If you have an applicable financial statement, you may use this safe harbor to deduct amounts paid for tangible property up to $5,000 per item or invoice. If you don't have an applicable financial statement, you may use the de minimis safe harbor to deduct amounts paid for tangible property up to $2,500 per item or invoice.

Only deduct these amounts as other expenses. Don't include these amounts on any other line.

For details on making this election and requirements for using the de minimis safe harbor for tangible property, see chapter﻿ ﻿8 of Pub. 334.

Film and television and live theatrical production expenses.

You can elect to deduct costs of certain qualified film and television productions or qualified live theatrical productions. See section 181, for details.

Forestation and reforestation costs.

Reforestation costs are generally capital expenditures. However, for each qualified timber property, you can elect to expense up to $10,000 ($5,000 if married filing separately) of qualifying reforestation costs paid or incurred in 2024.

You can elect to amortize the remaining costs over 84 months. For amortization that begins in 2024, complete and attach Form 4562.

The amortization election and the expense election don’t apply to trusts. For details on reforestation expenses, see chapter﻿ ﻿4 of Pub. 225.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice.

We ask for the information on Schedule﻿ ﻿C (Form 1040) to carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the United States. You are required to give us the information. We need it to ensure that you are complying with these laws and to allow us to figure and collect the right amount of tax.

You are not required to provide the information requested on a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a form or its instructions must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return information are confidential, as required by section 6103.

The time needed to complete and file Schedule﻿ ﻿C (Form 1040) will vary depending on individual circumstances. The estimated burden for individual taxpayers filing this form is included in the estimates shown in the instructions for their individual income tax return. The estimated burden for all other taxpayers who file this form is approved under OMB control number 1545﻿-﻿1974 and is shown next.

Recordkeeping

3 hr., 36 min.

Learning about the law or the form

1 hr., 19 min.

Preparing the form

1 hr., 39 min.

Copying, assembling, and sending the form to the IRS

34 min.

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these time estimates or suggestions for making this form simpler, we would be happy to hear from you. See the instructions for the tax return with which this form is filed.

Principal Business or Professional Activity Codes

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

These codes for the Principal Business or Professional Activity classify sole proprietorships by the type of activity they are engaged in to facilitate the administration of the Internal Revenue Code. These six-digit codes are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Select the category that best describes your primary business activity (for example, Real Estate). Then select the activity that best identifies the principal source of your sales or receipts (for example, real estate agent). Now find the six-digit code assigned to this activity (for example, 531210, the code for offices of real estate agents and brokers) and enter it on Schedule﻿ ﻿C, line B.

Note. If your principal source of income is from farming activities, you should file Schedule﻿ ﻿F.

Accommodation, Food Services, & Drinking Places

Accommodation

721310

Rooming & boarding houses, dormitories, & workers' camps

721210

RV (recreational vehicle) parks & recreational camps

721100

Traveler accommodation (including hotels, motels, & bed & breakfast inns)

Food Services & Drinking Places

722514

Cafeterias, grill buffets, & buffets

722410

Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)

722511

Full-service restaurants

722513

Limited-service restaurants

722515

Snack & non-alcoholic beverage bars

722300

Special food services (including food service contractors & caterers)

Administrative & Support and Waste Management & Remediation Services

Administrative & Support Services

561430

Business service centers (including private mail centers & copy shops)

561740

Carpet & upholstery cleaning services

561440

Collection agencies

561450

Credit bureaus

561410

Document preparation services

561300

Employment services

561710

Exterminating & pest control services

561210

Facilities support (management) services

561600

Investigation & security services

561720

Janitorial services

561730

Landscaping services

561110

Office administrative services

561420

Telephone call centers (including telephone answering services & telemarketing bureaus)

561500

Travel arrangement & reservation services

561490

Other business support services (including repossession services, court reporting, & stenotype services)

561790

Other services to buildings & dwellings

561900

Other support services (including packaging & labeling services, & convention & trade show organizers)

Waste Management & Remediation Services

562000

Waste management & remediation services

Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, & Fishing

112900

Animal production (including breeding of cats and dogs)

114110

Fishing

113000

Forestry & logging (including forest nurseries & timber tracts)

114210

Hunting & trapping

Support Activities for Agriculture & Forestry

115210

Support activities for animal production (including farriers)

115110

Support activities for crop production (including cotton ginning, soil preparation, planting, & cultivating)

115310

Support activities for forestry

Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation

Amusement, Gambling, & Recreation Industries

713100

Amusement parks & arcades

713200

Gambling industries

713900

Other amusement & recreation services (including golf courses, skiing facilities, marinas, fitness centers, bowling centers, skating rinks, miniature golf courses)

Museums, Historical Sites, & Similar Institutions

712100

Museums, historical sites, & similar institutions

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, & Related Industries

711410

Agents & managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, & other public figures

711510

Independent artists, writers, & performers

711100

Performing arts companies

711300

Promoters of performing arts, sports, & similar events

711210

Spectator sports (including professional sports clubs & racetrack operations)

Construction of Buildings

236200

Nonresidential building construction

236100

Residential building construction

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction

237310

Highway, street, & bridge construction

237210

Land subdivision

237100

Utility system construction

237990

Other heavy & civil engineering construction

Specialty Trade Contractors

238310

Drywall & insulation contractors

238210

Electrical contractors

238350

Finish carpentry contractors

238330

Flooring contractors

238130

Framing carpentry contractors

238150

Glass & glazing contractors

238140

Masonry contractors

238320

Painting & wall covering contractors

238220

Plumbing, heating & air- conditioning contractors

238110

Poured concrete foundation & structure contractors

238160

Roofing contractors

238170

Siding contractors

238910

Site preparation contractors

238120

Structural steel & precast concrete construction contractors

238340

Tile & terrazzo contractors

238290

Other building equipment contractors

238390

Other building finishing contractors

238190

Other foundation, structure, & building exterior contractors

238990

All other specialty trade contractors

Educational Services

611000

Educational services (including schools, colleges, & universities)

Finance & Insurance

Credit Intermediation & Related Activities

522100

Depository credit intermediation (including commercial banking, savings institutions, & credit unions)

522200

Nondepository credit intermediation (including sales financing & consumer lending)

522300

Activities related to credit intermediation (including loan brokers)

Insurance Agents, Brokers, & Related Activities

524210

Insurance agencies & brokerages

524290

Other insurance related activities

Securities, Commodity Contracts, & Other Financial Investments & Related Activities

523160

Commodity contracts intermediation

523150

Investment banking & securities intermediation

523210

Securities & commodity exchanges

523900

Other financial investment activities (including investment advice)

Health Care & Social Assistance

Ambulatory Health Care Services

621610

Home health care services

621510

Medical & diagnostic laboratories

621310

Offices of chiropractors

621210

Offices of dentists

621330

Offices of mental health practitioners (except physicians)

621320

Offices of optometrists

621340

Offices of physical, occupational & speech therapists, & audiologists

621111

Offices of physicians (except mental health specialists)

621112

Offices of physicians, mental health specialists

621391

Offices of podiatrists

621399

Offices of all other miscellaneous health practitioners

621400

Outpatient care centers

621900

Other ambulatory health care services (including ambulance services, blood, & organ banks)

Hospitals

622000

Hospitals

Nursing & Residential Care Facilities

623000

Nursing & residential care facilities

Social Assistance

624410

Childcare services

624200

Community food & housing, & emergency & other relief services

624100

Individual & family services

624310

Vocational rehabilitation services

Information

Publishing Industries

513000

Publishing industries

Broadcasting & Content Providers & Telecommunications

516000

Broadcasting & content providers

517000

Telecommunications (including Wired, Wireless, Satellite, Cable & Other Program Distribution, Resellers, Agents, Other Telecommunications, & Internet service providers)

Data Processing, Web Search Portals, & Other Information Services

518210

Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, & related services

519200

Web search portals, libraries, archives, & other info. services

Motion Picture & Sound Recording

512100

Motion picture & video industries (except video rental)

512200

Sound recording industries

Manufacturing

315000

Apparel mfg.

312000

Beverage & tobacco product mfg.

334000

Computer & electronic product mfg.

335000

Electrical equipment, appliance, & component mfg.

332000

Fabricated metal product mfg.

337000

Furniture & related product mfg.

333000

Machinery mfg.

339110

Medical equipment & supplies mfg.

322000

Paper mfg.

324100

Petroleum & coal products mfg.

326000

Plastics & rubber products mfg.

331000

Primary metal mfg.

323100

Printing & related support activities

313000

Textile mills

314000

Textile product mills

336000

Transportation equipment mfg.

321000

Wood product mfg.

339900

Other miscellaneous mfg.

Chemical Manufacturing

325100

Basic chemical mfg.

325500

Paint, coating, & adhesive mfg.

325300

Pesticide, fertilizer, & other agricultural chemical mfg.

325410

Pharmaceutical & medicine mfg.

325200

Resin, synthetic rubber, & artificial & synthetic fibers & filaments mfg.

325600

Soap, cleaning compound, & toilet preparation mfg.

325900

Other chemical product & preparation mfg.

Food Manufacturing

311110

Animal food mfg.

311800

Bakeries, tortilla, & dry pasta mfg.

311500

Dairy product mfg.

311400

Fruit & vegetable preserving & speciality food mfg.

311200

Grain & oilseed milling

311610

Animal slaughtering & processing

311710

Seafood product preparation & packaging

311300

Sugar & confectionery product mfg.

311900

Other food mfg. (including coffee, tea, flavorings, & seasonings)

Leather & Allied Product Manufacturing

316210

Footwear mfg. (including leather, rubber, & plastics)

316110

Leather & hide tanning & finishing

316990

Other leather & allied product mfg.

Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing

327300

Cement & concrete product mfg.

327100

Clay product & refractory mfg.

327210

Glass & glass product mfg.

327400

Lime & gypsum product mfg.

327900

Other nonmetallic mineral product mfg.

Mining

212110

Coal mining

211120

Crude petroleum extraction

212200

Metal ore mining

211130

Natural gas extraction

212300

Nonmetallic mineral mining & quarrying

213110

Support activities for mining

Other Services

Personal & Laundry Services

812111

Barber shops

812112

Beauty salons

812220

Cemeteries & crematories

812310

Coin-operated laundries & drycleaners

812320

Drycleaning & laundry services (except coin-operated) (including laundry & drycleaning drop-off & pickup sites)

812210

Funeral homes & funeral services

812330

Linen & uniform supply

812113

Nail salons

812930

Parking lots & garages

812910

Pet care (except veterinary) services

812920

Photofinishing

812190

Other personal care services (including diet & weight reducing centers)

812990

All other personal services

Repair & Maintenance

811120

Automotive body, paint, interior, & glass repair

811110

Automotive mechanical & electrical repair & maintenance

811190

Other automotive repair & maintenance (including oil change & lubrication shops & car washes)

811310

Commercial & industrial machinery & equipment (except automotive & electronic) repair & maintenance

811210

Electronic & precision equipment repair & maintenance

811430

Footwear & leather goods repair

811410

Home & garden equipment & appliance repair & maintenance

811420

Reupholstery & furniture repair

811490

Other personal & household goods repair & maintenance

Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services

541100

Legal services

541211

Offices of certified public accountants

541214

Payroll services

541213

Tax preparation services

541219

Other accounting services

Architectural, Engineering, & Related Services

541310

Architectural services

541350

Building inspection services

541340

Drafting services

541330

Engineering services

541360

Geophysical surveying & mapping services

541320

Landscape architecture services

541370

Surveying & mapping (except geophysical) services

541380

Testing laboratories & services

Computer Systems Design & Related Services

541510

Computer systems design & related services

Specialized Design Services

541400

Specialized design services (including interior, industrial, graphic, & fashion design)

Other Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services

541800

Advertising, public relations, & related services

541600

Management, scientific, & technical consulting services

541910

Market research & public opinion polling

541920

Photographic services

541700

Scientific research & development services

541930

Translation & interpretation services

541940

Veterinary services

541990

All other professional, scientific, & technical services

Real Estate & Rental & Leasing

Real Estate

531100

Lessors of real estate (including miniwarehouses & self-storage units)

531210

Offices of real estate agents & brokers

531320

Offices of real estate appraisers

531310

Real estate property managers

531390

Other activities related to real estate

Rental & Leasing Services

532100

Automotive equipment rental & leasing

532400

Commercial & industrial machinery & equipment rental & leasing

532210

Consumer electronics & appliances rental

532281

Formal wear & costume rental

532310

General rental centers

532283

Home health equipment rental

532284

Recreational goods rental

532282

Video tape & disc rental

532289

Other consumer goods rental

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, & Similar Organizations

813000

Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, & similar organizations

Retail Trade

Building Material & Garden Equipment & Supplies Dealers

444140

Hardware retailers

444110

Home centers

444200

Lawn & garden equipment & supplies retailers

444120

Paint & wallpaper retailers

444180

Other building materials dealers

Clothing & Accessories Retailers

458110

Clothing & clothing accessories retailers

458310

Jewelry retailers

458320

Luggage & leather goods retailers

458210

Shoe retailers

Electronic & Appliance Retailers

449210

Electronics & appliance retailers (including computers)

Food & Beverage Retailers

445320

Beer, wine, & liquor retailers

445250

Fish & seafood retailers

445230

Fruit & vegetable retailers

445100

Grocery & convenience retailers

445240

Meat retailers

445290

Other specialty food retailers

445132

Vending machine operators

Furniture & Home Furnishings Retailers

449110

Furniture retailers

449120

Home furnishings retailers

Gasoline Stations & Fuel dealers

457100

Gasoline stations (including convenience stores with gas)

457210

Fuel dealers (including heating oil & liquefied petroleum)

General Merchandise Retailers

455000

General merchandise retailers

Health & Personal Care Retailers

456120

Cosmetics, beauty supplies, & perfume retailers

456130

Optical goods retailers

456110

Pharmacies & drug retailers

456190

Other health & personal care retailers

Motor Vehicle & Parts Dealers

441300

Automotive parts, accessories, & tire retailers

441222

Boat dealers

441227

Motorcycle, ATV, & all other motor vehicle dealers

441110

New car dealers

441210

Recreational vehicle dealers (including motor home & travel trailer dealers)

441120

Used car dealers

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book, Musical Instrument & Miscellaneous Retailers

459210

Book retailers & news dealers (including newsstands)

459120

Hobby, toy, & game retailers

459140

Musical instrument & supplies retailers

459130

Sewing, needlework, & piece goods retailers

459110

Sporting goods retailers

459920

Art dealers

459310

Florists

459420

Gift, novelty, & souvenir retailers

459930

Manufactured (mobile) home dealers

459410

Office supplies & stationery retailers

459910

Pet & pet supplies retailers

459510

Used merchandise retailers

459990

All other miscellaneous retailers (including tobacco, candle, & trophy retailers)

Nonstore Retailers

xx

Nonstore retailers sell all types of merchandise using such methods as Internet, mail-order catalogs, interactive television, or direct sales. These types of Retailers should select the PBA associated with their primary line of products sold.

xx

For example, establishments primarily selling prescription and non-prescription drugs, select PBA code 456110 Pharmacies & Drug Retailers.

Transportation & Warehousing

481000

Air transportation

485510

Charter bus industry

484110

General freight trucking, local

484120

General freight trucking, long distance

485210

Interurban & rural bus transportation

486000

Pipeline transportation

482110

Rail transportation

487000

Scenic & sightseeing transportation

485410

School & employee bus transportation

484200

Specialized freight trucking (including household moving vans)

485300

Taxi, limousine, & ridesharing service

485110

Urban transit systems

483000

Water transportation

485990

Other transit & ground passenger transportation

488000

Support activities for transportation (including motor vehicle towing)

Couriers & Messengers

492000

Couriers & messengers

Warehousing & Storage Facilities

493100

Warehousing & storage (except leases of miniwarehouses & self-storage units)

Utilities

221000

Utilities

Wholesale Trade

Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods

423200

Furniture & home furnishing

423700

Hardware, & plumbing & heating equipment & supplies

423600

Household appliances & electrical & electronic goods

423940

Jewelry, watch, precious stone, & precious metals

423300

Lumber & other construction materials

423800

Machinery, equipment, & supplies

423500

Metal & mineral (except petroleum)

423100

Motor vehicle & motor vehicle parts & supplies

423400

Professional & commercial equipment & supplies

423930

Recyclable materials

423910

Sporting & recreational goods & supplies

423920

Toy & hobby goods & supplies

423990

Other miscellaneous durable goods

Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods

424300

Apparel, piece goods, & notions

424800

Beer, wine, & distilled alcoholic beverages

424920

Books, periodicals, & newspapers

424600

Chemical & allied products

424210

Drugs & druggists' sundries

424500

Farm product raw materials

424910

Farm supplies

424930

Flower, nursery stock, & florists' supplies

424400

Grocery & related products

424950

Paint, varnish, & supplies

424100

Paper & paper products

424700

Petroleum & petroleum products

424940

Tobacco products & electronic cigarettes

424990

Other miscellaneous nondurable goods

Wholesale Trade Agents & Brokers

425120

Wholesale trade agents & brokers

999000

Unclassified establishments (unable to classify)