Tax Deduction for Manicures? - Exploring Your Options

[naekelsey]

This may be a weird question.. I was thinking about getting my nails done so they will look half decent at parties. I was wondering if I could use it as a tax deduction? If so, where would I claim it?

 

[Sheila]

Re: NailsIf you were ever audited, the IRS probably wouldn't allow it. It's not something that you have to have to do your business. Fake nails tend to harbor more bacteria than natural nails (that's why they won't let NICU nurses have them ~ it's a higher risk for the preemie babies). If you owned a nail salon, then having your nails maintained would be considered advertising & could be a legitimate tax write off. But since most food preparers put on gloves to prepare food for others, I'm sure they would frown on it. It's just not a necessity for you to do PC. Sorry!

 

[vanscootin]

Re: NailsI agree with Sheila... however, my upline gets her nails done with acrylic and has written a portion of it off on her taxes for years..... your best bet would be to check with the person who does your taxes.

 

[wadesgirl]

Re: NailsI've heard both ways - some consultants I know do but others said that it's not allowed. You are best to talk to a tax professional about this kind of things. For me, natural, clean, short nails work best. Look for one of those four sided nail buffer. You can clean, buff and shine your nails to make them look nice without needing to go to the salon. To me, that's more professional that "fancy" looking nails.

 

[naekelsey]

Re: NailsThanks for advice! Appreciate it!!

 

[ChefShalon]

Re: NailsAs I am in school for accounting, I know a thing or two lol. I would agree that it wouldnt be a legitimate tax write off as for preping food. However some tax accountants would disagree as they are trying to get you the highest refund and they would say something like your a salesperson and it would be a profesional thing.
Tax and write-offs are an iffy subject on what is a legitimate business write-off and what isnt, as I know some consultants who write-off their entire car payment as they have advertisment on it and there for its advertizing expense. And their tax professinals allow this, however if you where audited I'm sure it wouldnt go over well as you can only write-off car payments if you use your car for only business purposes, of course others will argue that the fact that theres an ad on the car it is always used for buisness purposes.lol So like I said tax write-offs are an iffy subject.

 

[ChefShalon]

Re: NailsBut since I mentioned car write-offs here is the actual way you write off your car..you can either deduct an amount equal to the business miles times a standard per-mile rate of roughly $0.51 a mile (depending on the year) This is the way P3 has it and what I suggest, but remember that you can't write off any repairs, payments, fuel, or any other expenses that occur with your vehicle on taxes with this method... or you can deduct the percentage of your vehicle expenses equal to the percentage that your business miles represent. For example, if your business use equals 5,000 miles, personal use equals 3000, and commuting equals 2000 miles, your total miles for the year equal 10,000. Business miles as a percentage of total miles equal 50% because 5,000 divided by 10,000 equals .5 or 50%. In this example, you could therefore deduct 50% of your fuel, 50% of your insurance, 50% of your maintenance and repairs, 50% of the car loan interest, 50% of the depreciation, and so on, as a business deduction. This means you can't ever deduct all the costs of owning and running vehicle--only the business use of a vehicle.
If you don't have exact records about your business use, you can sometimes use good sampling. For example, if you keep a good appointment calendar of your business activities, one popular tax reference suggests that you can look at the total business, personal and commuting miles driven during one week each month. Then, you can average this data to get good weekly estimates of your business, personal, and commuting miles. Finally, you can multiple these weekly estimates by 52 to get reasonable estimates of your business, personal and commuting miles.

 

[raebates]

Re: NailsInstead of writing off the amount, why not see if you can barter? I get my nails shellacked every other week and pay my nail tech in PC product. I purchase it under her name, but I get commission on the sale. I created a simple Excel worksheet to keep track of who owes whom what. Right now she's saving up to buy a couple of pieces of cookware.

 

[wcsis]

Re: Nails

Instead of writing off the amount, why not see if you can barter? I get my nails shellacked every other week and pay my nail tech in PC product. I purchase it under her name, but I get commission on the sale. I created a simple Excel worksheet to keep track of who owes whom what. Right now she's saving up to buy a couple of pieces of cookware.

Love this idea! I have done this also. Couple years ago we were had a booth at the county fair, booth next to us was a purse/bag direct sales company. Woman in the booth wanted the chopper and I wanted (no really I NEEDED) the brown and white cow print purse. So we simply exchanged products, but I placed an order in her name for the chopper.

 

[naekelsey]

Re: NailsYes, what a good idea!! I am thinking I would need to build a rapport with someone first before asking about the bartering.. I still haven't started getting them done yet and have no idea what place would be good.

 

[ShellBeach]

Re: NailsBartering is taxable, too. Just an FYI.
Tax Topics - Topic 420 Bartering Income

I need to look professional in my office job & I wouldn't dream of using a manicure as work deduction. I doubt it would be a valid deduction for a self-employed realtor or anyone else that needs to look professional. Nor would I use a haircut, color, or perm - where does it start/stop?

I imagine celebrities get to write this stuff off, though

 

[esavvymom]

Re: NailsMy rule is if I am getting audited, how will it hold up if it's not clearly written in the tax documents. Do a google search to see if you can find an IRS answer. You might be surprised what you turn up.I also don't deduct ANYTHING I don't have documentation for.

 

[darlinclem]

Re: NailsI do have my nails done before I do vendor fairs. If I wanted to, I would list it as an advertising expense. Marketing proves that your presentation of YOURSELF can effect sales. The more put together you look, the more likely people are to stop at your booth and allow you the chance to interact with them. That said, I do have my nails done before those fairs but I don't try to write it off. For shows I try to make sure they look presentable and clean (and most times naked). There it is about hygiene and seeing my nails clean makes ME feel better.

 

[lesliecooks4u]

Re: NailsMy husband is a tax professional...it's not deductible.

 

[carlajanes]

Re: Nailsfor shows i keep my au natural....i have my hands in water so much that polish starts chipping quickly so it's not worth it for me. i also keep them relatively short. there is nothing worse than sticking a long nail in something you are trying to make look pretty :/
i have a nail buffer and buff them up so they shine....looks very pretty that way

 

[raebates]

Re: NailsThanks for the reminder, ShellBeach. I need to look into how to report this on my taxes.

 

[ShellBeach]

Re: NailsLOL. Please don't thank me for posting a killjoy IRS link.
Wouldn't want anyone to get a surprise 1099-B in the mail, though.

 

[raebates]

Re: NailsI realized after I thought about it that I won't need to do anything differently on my taxes. When my nail tech is ready to order something I order it in her name and pay for it. So, there is a record of the exchange of goods. (Unlike if I were paying her out of stock I had.) It's as though I place the cash payment in an envelope when she does my nails, and then I use that cash to order whatever PC products she wants. So, the transaction shows up on my end. Her end of the barter would be the issue.