Monday, November 30, 2009

Sole proprietorships may not deduct a charitable donation as a business expense.

June --

Massage therapist , 1 year.

If I raise money doing massage and then write a check to a non-profit for the amount of the proceeds, is this considered a charitable gift and tax deductible if I am a sole proprietor (a personal deduction instead of a business deduction)?

Linda

Newton, MA


Dear Linda,

The money you receive for doing massage is self-employed income.


The money you give to a charity is a personal charitable deduction not a business expense.

There's a lot more info here expenses -- donated services or products .

-- June


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think what this means is that the income gets taxed (self employment tax
etc.) and then anything I donate to the charity is considered a personal
deduction. Correct? Sorry to be so dense. Thank you for responding!
Linda

June Walker said...

June Walker said...
Dear Linda,

You are correct.

To you and all indies: Never feel "dense" about asking and re-asking a tax question. Always clarify to make sure you and your tax pro have the same understanding.

Best,
June

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June Walker said...

Thank you all for your generous comments. So glad to be of help.

And, no, I am not a professional journalist. However, some of my best friends are. And, also, many of my clients are journalists.

-- June