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Tips for Taxes: Year-Round Tips for Actors


April 12, 2023

For actors, and artists in general, tax time can be just short of traumatizing. We generally have many different forms of income from acting alone, and that’s not even counting day jobs, side hustles and out of state work. All said and done it can become very complicated very quickly. But it doesn’t have to be unmanageable. Here are a few things you can do year-round as a working actor that can ease the process come tax time.

1. Keep a planner. I personally am not great at organizing all the things I need to keep track of consistently. I dream of keeping a mileage journal and a write off spreadsheet, but day to day that’s just not sustainable for me. What I can do is keep a monthly planner. My soul is indentured to Google Calendar, yes, but I’m also talking about a good old fashioned paper planner. Even if I don’t write down things day to day, before the end of the month I can usually catch up, (cross reference with Google Calendar) and actually write down the theatres I attended, the auditions I went on, the classes and workshops I took–at the end of the year, I keep these planners with all my tax documents for easy reference. Just being able to track your work-related movements throughout the year does a lot of work for you.

2. Record mileage. When I’m feeling extra spicy, I record monthly mileage in my planner as well. Double check what counts for write offs, but often miles driven for auditions, bookings, etc., can go toward yearly write-offs. Recording them somewhere while they’re still fresh in your mind can cut down on a lot of work during tax season.

3. Know what to write off. I am not a tax professional. Please double check with a professional before figuring out what you can write off. That being said, a lot of actors don’t realize everything they can write off. Meetings with Equity/SAG actors, acting classes, equipment purchased for self tapes, even space in your home that you use for a self tape studio can all be possible write offs.

4. Save during the year. Trust me, I know how hard this one is. More times than not, I have been unsuccessful, or even when I have been successful, last minute car breakdowns or other crises have foiled some of my best efforts. But if you are making the bulk of your income from independent contract work (a lot of acting gigs are 1099s), know that taxes are not being taken out from those. If you don’t set aside part of that income, it will come back to bite you when you owe the government. There are tools online (check against irs.gov) to help you calculate how much to set aside. If nothing else, this one step can save you a lot of frustration.

5. Choose your tax professionals wisely. TurboTax and similar services are great for those feeling confident, but if you’re juggling 1099s across multiple states and have complicating factors, opting for a CPA can help. Finding someone well versed in doing actors’ taxes can really make the difference. Ask other actors and shop around a bit before making the call.

You won’t do everything right every time. But even a little bit of forethought and organization can go a long way. Start early, and take it step by step. It’s just another part of actor life to get used to.

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