Does Your Studio Qualify for the Home Office Deduction?
The IRS home office deduction requires a space used exclusively for work — a dedicated area for filming, recording, editing, or streaming. A shared bedroom does not qualify. A closet converted into a permanent studio does, even if it's small, as long as nothing personal happens there.
What the Deduction Actually Covers
Once your studio qualifies, you can deduct the business-use percentage of your rent or mortgage interest, utilities, internet, and renters or homeowners insurance — calculated by the square footage your studio occupies relative to your whole home.
Equipment Deductible the Year You Buy It
Cameras, lenses, microphones, lighting, backdrops, capture cards, streaming decks, editing monitors, and hard drives are all deductible in full the year you purchase them, as long as each item is under about $2,500. Above that, your CPA may need to depreciate it instead.
Don't Forget the Small Stuff
SD cards, cables, backdrop paper, batteries, cleaning kits — these consumables add up fast and are just as deductible as the big equipment. Log each purchase in SUNY the day you buy it, before the receipt fades or gets lost in a bag.