Turning Your Hobby Into a Business
Turning Your Hobby Into a Business
You’ve loved dogs all your life so you decide to start a dog breeding and training business. Turning your hobby into a business can provide tax benefits if you do it right. But it can create a big tax headache if you do it wrong.
One of the main benefits of turning your hobby into a business is deducting all your qualified business expenses, even if it results in a loss. However, if you don’t properly transition your hobby into a business in the eyes of the IRS, you could be waving a red flag that reads, Audit Me! The agency uses several criteria to distinguish whether an activity is a hobby or a business. So why not make your business activity bullet proof! Here is what you need to know:
The business-versus-hobby test
Honest assessment
As you can see, there is a degree of interpretation involved in reviewing any activity. So, if your dog breeding business (or any other activity) falls under any of the hobby categories on the right side of the chart, consider what you can do to meet the business-like criteria on the left side. The more your activity resembles the left side, the less likely you are to be challenged by the IRS. And to remove any doubt, your best defense is making some money!
As always, please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or concerns regarding your tax situation. Stay Up To Date on taxes that affect you!! Subscribe to our Client Newsletter today to receive informative tips and updates on tax and financial changes. Follow CD Tax on Facebook!
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