Is an online publishing course tax deductible?

February 5th, 2018 → 1:23 pm @ Carol

Can I deduct the cost of online publishing courses I enrolled in 2017?

I have not made any money yet and have not published yet. I will have a work out in a few months.

I am so glad I found you. A member of a writers group on Facebook sent me your link.

Best,
Dave
Boise, ID

 

Dave,
The publishing course is a legitimate business deduction, so yes you can deduct it.

But you may want to include it as part of your start up expenses in the year you make money or actually publish the book rather than deduct it in 2017 when you have no income from the business. It looks suspicious to the IRS to have business expenses but no income.

Or depending on who offered the publishing courses, you may be eligible for the Lifetime Learning Credit. If the course was offered by an accredited post-secondary institution, then you may be eligible for the Lifetime Learning Credit. Read more here: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/llc

Other helpful business tips can be found in my book, Business Tips and Taxes for Writers

It’s been updated to include the new changes to the tax laws!

 

Carol Topp, CPA

Tags: author, business deduction, start up expenses, tax deduction, writer