From personal expenses to business costs, life is expensive. It may seem like you must open your wallet wherever you go. One way to save more money every year is to identify and deduct legitimate tax write-offs, which intersect your personal and business expenses.
Dental and Medical Expenses
You may be able to deduct dental and medical costs for yourself, your partner, and any dependents when the total cost exceeds ten percent of your adjusted gross earnings. In addition, when you or your spouse is 65 years old or over, you can deduct all medical costs that exceed your adjusted gross income by 7.5%.
Home Renovation
Home renovation expenses are not typically deductible on an individual’s tax return. However, you can deduct such home renovations as medical costs when you make certain improvements to your house, mainly for medical purposes, such as lowering cabinets for better accessibility or adding wheelchair ramps. However, when the renovations specifically improve your home’s value, one cannot claim them as medical expenses.
Tax Preparation Charges
Whether you pay someone to prepare your taxes or do it yourself, you can write off charges on your miscellaneous tax deductions using a tax calculator and bookkeeping concepts. Expenses can include electronic filing and tax return preparation fees. However, the preparation charges should exceed two percent of your adjusted gross income to qualify for such a deduction.
Moving Expenses
When you satisfy the IRS time and distance test requirements upon your relocation for new employment, you can deduct moving expenses from your taxes. In this regard, the movement of military personnel due to service obligations does not require them to meet any time or distance qualifications.
Jury Duty Pay
When you return your jury pay, as you also received your paycheck while serving on a jury, you can deduct such pay from your overall taxable income.
Job Search Costs
Looking for employment can cost you money. You should add these expenses to the list of your write-offs. Itemizing them can help you deduct costs that occurred during your job search. It would help to remember that your job search must be most relevant to your current or most recent employment. Moreover, the search expenses that you may deduct include:
- Preparation, printing, and sending your resume
- Transportation that provides for a deduction of tolls, cab, parking, and 54 cents per mile fees
- Employment agency fees
- Other fees related to job searches
Investment Fees and Costs
Certain charges you pay for your investments’ management qualify as miscellaneous deductions. Such fees and expenses can include:
- Investment counseling charges
- Custodial charges paid outside of the account
- Safe-deposit rental fees
- Online and software services you utilized to manage your investments
- Legal costs you paid to collect taxable income
- All transportation expenses to and from a financial or investment advisor’s office
- Costs needed to replace your lost security certificates
Airline Baggage Fees
If you are an entrepreneur, freelancer, or simply a self-employed individual, always deduct your baggage fees for the travel you do for business purposes. Your mind might be blown to see how they add up and cost you.
Home Appraisal Charges
One can deduct home appraisal fees as a miscellaneous itemized deduction only when the real estate property was an integral part of a charitable donation. 
Mortgage Points
When you itemize your mortgage points or prepare the interest you paid to buy or construct your primary house, you can deduct them. Typically, when you can deduct the entire interest paid on your mortgage, you can deduct all the points.
Charges to Collect Dividends and Interest
Any charges you pay to a bank, trustee, broker, or similar agent to collect taxable dividends on shares of stock or interest on bonds are deductible. However, the actual securities, bonds, or stocks are not deductible.
Home Sale
When you sell your house at any profit, you can deduct up to $250k of profit from your income. Remember, if you are married or filing jointly, you can exclude a maximum of $500k.
Casualty, Theft Loss and Disaster
It is a significantly painful experience to suffer damage or loss to your house, household items, and vehicles. If your insurance coverage does not pay for them, they are, at the very least, tax-deductible.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.