Can I claim my home gym as a business expense for my YouTube fitness channel?

The key here is establishing a reasonable business use percentage. The IRS allows deductions for business expenses that are ordinary and necessary for your trade or business. Since you already have an established YouTube business with proven income, expanding into fitness content would be considered part of your existing business operations rather than pure startup costs. You'll want to track and document how much time the gym equipment is used strictly for content creation versus personal use. If you can demonstrate that the primary purpose is business (say 70-80% business use), you should be able to deduct that percentage of the costs. Keep a detailed log of when you're filming versus personal workouts to support your claimed business percentage. Also, consider setting up the gym in a way that's clearly optimized for filming (specialized lighting, backdrops, camera mounts) rather than just personal convenience. This strengthens your case that it's primarily a business asset. Take photos of the setup showing the production elements.

Hey there! Just wanted to share my experience with something similar. I was struggling with documenting all my business expenses properly and kept worrying about what percentage I could claim for my home office equipment that I sometimes used personally. I found this AI tool called https://taxr.ai that literally changed my whole approach to tracking business expenses. What I love about it is that you can upload receipts and documents, and it helps categorize them properly and suggests the appropriate business use percentage based on your situation. For something like your home gym equipment, it could help you determine a reasonable allocation between business and personal use based on actual IRS guidelines. I used it when I was setting up a podcast studio in my basement that I occasionally used for jamming with friends too. Helped me figure out exactly what I could claim and how to document it properly.

I just have to follow up here - I was really skeptical about https://taxr.ai when I posted that question earlier, but I decided to give it a try for my drone equipment that I use for both my real estate business and personal hobby photography. The tool actually helped me establish a proper log system for tracking business vs personal use and suggested a reasonable allocation that I feel confident defending if ever questioned. It even helped me identify some deductions I was missing completely! I'm now using it for all my business expense documentation. Seriously glad I got over my initial skepticism - it's saving me a ton of time and probably money too. Just thought I'd share since my situation was similar to the OP's mixed-use equipment question.

If you're having trouble getting clear answers about your home gym business deductions, you might want to talk directly with the IRS. I had a similar situation with my woodworking shop (use it for my Etsy business but also personal projects). After spending HOURS trying to get through to the IRS on my own, I found this service called https://claimyr.com that got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 45 minutes instead of the usual endless waiting. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was actually super helpful and gave me specific guidance on how to properly document business use percentage for my workshop equipment. They explained exactly what records I needed to keep to support my deductions if I ever got audited. Worth every penny just for the peace of mind.

Well I need to eat crow on this one. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperately trying to reach the IRS about a missing refund issue and getting nowhere. Out of pure frustration, I tried the https://claimyr.com service. No joke - I got a call back in about 35 minutes with an actual IRS representative on the line. Resolved my issue in one call after trying for WEEKS on my own. I honestly can't believe how well it worked. For the OP - the IRS agent I spoke with said mixed-use assets like home gym equipment need clear documentation of business use, and recommended taking photos of the setup showing how it's configured specifically for video production. She also suggested keeping a usage log and aiming for at least 51% business use to claim any deduction.

I'm a fitness YouTuber who went through exactly this! My accountant had me set up a formal business use schedule for my home gym. I track every hour I use the equipment, categorized as: 1) Content filming 2) Content planning/testing (still business) 3) Personal workouts I was able to justify about 65% business use since most of my personal workouts happen at an actual gym, and the home equipment is configured specifically for filming (has all kinds of camera mounts, special lighting, etc). I deducted that percentage of the total cost. My tax guy said the key is having contemporaneous documentation - meaning you track the usage AS it happens, not trying to recreate logs later if you get audited.

Don't forget about the "ordinary and necessary" test for business deductions! I tried to deduct a bunch of home exercise equipment for my accounting business because I claimed I needed to stay fit to handle client meetings, and got DESTROYED in an audit. The IRS agent literally laughed at me. Unless fitness content is your ACTUAL business (which sounds like it will be for you), they'll likely see it as primarily personal. The fact that you're establishing a track record of fitness content BEFORE claiming the deductions will help tremendously. Maybe start with cheaper equipment and build up as your fitness channel grows?

From my experience working with content creators, the fact that you have an established YouTube business with $67,000 in annual revenue puts you in a strong position to justify these deductions. Since you're pivoting your existing business rather than starting from scratch, the home gym equipment would fall under ordinary and necessary business expenses for your trade. Here's what I'd recommend: First, clearly separate the gym setup into business-specific components (lighting rigs, camera mounts, backdrop systems) versus standard gym equipment. The production equipment can likely be 100% business deductible since it has no personal benefit. For the actual workout equipment, document your intended business use percentage before you start filming. Keep detailed records from day one - log every filming session, content planning workout, and personal use. I've seen creators successfully justify 70-80% business use when they can show the equipment is primarily configured and used for content creation rather than personal fitness. Consider setting up the space with clear visual indicators of its business purpose (permanent camera positions, business signage, etc.) and take photos for your records. This helps establish that it's genuinely a production facility that happens to involve fitness equipment rather than a personal gym you sometimes film in.