Can I write off my new MacBook Air as a 1099 freelance writer? Tax deduction question

I recently purchased a new MacBook Air and I'm wondering about potential tax deductions. My situation is that I have a regular W-2 job where I work remotely, but I also do some freelance writing on the side for an online publication. I've been writing for them monthly for most of this year, and the arrangement will continue into next year too. Here's where my question comes in - I only make about $135 per month from this freelance gig (so not a huge amount), but would I be able to write off the new laptop as a business expense on my taxes? Since I use it partly for this 1099 contract work? I'm assuming the answer is probably no since the freelance work is just a small side hustle compared to my main job, but thought I'd check if there's any way I could deduct some portion of the cost. Feels like a dumb question but figured I'd ask!

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18 comments

QuantumQuester

•8M

Actually, you can potentially deduct a portion of your MacBook as a business expense, even with your smaller freelance income! The key is that you need to use the laptop for your 1099 work, which you clearly do. Since you use it for both W-2 employment and freelance work, you'll need to calculate what percentage of time the laptop is used for your freelance work. For example, if you use the laptop 20% of the time for your freelance writing, you could potentially deduct 20% of its cost. You'd report this on Schedule C when you file your taxes. Keep good records of your freelance work activities to support the percentage you claim. Just remember that if the cost exceeds a certain threshold, you may need to depreciate the expense over several years rather than deducting it all at once. But for smaller equipment purchases, you might be able to use Section 179 or bonus depreciation to deduct the full business-use portion in the year of purchase.

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QuantumQuester

•8M

For 2025, you can generally deduct up to $1,050,000 under Section 179 for qualifying business equipment purchases, so your MacBook would fall well below that threshold. For documenting usage percentage, keep a log for a few weeks tracking when you use the laptop for freelance versus personal/W-2 work. Even a simple spreadsheet noting hours used for each purpose will help. If you're using the laptop about 20% of the time for freelance work, save emails, drafts, and payment records from your freelance gig as supporting documentation. You don't need to submit this with your return, but you should keep these records for at least 3 years in case of an audit.

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Yara Nassar

•8M

I was in a similar situation last year when I bought a new computer for my side design work. I found this amazing AI tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that helped me figure out exactly how much of my laptop I could write off. It analyzed all my 1099 income and expenses and showed me how to maximize the deduction while staying compliant. The tool actually explained that I could deduct a percentage based on business use OR I could take the home office deduction which includes a portion of utilities and other related expenses. Honestly saved me hours of research and probably paid for itself with the deductions it found.

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Yara Nassar

•8M

It's super straightforward - you upload photos of your documents or connect it to your accounting software, and it identifies all potential deductions based on your specific situation. It uses actual tax code to analyze everything, not just generic advice. For gig work like Uber driving, it absolutely handles those deductions too. It covers everything from mileage and car maintenance to phone expenses and even meals during longer shifts. The best part is you can ask it unlimited questions without paying extra like your tax guy charges. It's especially good for finding those less obvious deductions that most people miss.

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Amina Toure

•8M

If you're planning to claim these business deductions, MAKE SURE you can get through to the IRS if they have questions! I claimed home office and computer expenses for my side gig last year and got a letter asking for more documentation. Spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone at the IRS. Finally found this service called Claimyr at https://claimyr.com that got me through to an actual IRS person in less than an hour. Their system holds your place in the IRS phone queue so you don't have to. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Saved me so much stress compared to the endless redial game I was playing before. The IRS agent actually helped me understand exactly what documents I needed to provide for my laptop deduction.

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Amina Toure

•8M

It's not about skipping the queue - they have an automated system that calls the IRS repeatedly until it gets through, then it calls you when an agent is about to come on the line. It's basically doing the annoying redial work for you. The YouTube video just shows the process so you understand what you're paying for. I was super skeptical too, but after wasting literal hours on hold over multiple days, I was desperate enough to try anything. Was genuinely surprised when it actually worked. I'm not associated with them at all, just sharing what helped me when I was in a similar situation with equipment deductions.

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CosmicCommander

•8M

Well I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong! After getting ANOTHER letter from the IRS about my 2023 return, I was stuck on hold for over 2 hours and kept getting disconnected. Remembered this thread and decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. Their system called me back in about 45 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. Resolved my issue in one call. Crazy that this exists but the IRS is so underfunded they haven't fixed their phone system. Definitely keeping this in my back pocket for next tax season when I claim my own laptop deduction!

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Natasha Volkova

•8M

Make sure you're keeping track of ALL your freelance expenses, not just the laptop! I do side photography work and track things like: - Software subscriptions - Internet costs (percentage used for work) - Office supplies - Professional development/courses - Website hosting fees Every little bit helps reduce that taxable income. And don't forget about the QBI deduction if your freelance work shows a profit! You can potentially deduct up to 20% of your qualified business income.

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Natasha Volkova

•8M

QBI (Qualified Business Income) deduction lets you deduct up to 20% of your net profit from self-employment income. Most freelancers qualify as long as you're showing a profit after expenses. There are income thresholds where it starts to phase out, but for someone making $1,600/year from freelancing, you're well below those limits. So if your freelance writing brings in $1,600 annually, and after deducting your business expenses (including that partial laptop deduction) you have $1,200 in profit, you could potentially deduct an additional $240 (20% of $1,200). It's definitely worth looking into since it's essentially free money!

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