Claiming Income & Deductions for Horse Boarding on Personal Property

You're right to report the income! This falls under what the IRS would consider "hobby income," but with some potential deductions. Since you're receiving payment for boarding and care, you'll report this on Schedule 1 as "other income." For the expenses related specifically to your friend's horse, you can deduct these on Schedule A as miscellaneous itemized deductions. Keep detailed records of all expenses directly tied to their horse - feed, supplements, vet bills, farrier services, and even a reasonable portion of utilities or property maintenance for the horse's area. Unfortunately, expenses for your own horses wouldn't be deductible unless you could establish that your horse activities constitute a business with profit motive. Based on what you've described, this sounds purely like a hobby, and hobby expenses are only deductible to the extent of hobby income. If you wanted to get more aggressive (though it sounds like that's not your style), you could consider establishing a small horse boarding business. This would require showing a profit motive and running it like a business, but might allow more deductions through Schedule C. But again, this comes with more scrutiny and requirements from the IRS.

I was in almost this exact situation a few years ago! After getting frustrated with trying to figure it out myself, I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my specific situation. Their system helped me understand exactly what I could and couldn't deduct, and even identified some deductions I had missed. Since your situation involves both personal horses and income from boarding, it gets complicated quickly. The tool analyzed my receipts and bank statements to separate the hobby expenses from the income-generating expenses. Made a huge difference in my confidence filing! They also clarified that since the 2017 tax law changes, you can't deduct hobby expenses against hobby income on Schedule A anymore, but there are still ways to handle the income and related expenses properly.

Just wanted to follow up - I took the plunge and tried https://taxr.ai after reading about it here. It was super helpful for my single-horse boarding situation! The system helped me properly categorize all my expenses and showed me that I could potentially qualify for Schedule C treatment since I was actively trying to expand to board more horses in the future. What really impressed me was how the system identified that portions of my property maintenance, insurance, and even vehicle use could be partially allocated to the boarding activity. They also helped me create a proper record-keeping system going forward that will make tax time much easier next year. If you're on the fence like I was, it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're thinking about expanding your boarding in the future!

I had a similar issue last year and spent WEEKS trying to get answers from the IRS. Called dozens of times and could never get through. Finally found https://claimyr.com and saw their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes! The agent confirmed that since 2018, hobby expenses can't offset hobby income on Schedule A anymore. BUT they explained that if I could demonstrate a profit motive and treat it like a business (even with just one boarded horse), I could potentially use Schedule C and deduct direct expenses. The IRS actually walked me through exactly what records I needed to keep and how to demonstrate I was trying to make a profit. Saved me so much stress and probably a lot of money too. Definitely recommend Claimyr if you need to talk to a real person at the IRS about this!

I want to apologize and provide an update. After being skeptical about Claimyr, I decided to try it as a last resort since I'd been trying to reach the IRS for months about my horse boarding situation. I'm completely shocked - it actually worked! Got connected to an IRS agent within about 25 minutes. The agent was super helpful and explained that my situation could potentially qualify as a business activity if I showed intent to make a profit over time. They explained the "hobby loss rule" (which requires you to show profit in 3 out of 5 years to be presumed a business) but also noted that even without meeting that test, I could still qualify as a business if I could demonstrate genuine profit motive through my actions and record-keeping. This was literally the clearest answer I've gotten after months of research. Sometimes you have to admit when you're wrong, and I was definitely wrong about Claimyr!

One thing nobody's mentioned yet is the Schedule E option. If you're providing space but minimal services, you might consider treating it as rental income instead. With Schedule E, you report the income as rental income rather than business income, which means no self-employment tax. You can still deduct expenses directly related to the rental portion of your property. The key is whether you're primarily providing a service (care, feeding, training) or just space. If mostly just space with minimal services, Schedule E might be appropriate. If you're actively caring for the horse and providing significant services, then Schedule C is more appropriate.

Have you looked into farm tax status for your property? In many states, having horses on a certain amount of acreage can qualify your property for agricultural tax rates, which can significantly reduce property taxes!

Great discussion here! As someone who went through a similar transition from hobby to small business with horses, I wanted to add a few practical points: First, if you do decide to treat this as a business activity, make sure you open a separate business bank account immediately. This makes tracking income and expenses much cleaner and shows the IRS you're treating it seriously. Second, consider your insurance situation. Once you're boarding horses for others (even just one), your homeowner's/farm insurance might not cover liability issues. You may need commercial liability coverage, which becomes a legitimate business expense. Third, document everything about your "profit motive" - even if you're not profitable yet. Keep records of time spent researching boarding rates in your area, any improvements you make to facilities, attempts to find additional boarders, etc. The IRS looks at your actions, not just your results. One last tip: if you do go the Schedule C route, consider making quarterly estimated tax payments. Since there's no employer withholding on this income, you could end up with a surprise tax bill and penalties if you wait until year-end. The boarding income might seem small now, but proper setup from the beginning will save you headaches if you decide to expand later!

This is such a helpful thread! As someone who's been considering a similar arrangement with a neighbor, I'm curious about the record-keeping requirements. @Benjamin Kim - you mentioned you can easily track expenses for your friend's horse separately from your own. Are you keeping receipts for everything, or is there a simpler system that works well? I'm wondering about things like hay purchases where you might buy in bulk but only a portion goes to the boarded horse. Also, has anyone dealt with the quarterly estimated tax payments that @Sofia Morales mentioned? I'm trying to figure out if $350/month would even trigger that requirement, especially after deducting legitimate business expenses. One more question - if you do establish this as a business activity, does that affect your homeowner's insurance at all? I hadn't thought about the liability aspect until it was mentioned here.

I've been following this discussion with great interest since I'm in a very similar situation - just started boarding a friend's horse last month for $400/month. One thing I'd like to add based on my research: even if you treat this as hobby income initially, you can potentially change to business treatment in future years if your situation evolves. The IRS doesn't lock you into one classification forever. What's been most eye-opening from this thread is realizing how many expenses I wasn't considering. Things like vehicle mileage for feed runs, a portion of my property insurance, even depreciation on equipment used for the boarded horse. These can really add up and significantly reduce your taxable profit. @Benjamin Kim - have you considered whether your friend would be willing to pay some expenses directly (like vet bills or farrier services for their horse)? That could reduce both your income and your deductible expenses, simplifying the whole situation. Plus, it might demonstrate to the IRS that this is a legitimate boarding arrangement rather than just helping out a friend. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this has been incredibly valuable for someone just starting out!

This has been such an informative discussion! As a tax professional, I want to emphasize a few key points that have come up: 1. **Documentation is everything** - Whether you go hobby or business route, keep meticulous records from day one. I've seen too many clients scramble at tax time trying to reconstruct expenses. 2. **The "profit motive" test isn't just about making money** - it's about conducting yourself like someone who INTENDS to make money. This includes things like: researching market rates, maintaining professional records, seeking ways to improve profitability, and treating it as a separate activity from your personal horse enjoyment. 3. **Consider the long-term picture** - Even if you're only boarding one horse now, if there's any possibility of expansion, starting with proper business practices makes sense. It's much harder to switch from hobby to business treatment later. 4. **State taxes matter too** - Don't forget that your state may have different rules for business income, sales tax on services, or even licensing requirements for boarding operations. The insurance point that @Sofia Morales raised is crucial and often overlooked. Many people don't realize their homeowner's policy might not cover commercial activities until it's too late. Given your conservative approach to taxes, @Benjamin Kim, I'd lean toward the Schedule C business treatment if you can demonstrate genuine profit motive. The self-employment tax hurts, but the ability to deduct legitimate business expenses usually more than makes up for it.