Is blogging considered a specified service trade or business for purposes of the 20% QBI deduction?
I've been trying to figure out where my blogging business falls under the 20% QBI deduction rules. Right now, I'm thinking that the primary asset of my successful blog isn't my writing ability or marketing skills, but the blog platform itself (or maybe even my Instagram following depending on how you look at it). If I take a month off from creating content, the blog still generates revenue. Sure, it might not make as much if I'm not actively working on SEO and social media, but the platform continues earning whether I'm actively involved or not. This makes me believe the blog itself is the principal asset, not my personal skills. The reason this matters is because if I exceed the income threshold of $157,500 filing single or $315,000 married filing jointly, I'd still want to take the full 20% QBI deduction. This would be subject to limitations based on either 50% of wages paid or 2.5% of depreciable property. That's my current understanding, but I'd love to hear how other bloggers are viewing this situation. Also, with C corporation tax rates now at 21%, that could be appealing for those not taking much money out of their business (avoiding double taxation at least temporarily, though eventually you'll need to pay). They claimed this tax bill would simplify things... yeah right! 🤯
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GalacticGuardian
Your thinking is on the right track. The IRS hasn't provided explicit guidance specifically for blogging businesses, but we can work through the logic based on the QBI deduction rules. The key question is indeed whether your blogging business is considered a "specified service trade or business" (SSTB). For high earners above the thresholds you mentioned, the QBI deduction phases out for SSTBs. For bloggers, it really depends on your specific business model. If your blog primarily makes money from advertising, affiliate marketing, or selling products, and your personal reputation/skill isn't the principal asset, you have a good argument that it's NOT an SSTB. The fact that your blog generates income even when you're not actively working supports this position. However, if your blog success is primarily tied to your personal brand, expertise in a specific field (especially in fields like finance, health, etc.), or your reputation, the IRS might view it differently.
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Nia Harris
•This is really helpful. Quick question - what if my blog is in the fitness space but I'm not a certified trainer? I'm just someone who lost 50 pounds and shares workout routines that worked for me. Would that be considered health services (SSTB) or more like content creation/advertising (not SSTB)?
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GalacticGuardian
•Your fitness blog likely wouldn't be classified as health services in that scenario. Since you're not presenting yourself as a certified professional providing health services, but rather sharing personal experiences and earning through advertising/affiliate marketing, you have a strong case for not being an SSTB. The key is that you're monetizing content and advertising space rather than selling your expertise as a health professional. If your blog starts offering personalized fitness plans or medical advice where people are primarily paying for your expertise rather than products or ad space, that might shift the analysis. But based on what you've described, you're probably in the non-SSTB category.
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Mateo Gonzalez
After struggling with these exact questions for my food blog, I finally found a resource that clarified everything. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my business structure and get a clear determination on whether my blog qualified as an SSTB. Their AI analyzed my revenue streams and business model and confirmed I wasn't an SSTB, which meant I could take the full QBI deduction despite exceeding the income threshold. The tool actually looked at my exact situation - where my revenue comes from (mostly ads and sponsored content), how my business is structured, and even analyzed some sample contracts I uploaded. It pointed out that since my blog makes money primarily through advertising and affiliate deals rather than selling my personal expertise, I had a strong case for not being an SSTB.
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Aisha Ali
•How accurate is this service? I've been hearing conflicting advice about my travel blog from different CPAs. One says I'm definitely an SSTB because I'm creating content based on my knowledge, another says I'm not because I monetize through affiliates and ads, not directly selling my expertise.
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Ethan Moore
•I'm skeptical about any service making definitive claims about this. The IRS regulations around QBI and SSTBs are still evolving, and I've seen tax professionals disagree completely. Did they give you any kind of guarantee or just an opinion?
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Mateo Gonzalez
•The service provides a detailed analysis rather than just an opinion. They break down the specific sections of the tax code that apply to your situation and explain how your business model aligns with current IRS guidance. For your travel blog question, they'd analyze your revenue streams - if you're making money from ads, affiliates, and sponsored content rather than selling travel consulting services, you'd likely fall outside the SSTB definition. As for guarantees, they do note areas where the tax law is still developing and provide confidence levels with their analysis. Nothing is 100% certain with tax law, but having a well-documented position based on current regulations gives you something solid to stand on if questions arise.
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Aisha Ali
Just wanted to follow up and say I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here. It was honestly eye-opening for my travel blog situation. The analysis showed that despite creating content based on my travel knowledge, I'm not considered an SSTB because my primary business model is monetizing audience attention through ads and affiliate links rather than selling my expertise directly. The service walked me through every aspect of the QBI deduction as it applies to content creators, and I now have a detailed report explaining why my blog qualifies for the full deduction. They even provided documentation I can share with my accountant to support taking the deduction. Worth every penny for the peace of mind, especially since we're talking about a deduction that saves me thousands!
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Yuki Nakamura
After spending WEEKS trying to get anyone at the IRS on the phone about the QBI deduction for my blog, I finally discovered https://claimyr.com and their service completely changed my tax filing experience. I was literally ready to give up on getting an official answer about whether my beauty blog was an SSTB. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days. The agent was able to talk through my specific situation regarding my blog's business model and gave me valuable insights about how they're currently interpreting the rules for content creators. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I'm not saying the IRS agent gave me a definitive ruling (they rarely do), but getting direct guidance rather than just reading conflicting interpretations online was incredibly helpful for documenting my position on the QBI deduction.
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StarSurfer
•How much does this service cost? And did you actually get helpful info? Most of the time when I've called the IRS in the past (on the rare occasion I got through), the agents just read from the same publications I'd already found online.
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Carmen Reyes
•This sounds like BS honestly. The IRS doesn't give personalized tax advice about interpretations like whether a blog is an SSTB. They'll only answer procedural questions. I highly doubt you got any useful guidance that couldn't be found in the published regulations.
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Yuki Nakamura
•The service itself is very reasonable given the time it saved me - I won't mention the exact cost but it was worth every penny considering I had wasted hours of my own time trying to get through. You're right that some IRS agents just read from publications, but I got lucky with someone who was knowledgeable about the QBI provisions. They couldn't give me a binding ruling, but they did walk me through the factors they consider when evaluating content businesses and explained which elements of my business model would weigh for or against SSTB classification. This was much more specific than what's in the general publications.
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Carmen Reyes
I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself for a different tax issue related to my photography/blogging business. Not only did I get through to the IRS in less than 15 minutes, but I connected with an agent who had specifically worked with small business issues. The agent walked me through the reputation/skill factors they consider when determining if a content business is an SSTB. While they couldn't give me a definitive ruling on my specific case, they provided insights into how they're currently interpreting the rules that I hadn't found in any publication or from my previous accountant. For anyone wrestling with the QBI classification for a blog or content business, getting this kind of direct information from the source was incredibly valuable for documenting my position. I'm still consulting with my CPA, but now I have actual IRS guidance to reference rather than just interpretations.
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Andre Moreau
From my understanding after consulting with my accountant, it really depends on how your blog makes money: 1. If you're monetizing primarily through display ads, affiliate links, or selling products/courses - you're likely NOT an SSTB. 2. If your blog is essentially selling your personal services or expertise (like personalized financial advice) - you're probably an SSTB. The key is the "reputation or skill" provision. Are people paying for YOUR specific expertise, or are they paying for content, products, or clicking on ads? For my tech review blog, we determined it's not an SSTB even though I write all the content because the value is in the aggregated information and audience, not specifically my personal reputation.
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Zoe Christodoulou
•What about sponsored posts? If brands are paying me to write about their products, isn't that kind of paying for my skill as a writer? That's where I'm getting confused.
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Andre Moreau
•With sponsored posts, it depends on what the brand is really paying for. They're typically not paying for your skill as a writer per se, but for access to your audience and placement on your platform. Think of it this way - they're essentially buying advertising space that happens to include content creation, similar to how traditional media works. If a company pays a newspaper for an advertorial, they're buying ad space, not the journalist's personal services. Similarly, in most blogging situations, sponsors are primarily paying for exposure to your audience, not specifically for your writing skill alone.
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Jamal Thompson
Don't overthink this! The IRS isn't going to come after small-time bloggers about QBI classification. They have bigger fish to fry.
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Mei Chen
•This is terrible advice. The QBI deduction can be worth tens of thousands of dollars for successful bloggers. The IRS absolutely does audit self-employed individuals and small businesses, especially when large deductions are involved. Better to get it right than risk penalties plus interest.
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Sofia Price
I've been dealing with this exact issue for my personal finance blog. After extensive research and consulting with my CPA, here's what I've learned: The critical factor is whether your blog's revenue depends on your personal reputation and skill, or on the platform/audience itself. For most successful blogs, even if you write all the content, the primary asset is actually the audience and the platform you've built. Consider this test: If you sold your blog tomorrow, what would the buyer be purchasing? If it's primarily the domain, audience, revenue streams, and content library rather than access to YOU personally, then you're likely not an SSTB. For my finance blog, even though I create content about financial topics, I'm not providing personalized financial advice or services. I'm creating general educational content and monetizing through ads, affiliates, and course sales. The IRS guidance suggests this falls outside the SSTB definition. One thing I'd add to your analysis - document your reasoning thoroughly. Keep records of your revenue sources, business model, and how your blog operates independently of your daily involvement. This documentation will be crucial if you're ever questioned about your QBI position. The 21% corporate rate is interesting, but remember you'll still face double taxation when you eventually distribute profits. For most bloggers, the QBI deduction on pass-through income is still more beneficial.
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