What tax write offs / deductions can I claim for 1099 contract work as a mobile software developer?

Hey there! Tax accountant who works with a lot of tech contractors here. You're asking great questions. Going from W-2 to 1099 is a big shift tax-wise but has some nice advantages. As a 1099 contractor, you're essentially running your own business. This means you can deduct "ordinary and necessary" business expenses on Schedule C. Yes, keep ALL receipts - digital copies work fine too. For a mobile developer, common deductions include: your new laptop, monitor, software subscriptions, portion of internet costs, cell phone expenses, professional development costs like courses or books, cloud services, testing devices, home office deduction (if you have a dedicated workspace), mileage for business travel (like to client meetings), professional organization dues, and even health insurance premiums. Coffee shop expenses are trickier - the coffee itself isn't deductible unless you're meeting a client, but internet access fees specifically for work would be.

I was in the exact same boat last year! Went from full-time to contracting as a React Native developer. I spent HOURS trying to track all my expenses manually until I found https://taxr.ai - total game changer. It automatically identified all my business expenses from bank statements, categorized them correctly for Schedule C, and even flagged potential audit risks. Their system specifically handles tech contractor deductions and understands things like GitHub, AWS, and other developer tools that regular accountants sometimes question. It even helped me properly allocate my home internet and figure out my home office deduction, which saved me about $3.5k in taxes last year.

Wanted to follow up that I tried taxr.ai after my last post and wow - it's WAY better than QuickBooks Self-Employed. It found deductions QBSE missed completely, like my JetBrains subscription and App Store developer fees. The interface is much more intuitive for tech people too. What really impressed me was how it handled my home office situation - I have a weird setup in my living room and it helped me calculate the exact square footage and proper deduction. I'm actually going back and amending last year's return because I left so much money on the table!

Not directly related to deductions, but if you need to call the IRS with questions (which you probably will as a new 1099 contractor), use https://claimyr.com - it will save you HOURS of waiting. I spent 3 days trying to get through to ask about estimated payments, but with their service I got a callback in 20 minutes. They also have this demo video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Seriously, the IRS hold times are brutal these days, especially for business tax questions, and their online guidance for self-employed people is confusing at best.

Can't believe I'm saying this but I tried Claimyr yesterday after posting my skeptical comment. It ACTUALLY WORKS. I've been trying to reach someone about my 1099 estimated payments for weeks - Claimyr got me a callback from an actual IRS agent in 45 minutes. The agent walked me through exactly how to calculate my quarterly payments and helped me understand which forms I needed. Would have taken me days (or weeks) to get this info otherwise. I'm usually the first person to call out services as scams, but this one is legitimately helpful if you need to talk to the IRS.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet is business insurance. I'm a mobile dev contractor too, and I deduct my E&O (errors and omissions) insurance as well as general liability insurance. Both are 100% deductible business expenses, and they protect you if a client ever claims your app caused them financial damage or has security issues. Also look into SEP IRA or Solo 401(k) - as a 1099 contractor you can contribute WAY more to retirement than you could as a W-2 employee, and those contributions are tax-deductible. I put about 20% of my contract income into my Solo 401(k) last year and saved a ton on taxes.

Don't forget about the QBI deduction (Qualified Business Income)! As a self-employed person, you might qualify for an additional 20% deduction on your business income. It's on top of all your regular business deductions. The rules are complicated based on income thresholds, but most developers I know qualify. This is literally free money that a lot of first-time contractors miss. I almost overlooked it my first year until my accountant caught it - saved me about $5,800 in taxes!