They don’t let you deduct the cost of your own labor ever. The property thing is the loophole (but after further research not a real loophole and they will nail you for it).
But my point is technically you can deduct the cost of the product. Lets say you knitted an Afghan that you can sell on Etsy and donated it to someone. You can only technically deduct the cost of the yarn, but you’re getting away with doing the market value thing. Full audit would nail you for it but the IRS isn’t staffed enough to call you in for one of those.
The value of the yarn is deductible if you make the product. If you sell the product to someone they can deduct the full value if they donate it while you pay income taxes on the profit. Trying to backdoor your labor as a deduction is what the IRS has a problem with because you’re not allowed to do that.
They don’t let you deduct the cost of your own labor ever. The property thing is the loophole (but after further research not a real loophole and they will nail you for it).
Yes, but … if you use your own labor to create a product, and then donate the product, you can deduct the value of the product.
But my point is technically you can deduct the cost of the product. Lets say you knitted an Afghan that you can sell on Etsy and donated it to someone. You can only technically deduct the cost of the yarn, but you’re getting away with doing the market value thing. Full audit would nail you for it but the IRS isn’t staffed enough to call you in for one of those.
Would the IRS have a problem with writing of the value of the yarn or the “market value” of the product?
The value of the yarn is deductible if you make the product. If you sell the product to someone they can deduct the full value if they donate it while you pay income taxes on the profit. Trying to backdoor your labor as a deduction is what the IRS has a problem with because you’re not allowed to do that.
Got it, thanks!