Doing your taxes on your own can be risky, but you may even run some risk when you go to someone else to do your taxes. This means you should do some research on which tax deductible items that you can truly claim on your taxes, and which ones may raise red flags with the IRS. You should keep track of all of these things throughout the year so that you are not struggling to find what you need when it comes time to file your taxes with the government. You should also make sure you have all that you need to protect yourself.

First, you should know your limits on tax deductible items. You may have some business lunches or dinners for your business, but you should not be claiming meals that have nothing to do with your work. There are many that do this, but they do get caught doing it from time to time. Keep it honest and there is nothing that can go wrong. The same can be said for buying things for your home and then claiming them as a business expense. That can really come back to haunt you in the future.

Instead, think about the scope of your business, and take all of the right deductions. If you have a business at home, you can claim office space if that is what you do exclusively in that space. You can also make your computer a tax deductible item as long as you use it for business all of the time. You may find that much of your supply stash is also a good choice as tax deductible items. Other things that can be deducted from your taxes should follow the same guidelines. Make sure you use these things for your business, and they are all good to go.

Keeping track of your tax deductible items should be done all throughout the year. Have a special notebook or program that you use for just that. Note each purchase and price, and then put the receipt in a special place so that you have them in one spot. If you have a lot to deal with, it might be in your best interest to keep them in folders for each month. That makes sorting through your items for tax deductions much easier to do when that stressful tax-filing time of the year comes up yet again. This time, you won’t be behind and you will be so much more relaxed about getting it right.