Did you know?
Concert attire is tax-deductible for orchestra musicians. (No wonder they have a whole closet full of black clothing!)
Hmm. This is from a Canadian paper, and is about orchestra attire.
Truth is, in the United States anyway, black is tax deductible IF it is used only for work and can be referred to as a “uniform” (believe me, I’ve studied all this stuff over the years!). The black I own can be worn elsewhere. It’s not a uniform. It’s just black. I realize some of my colleagues might disagree and even argue with me about this, but I don’t take a deduction for my black clothing unless I can truly say I will only wear it while working. That’s never happened!
I believe the guidelines say that a piece of clothing can be counted as a uniform if it cannot USUALLY be worn away from work, not that it can’t conceivably be worn elsewhere under any circumstances. I mean, anything can be worn as a Halloween costume, so by that standard nothing’s legitimately deductible as a uniform.
Well, everything I wear on stage is something I’ve worn to both church and concerts I’ve attended, so I figure my stuff doesn’t qualify. No biggie in any case, as I purchase everything when it’s on sale! 🙂