The Most Common Business Expenses Women Entrepreneurs Forget to Deduct

And girl…

some of y’all are out here overpaying taxes simply because nobody explained what actually counts as a business expense on Schedule C.

Because when most women start freelancing or running a business?

They’re using:

- personal cards

- random payment apps

- free trials

- subscriptions

- side accounts

Basically survival mode.

And now tax season comes around and you can’t even remember what half the charges were for.

A business expense does NOT suddenly become “non-deductible” just because you used your personal card.

That misconception costs people money EVERY year.

If the expense was ordinary and necessary for your business?

It may still be deductible on your Schedule C.

The REAL issue is:

most people never tracked it properly.

A freelancer makes:

$78,000

But only deducts:

- obvious software

- maybe office supplies

- maybe internet

Meanwhile she completely forgot:

- Stripe fees

- Canva

- Zoom

- business coaching

- interest charges

- domain renewals

- email platforms

- mileage

- subscriptions auto-drafting from her personal card

So now?

Her taxable income looks WAY higher than it actually should.

1. Payment processing fees

Girl these add up FAST.

Stripe.

PayPal.

Square.

Shopify fees.

If a client pays you $1,000 and Stripe deposits $970…

that missing $30 is usually a deductible processing fee.

And when you ignore those fees all year?

Your profit gets overstated.

2. Interest charges related to business purchases

Now let me be clear:

not all credit card interest is deductible.

BUT…

if you used your card for legitimate business expenses and paid interest tied to those purchases?

That business-related portion may qualify.

Especially during the early stages when many women entrepreneurs are funding their business personally before business credit is established.

3. Subscriptions still drafting from personal cards

This one is SO common.

Because in the beginning?

Y’all sign up for things quickly just trying to get the business running.

So now:

- Canva

- QuickBooks

- Google Workspace

- Zoom

- website hosting

- scheduling software

- email marketing tools

…are all quietly hitting your personal card every month.

And because they never got moved over?

You forget they exist at tax time.

But if your bookkeeping only tracks your business bank account…

those expenses may never make it onto your tax return.

4. Startup expenses

A lot of freelancers spend money BEFORE officially launching.

Things like:

- branding

- website setup

- equipment

- courses

- initial software

- business formation fees

And then assume:

“Well technically I wasn’t open yet…”

Girl no.

Some startup costs may still qualify depending on the situation.

5. Business use of your phone and internet

No…

you usually cannot deduct 100% unless it’s fully business use.

BUT many freelancers forget to deduct the business-use portion entirely.

And over time?

That adds up.

A freelancer made:

$92,000

But forgot:

- $2,400 in subscriptions

- $1,800 in processing fees

- $900 in business-related interest

- $1,200 in startup expenses

- $1,500 in software/tools paid personally

That’s $7,800 in missed deductions.

Now let’s say she’s in roughly a 25% combined tax situation.

Girl…

that mistake alone could potentially cost her almost $2,000 in unnecessary taxes.

It’s disorganization.

Because nobody taught women entrepreneurs:

- what counts

- what needs documentation

- how Schedule C deductions actually work

- or how to track expenses correctly from the beginning

So they either:

- deduct nothing out of fear

OR

- deduct everything recklessly

And neither one is good.

The goal is NOT:

“write off everything.”

The goal is:

accurately deduct legitimate business expenses for freelancers and business owners without creating bookkeeping chaos later.

Because trying to rebuild an entire year of expenses from:

- old emails

- random screenshots

- Amazon history

- and bank statements?

Absolutely miserable.

Start here:

- review personal accounts for business charges

- separate recurring subscriptions

- track processing fees monthly

- categorize expenses consistently

- stop waiting until tax season to figure everything out

Simple.

But important.

Because clean bookkeeping is what helps you claim the deductions you’re ACTUALLY entitled to.

And if your books currently feel like:

“some business stuff here, some over there, and vibes everywhere…”

Girl that’s exactly the kind of thing we clean up in my Girl Let Me See Your Books session.