Money
Schedule C Deductions for 1099 Musicians
April 30, 20267 min readBy Stage & Sound Health
If you take 1099 income from gigs, sessions, teaching, or sync, you're a sole proprietor in the eyes of the IRS. That means Schedule C — and a stack of deductions most musicians under-claim every year.
Deductions every gigging musician should already be claiming
- Instruments, gear, strings, cables, software (depreciate or Section 179)
- Studio rent, rehearsal space, storage units
- Mileage to gigs, sessions, and rehearsals (2026 IRS rate)
- Tour airfare, lodging, per diems, gas
- PR, photography, headshots, website hosting
- Streaming subscriptions used for work (Spotify analytics, DistroKid)
- Continuing education — lessons, masterclasses, workshops
Where health insurance actually goes on the return
Counter-intuitive: health premiums don't go on Schedule C. They flow as a self-employed health insurance deduction on Schedule 1, line 17. Only the unsubsidized portion is deductible. The marketplace subsidy is not.
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