When tax season rolls around, one of the biggest questions business owners have is: “What can I actually deduct?”
The truth is, as a business owner, you can deduct any expense that goes toward operating, growing, or improving your business. And the more you deduct, the less you’ll owe in taxes. Win-win.
Most people already know about the usual deductions—things like office supplies, mileage, and your home office. But there are a handful of overlooked expenses that often fly under the radar.
Here are six deductions you might not realize you can claim.
1. Professional Development
That course you took to sharpen your skills? Deductible. The business coach you worked with to help you grow? Deductible.
Professional development is all about making you better at what you do—and that means it qualifies as a business expense. This can include:
Courses or coaching programs
Educational memberships or subscriptions
Industry-related books or audiobooks
Bookkeeping tip: If you pay a coach or consultant for the benefit of the business, that should be allocated towards business expense.
2. Merchant Fees
Those pesky PayPal, Stripe, or Shopify fees add up fast—but here’s the good news: they’re deductible.
For example, if you invoice R1,000 and Stripe only deposits R950 into your account, that R50 fee counts as a business expense. It’s the cost of getting paid, and the IRS recognizes it.
3. Your Cell Phone Bill
If you use your personal phone for business (calls, client emails, social media, etc.), you can deduct part of your bill.
The key is figuring out what percentage of your usage is business-related. For instance, if 25% of your phone time is spent working, you can deduct 25% of your phone plan cost.
Bookkeeping tip: Do a quick time audit over a few days to get an accurate estimate of your business vs. personal use.
4. Client Gifts
Love surprising your clients with thoughtful gifts? The IRS lets you deduct up to a certain percentage per client, per year.
So, if you send a R40 bouquet, you can deduct R25 and cover the rest yourself. It’s still worth it—happy clients tend to stick around and send referrals.
Bookkeeping tip: The same R25 rule applies to employee gifts too.
5. Branded Clothing
If you’ve invested in apparel with your logo, like t-shirts, hoodies, or polos, that counts as advertising, and it’s deductible.
Here’s the rule of thumb: if you wore it in public, could a stranger clearly tell what your business does? If yes, it qualifies.
(But no, your everyday leggings, jeans, or plain workout gear don’t count—sorry!)
6. Hair + Makeup for Brand Photoshoots
If you had your hair or makeup professionally done for a brand photoshoot, you can deduct that cost (including the tip).
The photoshoot itself is also deductible; just make sure you get a commercial release from your photographer so you have permission to use the images for business.
Clothing for the shoot, however, doesn’t qualify since you can wear it again outside of work.
At MBC_accountants, we believe tax time doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or full of guesswork. At the end of the day, managing your business finances doesn’t have to feel like a constant uphill climb. With the right systems in place and a little bit of clarity around where your money is going, you can trade the stress for confidence and start making decisions that actually support your goals.
Remember, every small step you take adds up.
And if you’re not already on our email list, now’s the perfect time to join. You’ll get easy, practical tips delivered straight to your inbox, so managing your business finances feels way less overwhelming (and dare we say, empowering). 8
Compiled by Ms. Dikeledi Seoloane on behalf of Matsobanemetja Business Consulting (Pty) Ltd – Registered Accountant and Certified Tax Practitioner.
Matsobanemetja Business Consulting (Pty) Ltd is your accounting partner that you can entrust with the bookkeping function, right up to financial reporting. We helps you keep accurate records of your business finances.
We have well trained and qualified staff that manages the aspect of both business and individual taxes.
We are the fast growing accounting service-providing agency in South Africa and across the globe.
If you need a consultation with us with regards to your business, any type of business – please reach out to us by email hello@matsobanemetja.blog
Matsobanemetja Business Consulting (Pty) Ltd offers a wide range of bookkeeping and accounting services, tailored to your business needs at an affordable price.
You may please inquire with us by sending an email to enquiries@matsobanemetja.co.za
The Profit and Loss Statement tells you a lot about how your business is doing. It can also help you to determine ways that you can go about saving money so that you get to bring more money home! Basically, the P&L statement measures all of your income sources verses all your business expenses for any given period of time.
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