Making your hobby a business

Description

Abstract: Taxpayers often invest a great deal of time and money in their hobby, and some eventually make it a full- or part-time business activity. It’s not a problem as long as the new business turns a profit. And it may be fine as well if the business produces a loss and the taxpayer enjoys the activity — even better if the loss can offset other income. However, if the business consistently generates losses, the IRS could determine that these losses are actually nondeductible hobby losses. This article discusses two ways to avoid the hobby loss rules.