In a classic "Saturday Night Live" skit, Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin were two "wild and crazy guys."
Strategy: Think outside the box on your 2025 return. You may be entitled to write-offs that initially appear to be wild and crazy. Of course, your claims must be legit. Here are five examples.
1. Play a tax tune. To be deductible for a medical deduction, expenses must be paid for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease treatments affecting a structure or function of the body. In one ruling, an orthodontist convinced the IRS that clarinet lessons were deductible because they helped correct a child's overbite. (IRS Revenue Ruling 62-210)
2. Shake your tax booty. The tax law says you can deduct the "ordinary and necessary" costs incurred by your business. But what's ordinary and necessary for you might not be the same for other businesspeople. Case in point: An exotic dancer named Chesty Morgan was able to deduct the cost of breast implants as a business expense. (Hess, TC Summary Opinion 1994-79, 3/30/94)
3. Protect your turf. A couple who owned a junkyard bought pet food to attract wild cats. The cats took care of rats and snakes on the property. When the case reached the Tax Court, the IRS conceded that the cost of pet food was deductible as a business expense. (Seawright, 117 TC No. 24)
4. Pump up business. A professional bodybuilder deducted the cost of special lotions and body oils he applied before posing or working out. The Tax Court allowed the write-offs. Reason: The products were specifically marketed to professional bodybuilders through magazines and aren't readily available to the public. (Wheir, TC Summary Opinion 2004-117)
5. Teach an old dog a new trick. Although the deduction for job-related moving expenses has generally been repealed, active military personnel may still qualify for a current write-off. Are you moving your dog along with your household goods? In Pub. 521, the IRS says that the cost of transporting your pooch or other pet is deductible.
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