topic Can you claim receipts for materials purchased for your business even if you did not make any income? in Deductions & credits

Can you claim receipts for materials purchased for your business even if you did not make any income?

confuseddependent — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:18:13 GMT

Hi everyone. I'm a college student and my parents claim me as a dependent. I began collecting craft machines and shipping supplies for a business last year. I even got a sole proprietorship set up. However, I hadn't started to sell items yet. My parents advised me to hold onto receipts of things I purchased, which I have, but now I'm unsure if I can claim these receipts if I didn't make any income. I would really appreciate an explanation of this.

Re: Can you claim receipts for materials purchased for your business even if you did not make any...

MayaD — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 19:10:00 GMT

Yes, you claim your expenses even if you didn't have any income. To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary.

An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your industry. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your trade or business. Irs.gov

To report your self employment expenses:

Log in to your account.
Select Federal from the left menu.
Go to Wages and Income then select Income and Expenses.
Go to Self-employment income and expenses and click start. you'll be asked some general questions about your business. After you answer them, you’ll be taken to enter your Expenses.

Re: Can you claim receipts for materials purchased for your business even if you did not make any income?

Mike9241 — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 01:49:38 GMT

if your business hasn't begun you have no deductible expenses. these might qualify as start-up expenses, once it does and that would be the first year you can deduct them