Can I Deduct Tax Preparation Fees?

Many people pay a professional to prepare their taxes each year and wonder if that cost can be written off. Tax preparation fees used to be deductible as a miscellaneous itemized deduction, but the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated that deduction for most people starting in 2018. Self-employed workers can still deduct the portion of their tax preparation fees that relates to their business return, such as the cost of preparing a Schedule C. If your tax preparer charges you separately for your personal return and your business schedule, the business portion is deductible. For employees and individuals with no self-employment income, tax prep fees are no longer deductible on the federal return.