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The answer is simple: how the IRS classifies your art career will determine how to file your tax returns.įor example, you can’t report losses as a deduction for an art hobby. If the IRS doesn’t mandate business licenses for artists, why are we still talking about this? (A city, county, or state business license is an entirely different story. But you don’t need any sort of federal license to sell your artwork.
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So the IRS may consider your art sales a business and has the right to audit you if you’re claiming it’s a hobby. Small Business Administration doesn’t regulate artists under any particular agency. On the other hand, if you paint, sketch, or sculpt because you love creativity and simply sell your art to recoup the cost of supplies, your side gig is more of a hobby.īut unlike agriculture and television broadcasting, the U.S. If you’re selling your crafts regularly and turning a profit, you’re technically operating a business by the IRS’s standards. The IRS draws a fine line between an art “hobby” and an art “business.” In the eyes of the IRS, it depends on: Is It a Hobby or a Business? But like anything Internal Revenue Service-related, it’s not as simple as a flat “yes” or “no.” The short answer is “yes,” you do need a business license to legally sell your work as an artist. Learn more about whether you need a business license to sell your art, what types of licenses make the most sense, how to sell your art to the letter of the law, and how becoming a “business” impacts your taxes. Unfortunately, it’s not a simple yes or no answer. Such a big decision comes with plenty of unanswered questions, one of which paves the path to becoming a functional legal business:ĭo you need a business license for artists? Then, the business side creeps in such as business license for artists requirements. Turning your creative hobby as an artist into a full-time, lifestyle-supporting career is a huge and exciting step.