Optimize Personal Trainer Taxes: 14 Groups of Tax Write Offs in 2025

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If you run a personal training business, you certainly have various business expenses, right? Even if you know that your purchases related to preparing and running training sessions can reduce your tax, you may not know how many of these write offs for personal trainers there are. 

Today we will deal with a large list of possibilities for common and less common tax deductions. We hope you will be inspired and take advantage of them.

Check all your personal trainer’s expenses made for business use, because they might be tax deductible.

Key Takeaways

How to reduce personal trainer taxes?

We are mainly talking about self-employed personal trainer taxes here, so any cost that is justified when running an own business can be a tax deduction. From gym equipment, office supplies and advertising expenses to travel expenses, gym management software subscriptions, and continued education. Do you have a good accountant? Are you collecting invoices? Great! Tax deductions success guaranteed!

Personal Training Business Expenses (Tax Deductible)

When you think about a cost that you need to perform your professional services, we are talking about a “necessary business expense” quite probably. If so, these business expenses can be counted as tax deductions.

Is It Really That Simple or Should I Hire a Tax Professional?

This really becomes clear if you only understand that all purchases that are not your personal expenses can be generally tax deductible. For example: car expenses will not be a write off if you don’t use your car for business purposes, as a trainer who doesn’t offer mobile services.

However, of course it is worth hiring a tax professional, especially for the tax season, if you do not feel confident in this area of ​​activity and you will sleep better then.

Look at the list below. Personal trainer taxes may be lower thanks to so many cost groups! As long as they are really business related expenses, of course.

Personal trainer taxes might be lower thanks to tax write offs if you keep the invoices for business expenses, like marketing expenses, health insurance, social media ads and many others.

✅ 1. Tax Deductible Business Insurance

Health insurance, workers compensation insurance, own personal trainer insurance - they all may be tax deductions as business expenses.

✅ 2. Tax Write Offs for Fitness Equipment & Tools

  • Free weights, resistance bands, kettlebells (both advanced and common gym equipment may be tax deductible)
  • Yoga mats, foam rollers, TRX systems
  • Stopwatches, cones, timers, agility ladders
  • Mobile equipment storage or racks
Personal trainer taxes may be lower thanks to equipment purchases: the training equipment pieces are considered tax deductible expenses.

✅ 3. Tax Deductions: Technology & Software

  • Laptop, tablet, or phone (used for work)
  • Video editing tools (for online programs)
  • Fitness apps – read more about custom fitness app
  • Zoom/Teams subscriptions for virtual sessions
  • Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox for files/videos)
  • Data analytics tools like WodGuru gym reporting software

 

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✅ 4. Tax Write Offs for Client Experience & Communication

Deductions for personal trainers may be connected with software solutions for enhanced customer communication and customer experience.

✅ 5. Content Creation & Branding Tax Deductions

  • Camera, tripod, lighting for filming workouts
  • Stock photos/videos or editing software
  • Custom workout guides or eBooks
  • Logo design, fitness branding packages
As a personal trainer you can outsource your logo design and entire visual identification to professional organizations. Take an invoice and include it in your costs because it is a necessary expense to run your business.

✅ 6. Tax Deductible Travel* & Mobile Training

  • Transportation costs: gas and mileage for in-home clients (read more about mobile gym business)
  • Car expenses: mobile training van upkeep (if applicable)
  • Business meals (e. g. while traveling to training events) 50% deductible in the U.S.

 

* if business related travel

✅ 7. Health & Wellness Tax Write Offs**

  • Massage therapy (if part of recovery training research)
  • Fitness tracker or smartwatch used in training clients
  • Nutrition plans or testing (used as client tools or R&D)

 

** if business expenses related to work

Massage therapy may be considered a personal trainer tax deduction if related to work, for example if it is an additional service for a customer and a personal trainer gets an invoice from the massage therapist.

✅ 8. Work Attire & Personal Presentation Tax Write Offs

  • Branded athletic wear (logoed shirts, etc.)
  • Laundry expenses (if attire used only for work)
  • Haircuts or grooming (only if for filming/marketing purposes – check local tax rules)
Tax laws accept a deduction for business purposes like branded clothing and dress code purchases, so an order to print T-shirts with a logo may be classified as one of tax deductions for personal trainers.

✅ 9. Professional Development Write Offs for Personal Trainers

  • Coaching or mentorship programs
  • Masterminds or business bootcamps
  • Audio learning (audible subscriptions, podcasts used for education – read about best fitness podcasts)
As a self employed personal trainer you surely want to broaden your knowledge and develop your personal trainer skills - you can lower your taxable income by implementing write offs from courses and workshops.

✅ 10. Workspace & Environment Write Offs for Personal Trainer

  • Gym lease or rental fees
  • Portion of rent/utilities if working from home
  • Soundproofing, mirrors (read more about gym mirror ideas), or flooring (home studio upgrades)
  • Office supplies
  • Decor or plants (client-facing spaces)
You can lower your taxable income in personal training when you buy decorations, mirrors, flooring etc. for your interiors (for business purposes).

✅ 11. Legal & Administrative Personal Trainer Tax Deductions

  • Business registration or license fees connected with personal training
  • Copyrights or trademarks (branding content)
  • Legal templates for contracts and agreements to train clients
Personal trainer tax deductible costs may be contract templates, licences and any other legal documents you need to train clients in accordance with the law.

✅ 12. Banking & Finance Deductible Expenses

  • Business bank account fees
  • Payment processor fees (Stripe, PayPal, Square)
  • Credit card processing fees
Any cost of banking and finance operations may be one of the deductions for personal trainers, because it’s a legitimate business expense.

✅ 13. Home Office Tax Deduction

Did you know that such a thing as a home office tax deduction exists? It especially applies for self-employed individuals or freelancers – including personal trainers who work from home: have their online personal training business like creating programs or hosting virtual personal training sessions.

Home office tax deduction is applicable if you have home office expenses like internet, PC and communication equipment, when you connect with your clients’ homes.

You can deduct a portion of expenses like:

  • Rent or mortgage interest
  • Utilities (electricity, water, internet)
  • Property taxes
  • Home insurance
  • Repairs and maintenance (for the office area)
  • Depreciation (if you own the home)

✅ 14. BONUS: Self Employment Taxes

Tax deductions for self employed trainers may include:

  • Business expenses (equipment, fitness gear, liability insurance)
  • Marketing costs (ads, website, social media)
  • Home office deduction (if you train or manage business from home)
  • Travel and mileage (to client sessions or fitness events)
  • Education and certifications (CPR, fitness courses)
  • Software and apps (scheduling, workout programs)
  • Phone and internet (portion used for business)

 

All must be used for business purposes to qualify.

FAQ

As a fitness instructor, you can claim expenses related to business use – like equipment, travel, certifications, and marketing – to reduce your taxable income, as allowed by tax laws for personal training professionals.

Yes, many personal trainers are self-employed, which means they handle their own financial aspects. As small business owners, personal trainers may (on their own or with help of a tax specialist) claim costs related to their business – like equipment or marketing – as fully tax deductible.

One of the most overlooked tax breaks for a self-employed personal trainer is the home office deduction. If you use part of your home exclusively for business – such as scheduling clients, planning workouts, or managing finances – you may qualify for this deduction under current tax laws. It can significantly reduce your self-employment taxes by allowing you to deduct a portion of rent, utilities, personal training software and internet used for business. Consulting a tax professional can help you claim it correctly and maximize your savings.

On average, personal trainers who are self-employed pay around 15.3% in self-employment taxes, plus federal and possibly state income tax. The total tax rate often ranges from 20% to 30% of income after deductions. A tax professional can help optimize your tax return.

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