What is the HITS Act?

You may have read recently about the passage of the HITS Act, and big flashy headlines about how musicians can now get a $150k tax credit for their music expenses on their tax return.

There’s a lot of misleading information out there. Stop and think before you spend any money; here’s more information on the HITS Act, and how it affects artists.

What is the HITS act?

The HITS Act is a piece of US legislation, recently passed, which allows up to $150k of music production expenses to be deducted in the year those business expenses are incurred.

What’s new about the HITS act?

Not much. Before the HITS act was passed, the same expenses it allows deducting were already deductible as ordinary business expenses on an individual’s Schedule C, inside their US tax return.

The HITS changes only affect the timeline of how these deductions work. Prior to the HITS act, business expenses above a certain level (typically over about $2500) usually needed to be deducted gradually over a longer time period, anywhere from 3-15 years. In accounting speak, this is called depreciation.

Now that the HITS act has passed, musicians have the option to deduct up to $150k of music production expenses to be 100% deducted in the same year they’re incurred.

So, the type of expenses you can deduct hasn’t changed as a result of the HITS act, just the timeline and manner in which you can deduct them.

What does the HITS act not do?

The HITS act does not:

1. Offer direct cash back from the government for your business expenses.

   1. In order to deduct $150,000 from your tax return, you’d have to spend $150,000: most independent artists aren’t spending that much on making records.

2. Offer any special deductions on expenses that weren’t already present.

   1. Both before and after HITS, ordinary business expenses associated with making music are and were deductible on your US tax return.

   2. The only change HITS makes is that larger, multi-thousand dollar expenses associated with music production can be deducted all at once, in the same year they were incurred. Previously, these large expenses would have been treated like capital expenditures, and were required to be depreciated over multiple years.

Watch out for scam artists: anyone telling you to spend your life savings on making a record because you’ll get it all back from the government is selling you snake oil.

Who does the HITS act benefit?

There are some benefits for smaller creators here: if you spend $3,000 making a record, you can now directly offset those expenses with a tax deduction in the very same year. No more having to track amortization or depreciation of your expenses inside a complicated schedule on your tax return. That’s great! This simplifies the accounting side for small musicians.

However, in my opinion this bill benefits midsize independent labels and larger artists over smaller independents, because most independent artists can’t take full advantage of the deduction: they’re not spending $150k on their recording costs in the first place.

What’s the best way to be fiscally responsible as a small artist?

• Track your business expenses, business mileage, and maintain accurate financial records.

  • Many expenses that you’d normally incur while running any business (known as ordinary business expenses) are already tax deductible! Software to connect directly to your bank accounts and track your business expenses usually runs under $20/month, and solo artists running a simple business can often get their own books done themselves, in about 5 minutes a week.

• Maintain separate bank accounts for your business.

  • Separate your personal and business finances: keep a dedicated checking and savings account open for your music business activities.

• Ask a licensed tax professional about any financial implications coming from changes in the tax code.

  • A licensed tax pro spends their entire career studying the tax code and understanding its implications, which can get complex. Always ask a pro about how changes to the tax code impact your individual situation. You’re looking for the acronym “EA”, which stands for Enrolled Agent. It’s the highest tax certification you can get, and qualifies you to represent taxpayers in tax court.

• Consider starting an LLC for your music business.

  • You don’t need an LLC to take advantage of tax deductions: even when working as a single person, you’d be considered a “sole proprietor” for the purposes of the tax code and can deduct ordinary business expenses and mileage.

  • An LLC can be useful as a liability shield, however: if your business was to get sued in the future, placing your business assets under an LLC can limit your personal liability. This is not legal advice; make sure to speak with a licensed attorney before deciding if starting an LLC for your music activities is worth it in your individual situation.