Hi. I bought a bunch of medical text and reference books last year. Will the IRS let me deduct them against my moonlighting 1099-MISC income as "ordinary and necessary"? (I mean, would the IRS disallow them because I could also have used the books for my full-time W-2 residency?)

I know I have two options for deduction: as a business deduction (maybe "office supplies" or maybe "misc. expenses"?) vs. as a Section 179. Which one do you guys think is the better way to deduct the books?

Muchas gracias.

Generally, if my client has independent contractor income, and purchase books during the year, we end up deducting the cost of those books directly against the moonlighting income on the Schedule C.

By doing so, my client gets the biggest bang for their book buck.

Zip Code: 01801

Andrew, thanks. But given that books are long-lasting property, don't you think it's better to claim Section 179 instead of as a straight-out expense? You know, so to be more audit-proof.