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Gear-heavy. Project-based. Sometimes W-2, sometimes 1099, sometimes both in the same week.
Photography and videography businesses come in many forms: wedding and event photographers, commercial and advertising shooters, real estate photographers, portrait studios, videographers for corporate clients, documentary filmmakers, and YouTube/social media video producers. Each earns differently, but most share the same core tax challenges: significant equipment costs, mixed W-2 and 1099 income, project-based revenue that can spike unpredictably, and sales tax questions around prints, digital files, and physical products.
Equipment is often the largest expense in a photographer's business, and one of the most powerful deduction opportunities. Cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, tripods, drones, gimbals, computers, editing monitors, and storage drives are all deductible business assets. Section 179 (2026 limit: $2,560,000) and 100% bonus depreciation (permanent under OBBBA for property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025) allow full immediate expensing. Items costing $2,500 or less per invoice can be immediately expensed under the de minimis safe harbor (Treas. Reg. §1.263(a)-1(f)), simplifying recordkeeping for smaller purchases.
Sales tax on photography products is one of the most frequently misunderstood areas. In New Jersey, the sale of prints and physical photo products is taxable as tangible personal property at 6.625%. The photography service itself (your labor) is generally exempt from NJ sales tax, but when you bundle a service with a physical product for a single price, the entire amount can become taxable depending on how the contract is structured. Digital file delivery adds another layer: NJ taxes specified digital products, which may include digital images depending on how they're licensed.
Monaco CPA covers photographer and videographer tax preparation, planning, and compliance, from solo Schedule C filers to growing studios with employees and multiple revenue streams.
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Get StartedView PricingGear-heavy deductions: cameras, lenses, drones, lighting, computers covered by Section 179 ($2,560,000, 2026) and 100% bonus depreciation (permanent, OBBBA)
NJ §179 cap at $25,000: federal and NJ depreciation diverge significantly in years with large equipment purchases
Mixed W-2 and 1099 income: simultaneous employment and freelance work requires careful SE tax and withholding coordination
NJ sales tax on prints and physical products: tangible personal property taxable at 6.625%; service/product bundling affects taxability
Digital file sales tax: NJ taxes specified digital products; image licensing treatment varies by use and delivery method
Project-based revenue: wedding/event income often paid months in advance; deposits are income when received (cash basis)
Hobby vs. business classification: consistent losses may trigger §183 hobby loss rules without documented profit motive
Travel and mileage deductions: standard mileage (72.5 cents/mile Jan-Jun 2026, 76 cents/mile Jul-Dec 2026) vs. actual vehicle expense method; only business use deductible
Home studio/editing suite: exclusive-use requirement; separate workspace vs. shared living space
S-Corp reasonable salary: no fixed income level decides the election - supportable comp and the full-return math drive whether it helps
Second shooter and editor payments: 1099-NEC for payments over $600 (TY2025) / $2,000 (TY2026 under OBBBA §70433); NJ ABC test applies
NJ does not conform to §199A: federal QBI deduction not available at NJ level
Tax preparation, planning, and compliance services tailored to your industry.
1040 and Schedule C returns for solo creatives. 1120-S for studio S-Corps. All income streams reconciled: session fees, event packages, print sales.
Section 179 and 100% bonus depreciation (permanent, OBBBA) planning for camera bodies, lenses, drones, lighting, computers, and editing equipment.
S-Corp analysis for photographers and videographers, modeled on the full return (no fixed income threshold decides it). Screening illustration at $150K net: sole-proprietor SE tax of approximately $21,194 versus approximately $10,710 of combined FICA on a hypothetical $70,000 reasonable salary, a gross payroll-tax difference of roughly $10,484 - not net savings. QBI, income tax, benefits, NJ costs, and recurring compliance can shrink, eliminate, or reverse that difference.
NJ sales tax analysis for prints, physical products, digital files, and bundled service packages. Contract language review to optimize sales tax treatment.
QuickBooks Online setup with project-level income and expense tracking. Deposit and retainer accounting. Mileage and travel expense documentation.
Estimated payment calculations for photographers with seasonal and event-heavy income patterns.
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No fixed income threshold decides the election. Use the free calculator to screen sole prop SE taxes vs. S-Corp payroll taxes, including NJ compliance costs - then model the full return before electing.
Screen Your S-Corp NumbersHave a different question about photographers & videographers tax or accounting? Send Greg a message - all inquiries are answered within 1-2 business days.
Photography services (your labor, skill, and artistic work) are NOT taxable in NJ only when you deliver no tangible product. The sale of physical prints, albums, canvases, and other tangible products IS taxable at 6.625% - and under NJ ANJ-2, so are the session and editing charges that produced them. When a package bundles coverage time with a print album for one price (a typical wedding package), the whole package price is taxable; separately stating the coverage fee does NOT exempt it, because ANJ-2 treats the labor that produces a tangible product as part of its taxable sales price. The reliably non-taxable case is a pure-service engagement that hands over no physical product. Digital image file delivery is a grayer area: NJ taxes 'specified digital products' including digital audio-visual works, but whether digital photo files delivered for personal use (as opposed to commercial licensing) are taxable remains subject to interpretation. Photographers should consult on this specific question based on how their digital delivery is structured.
Yes. All camera bodies, lenses, flashes, lighting equipment, tripods, gimbals, drones, memory cards, batteries, and accessories used for business are deductible. Section 179 (2026 federal limit: $2,560,000) and 100% bonus depreciation (permanent under OBBBA for property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025) allow full immediate expensing. Items costing $2,500 or less per invoice can be immediately expensed under the de minimis safe harbor, no depreciation schedule needed. Computers, editing monitors, and storage are also fully deductible. NJ caps Section 179 at $25,000 and does not allow bonus depreciation, so in a year when you buy $30,000 in equipment, you'll deduct $30,000 federally but only $25,000 in NJ (the NJ Section 179 cap), with the remaining $5,000 depreciated over MACRS recovery on the NJ return.
Most photographers use second shooters on a per-project basis and classify them as independent contractors. This is defensible when: the second shooter sets their own rates, uses their own equipment, works for multiple photographers, and controls how they perform their services. However, NJ's ABC test creates risk if the second shooter works exclusively or primarily for you, Prong C requires the contractor be 'customarily engaged in an independently established trade.' Issue 1099-NEC forms for all second shooters paid $2,000+ in TY2026 (the threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 under OBBBA §70433 for payments made after Dec 31, 2025; TY2025 still used the $600 threshold). Keep signed contracts and project-by-project documentation. If you consistently use the same second shooter every weekend, the IRS or NJ DOL may push back on contractor status.
For cash-basis photographers (which most are), non-refundable retainers are taxable income when received, not when the session occurs. If a client pays you a $500 non-refundable deposit in December for a May wedding, that $500 is December income. A refundable deposit is a liability when received and becomes income only when the event takes place (or when it becomes non-refundable). The practical approach: track all deposits received by date, make sure your year-end books reflect all December deposits as income, and maintain clear contract language distinguishing non-refundable retainers from refundable deposits.
You can deduct business mileage using the standard mileage rate (72.5 cents/mile Jan-Jun 2026, 76 cents/mile Jul-Dec 2026) or actual vehicle expenses (gas, insurance, depreciation, maintenance) multiplied by your business-use percentage. You cannot deduct commuting, driving from home to a regular studio location is not deductible. But driving from home (or your studio) to a client location, venue, or location scout is fully deductible. For destination shoots and weddings: flights, hotels, and 50% of meals are deductible when you're away from your tax home overnight for business. NJ follows federal mileage deduction rules. Document every business trip, date, destination, business purpose, and miles driven. A contemporaneous log is the IRS standard.
Tax Tips
Camera bodies, lenses, lighting, editing software, and travel to shoots are all deductible. But the rules vary depending on the cost, how you depreciate, and whether you're mixing W-2 and freelance work. Here's what photographers need to know.
Read GuideNJ Tax
New Jersey draws a line between a pure photography service and the sale of tangible products. Shooting and editing are non-taxable only when you deliver no physical product - but once prints or an album are part of the package, NJ ANJ-2 pulls your session and editing charges into the taxable price. Here's how to handle it.
Read GuideNJ Tax
NJ allows 100% loss netting on the NJ-1040 without itemizing and withholds 3% on certain casino and sportsbook winnings when federal withholding applies (lottery prizes over $10,000 face separate 5%/8% withholding). Unlike the new 90% federal cap under OBBBA, NJ eliminates phantom income for break-even bettors.
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Tax advice disclaimer: This material is for general educational information only and is not legal, tax, or accounting advice for your specific facts. A CPA-client relationship is formed only through a signed engagement letter.