Vendor category
What tax category is a Staples charge?
A Staples charge normally falls under Office expense. This is because businesses typically buy office supplies, such as paper, pens, and toner, from Staples. If you're buying personal items, like a gift card or a personal care product, the same merchant would be a personal purchase.
STAPLES 0012345Category
6018Office expense
Schedule C, line 18
Confidence
95%
- Decided by
- a vendor rule
- Deductible
- Generally deductible
- Why
- matched seed rule 'staples'
Businesses use office supplies to operate, and these expenses are deductible on a business tax return. The Office expense category includes costs for items like paper, pens, and toner, as well as office equipment and furniture.
If you're unsure whether a purchase is for business or personal use, consider the purpose of the item and how it will be used. Keep receipts and records to support your classification of expenses.
Personal items
can be a red flag for non-deductible expenses
Gift cards
are often used for personal purchases
Mixed use
can make expense classification tricky
Categorize your own transactions
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Questions people ask
- What if I buy office supplies online from a different merchant?
- The category for office supplies doesn't change based on the merchant, as long as the purchase is for business use.
- Can I deduct the cost of a personal item if I use it for business?
- No, if an item is primarily for personal use, it's not deductible as a business expense, even if you use it for business purposes.
- How do I keep track of business expenses?
- Keep receipts and records of business expenses, including the date, amount, and purpose of each purchase, to support your classification of expenses on your business tax return.
Related expense categories
More in vendor categories
General information about how bookkeeping and Schedule C categorization work — not tax advice. BookkeeperLens is a demo running on synthetic data.