Health Club Dues

Generally health club dues are not deductible. However if a doctor recommended an exercise program as treatment for a specific condition, then you could deduct it. Doctor recommended exercise programs just to improve your health won't work.

Section 179 Deduction

A taxpayer can expense certain property placed in service like equipment, furniture, and autos if they are used more than 50% in a trade or business. The property also has to be purchased from an unrelated party. Most rental property, buildings and their structural components, and  investment property do not qualify. The maximum deduction for 2015 is now $25,000. Congress may increase the maximum back to $500,000 before the end of the year like it did for 2014, but you can't count on it.

Self Rental

If you have a business and also charge rent to the business since you own the business office, then how does the IRS treat the rental income from the office property? You can deduct the rental expense on your business tax return but the rental income from the office, which is usually reported on schedule E, is considered non passive if you have a profit and passive if you have a loss. This is to prevent the taxpayer from creating passive income to offset other passive losses. In my opinion, the best way to handle this situation is to structure the rental rate to break even on schedule E.

Phone Calls from the IRS

Some of my clients have received phone calls from someone saying they are from the IRS asking for information or money. Hang up. This is a scam. They are trying to scare you into giving them what they want by mentioning dire consequences like jail if you don't cooperate. The IRS will not ever initiate a phone call directly with taxpayers to ask for information. They send letters instead which you should send to me to handle for you.