I ran into an issue with our CPA person who is preparing our taxes this year. She feels that my microstock is a hobby and not a business. Even if I have an LLC and make money the IRS would still consider it a hobby in her eyes.
Also my home studio (100% dedicated to the business- no personal things in the room whatsoever) cannot be justified - It must be located away from the house (i.e., rent studio) and be dedicated 100% to the business- no work at home according to her.
So how do I determine if my microstock is a hobby or business? This is my 4th year working in this so-called business with portfolios in over 20 companies ranging from 2,600 images (Shutter) to over 4,500 images (Deposit photo)- my sales have grown over 200% each year as well as my portfolios. 

Finally, my income exceeded my expense but she told that that doesn't constitute a business in the IRS eyes.

Any advice would truly help since I will try to convince her otherwise�
Thanks
Tom

I would get a second opinion. I am not sure about the USA and the IRS, but in Canada as far as it being a business or hobby that all depends. I make a full time living from shooting stock photos, so for me it is my business. Where it gets tricky is on the amount you make. For the sake of argument, if I make $2000 dollars I have to declare this as an income, and I can write off the expenses that were incurred to make that income. So if I make $2000 and my expenses are legitimately $1000 then that is considered a write off. I can legitimately write off 18% of my household rent/utilities as I use that proportion of my house to incur this income. If you are just floating above water and going the expense heave route, I think both sides of the border will make it difficult for you, but if you are clearly making an income be it a part time one, then your expenses should be deducted. Again, I am only aware of the Canadian tax system, and I would suggest you get a second opinion from a Certified General Accountant.

Try looking at this page:

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Business-or-Hobby%3F-Answer-Has-Implications-for-Deductions

I had a paper addressing each one of these question but the CPA told that photography still will get a red flag- it's the profession that most CPA's are scared to write off as a business. I told my CPA what if you did you business from home is that a hobby now- they said no because they are a CPA but I don't have any certification.

I would definitely get a 2nd opinion. If you are making money at this, you are getting 1099s that are reporting your income to the IRS. Unless you are racking up  'expenses' to show losses that offset other income, their is no downside to filing a schedule C.

The CPA told me that if I write off say travel I better be able to prove each day what I was shooting and document the hours of work! And no dinners unless I meet with business clients!

Sounds like you should find a different CPA.

She mention when I go on so called 'Travel of Business' how do I prove to the IRS that I am not just on vacation sipping on drinks at the pool - which by the would make a decent stock shot lol! 

Hi, I also think you should get a second opinion, if you could find a CPA/ Accountant used to deal with home based business...

there is a great blog by a CPA geared towards indies, musicians, artists and she addresses the home business, hobby x business thing, is quite interesting ....http://junewalkeronline.com/blog/

So, out of curiosity, what state are you in?

Get another accountant. In my industry (advertising) we look for/recommend accountants who are familiar with creative businesses. If you're making a profit, I don't see why you couldn't take deductions related to the business. I think your accountant might be used to people who have expensive hobbies that make no money who then try to offset their hobby's expenses by claiming them as deductions.

As for proof that you were working on your trips...you have lots of photos taken during those trips and list those photos on micro sites, and can easily grab screenshots showing you're making an income from licensing, no?

forgot to ask- by having a CPA do my taxes do I reduced the chance of an audit? If not, maybe I can just use turbo tax and do them myself?

forgot to ask- by having a CPA do my taxes do I reduced the chance of an audit? If not, maybe I can just use turbo tax and do them myself?

In my experience a CPA will tell you about deductions or deduction amounts that will raise red flags to the IRS, but after a few years I knew all the red flags (which I never came close to anyway), so I started using Turbotax. I'm not sure either way will reduce your chances of being audited, except for the red flags your accountant might point out.

I don't' deduct any of my household expenses either. It requires having a dedicated space, only deducting expenses relating to the portion of your house where you conduct business, only deducting expenses relative to the portion of income that comes from working in that space (I also work onsite at ad agencies sometimes) and has financial repercussions down the road when you sell your house. My accountant felt it wasn't worth it and advised against it. I do deduct advertising expenses for my websites, though.

USA experience here. I reported my photography as a hobby for many years. When the income started getting bigger I wondered about making it a business. Here are the results of my discussion with my CPA.

- Keep separate accounting and bank accounts and credit cards. Do not mix business and personal funds. On the occasions where funds jump that gap they must be reported in the business books (e.g. cash purchases - should use the business credit/debit cards instead, reimbursements such as mileage on a personal car, a share of internet expenses, owner's draw or salary). He wanted accounting software, not just my Excel spreadsheet, and recommended Quickbooks. Such software will aid in balancing the books and reconciling your bank accounts. QB has some cost effective online accounts that might suit you. I buy the software every few years.
- Business use of a room in the house was considered. But my room wouldn't pass an audit as it has non-photography items (guest bed, book case with non-photo related material, wife's computer). So to claim a few square feet and then unwind all those records at closure of the business or sale of the house seemed less than useful. You might be worthy of deductions for your studio. It does require work and clean record keeping.
- Keep a personal written log in your vehicles and record business use of the personal vehicle mileage. The IRS audit will want to see that written log. For me the mileage is my biggest yearly expense for my type of photography. It will easily outrun a new camera body.
- My hobby was cash positive for years (records via spreadsheets) before I started considering it a business. You have to meet the 3 of 5 years rule. Be sure you think you can meet the rule before defining the business. It might make sense to see $10,000 net cash positive as a hobby for a year or two before doing the business thing. You can still deduct expenses up to the level of income as a hobby.
- My accountant wanted to hear of a viable level of net cash positive before starting the business approach. He said to many "Mary Kay (home party)" new sale people get all cranked up the new venture, spend much time and money with the accountants and banks to get set up and then never get the business going well enough to cover the setup costs. Staying as a hobby precludes these setup losses.
- Record in your accounting books purchases of $1000 or more as capital expenditures. It seems like the $1000 is kind of arbitrary based on the accountant. But having records of capital shows signs of a business.
- He allows me to write down depreciation under the "at purchase time" Section 179 rules. Sale of equipment later than is a pure income. It keeps the depreciation calculations much more simple from year to year. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p946.pdf

I thought about the Turbo Tax approach and think I could do it. I did TurboTax while operating as a hobby. But my accountant reviewed my taxes in a previous year and noted I might be paying to much interest on my home mortgage. He suggested I go see a specific mortgage broker and in the end I did a refi from 30 years to 15, lowered my interest from 5 to 2.875%, had only a couple hundred dollars fees, and came in at almost the same monthly payments. His observation will save me thousands of dollars over the years in my house. He keeps my business by watching my back and since TurboTax won't do this.

Vacations?  Or "location scouting" trips?  hahaha don't go crazy with your deductions if you can't legitimately explain/prove them.  Too many people go overboard with this stuff.