Schedule C

Schedule C (officially: “Profit or Loss From Business”) is the IRS form that sole-proprietor and single-member-LLC creators file with their annual Form 1040 to report business income and deduct business expenses. For OnlyFans creators in the US, it’s the load-bearing form of the entire tax filing.

Structure of Schedule C

Part I — Income. Report gross receipts (line 1). This number must match the gross compensation reported on your 1099-NEC from OnlyFans. Mismatch produces automated IRS notices and is the most common audit trigger.

Part II — Expenses. Deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses (IRC Section 162). Lines 8-27 cover specific categories — advertising, commissions and fees (where the 20% OnlyFans platform fee deducts), legal and professional services, office expense, supplies, taxes and licenses, travel, etc. Line 27a captures “Other expenses” with itemization, where most creator-specific deductions land.

Part III-V — capture less commonly used data (cost of goods sold for inventory businesses, vehicle expenses, other miscellaneous).

Key creator-specific lines

• Line 1 — Gross receipts. Match 1099-NEC exactly.
• Line 10 — Commissions and fees. Where OnlyFans platform fees deduct.
• Line 11 — Contract labor. Where chatters, editors, photographers (paid as 1099 contractors) deduct.
• Line 13 — Depreciation. Where camera and lighting equipment using Section 179 or bonus depreciation get written off.
• Line 18 — Office expense. Subscriptions, software, smaller equipment under the de minimis threshold.
• Line 25 — Utilities. Internet and phone business-use percentage.
• Line 30 — Home office deduction. Calculated separately via Form 8829 (regular method) or the simplified method ($5/sqft up to 300 sqft).

What Schedule C is NOT for

Self-employment health insurance premiums deduct on Schedule 1 (above-the-line adjustment to income), not on Schedule C. SEP-IRA and Solo 401(k) retirement contributions also deduct on Schedule 1. These are some of the largest deductions available to high-earning creators and they live outside Schedule C entirely.

The complete deduction taxonomy and substantiation rules are in the Schedule C deductions guide.