Can I claim postage and shipping supplies?

Yes—if the postage and shipping supplies are ordinary and necessary for your business or self-employment activity, you can generally claim them as business expenses. This can include postage, shipping labels, carrier charges, envelopes, boxes, packing tape, bubble mailers, labels, and other packing materials used to ship products, documents, or client work.

How you claim them depends on your situation:

• Self-employed / sole proprietor: typically reported as business expenses on Schedule C.
• Online seller or small business: postage and packing materials are generally deductible against business income.
• Employee: personal out-of-pocket shipping costs for your job are not automatically deductible. For U.S. federal taxes, unreimbursed employee business expenses were generally suspended for 2018–2025, and later/current rules or state rules may differ—check current IRS/state guidance or ask about employer reimbursement.
• Personal shipping: not deductible.

Keep receipts, order confirmations, carrier invoices, and notes showing the business purpose. If supplies are used for both personal and business shipping, deduct only the business-use portion.