Professional Athletes: What to write off on your tax return

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No matter how you earn a living you can probably benefit from tax deductions. The deductions one can claim depend on their profession. Common deductions include business lunches, smart phones, and office supplies. Musicians, for example, may include items like guitars and amplifiers. Acclaimed musician Tom Waits once attempted to have whiskey and cigarettes written off for tax purposes.

The journey to become a professional athlete, regardless of the sport, can be an expensive one. The price for gym memberships, athletic equipment, gear, and clothing can add up so fast it's dizzying. If you or a woman in your life are a pro athlete you might want to take a quick look at this list before you fill out your tax returns.

Gym Memberships: You can't be a great athlete without training. Unless you have the room in you house or apartment, not to mention the budget, for large exercise equipment you might want to look into a gym. Memberships to quality gyms average around $50 a month.

Apparel: The first Olympics were held in Greece and all the participants were nude. Since then, times have changed and you should invest in some active wear. Basket ball shoes and sports bras both can rage any where from $30-$250 dollars a pair.

Charities: Whether it's the march of dimes or a marathon for breast cancer charitable work is not only tax deductible but also helps the community.

Diets: Athletes diets greatly differ from people with more sedentary lifestyles due to their need for more and better nutrition. Diet supplements, vitamins, and power lunches may be deductible depending on what state you live in.

Brought to you by TurboTax.

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