Self-employed
Tax deductions for real estate agents in 2026
Mileage, marketing, MLS fees, staging, and home office — the top deductions every real estate agent should be claiming as a 1099 contractor.
By MileTracker · April 13, 2026 · 9 min read
Real estate agents are almost always 1099 contractors of their broker — which means a long list of deductible business expenses. Mileage is usually #1 or #2.
Mileage
Driving to showings, listings, open houses, inspections, closings, and client meetings is all deductible. Driving from your home to your brokerage office is generally commuting and not deductible.
MLS, license, and dues
MLS access fees, your real estate license renewal, NAR/state association dues, and E&O insurance — all deductible.
Marketing
Signs, business cards, photography, virtual tours, Zillow leads, Facebook ads, mailers, branded swag — all deductible.
Staging
If you pay to stage a listing, that's a business expense.
Home office
If you have a dedicated space in your home used regularly and exclusively for business, you may qualify for the home office deduction.
MileTracker detects every drive in the background, lets you classify business or personal in one tap, and exports an IRS-ready PDF and CSV at tax time. Download MileTracker free on the App Store.