3 Deductions — Above the Line (Adjustments to Income)

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Sarah runs her graphic design from home
Business cards and software, office phone
Section one-six-two protects her trade
Ordinary, necessary, expenses paid

[Verse 2]
Teachers buying markers with their cash
Educators get three hundred back in flash
Health Savings Accounts, pre-tax and smart
Student loans take interest deductions apart

[Chorus]
Above the line, before we calculate
These adjustments shrink your income rate
Traditional IRA, business costs so real
Half your self-employment tax you steal
Above the line, the government's sweet deal

[Verse 3]
Truck driver moves from base to base
Military only gets moving expense grace
Post-Tax-Cuts-Jobs-Act changed the game
Civilians lost this tax-reducing claim

[Verse 4]
Divorce before twenty-nineteen's end
Alimony payments you can still defend
But newer splits don't get this break
Congress closed that door for mercy's sake

[Chorus]
Above the line, before we calculate
These adjustments shrink your income rate
Traditional IRA, business costs so real
Half your self-employment tax you steal
Above the line, the government's sweet deal

[Bridge]
Schedule One lists every single way
To trim your income down before you pay
From teacher pens to contractor's gas
These deductions help your money last

[Chorus]
Above the line, before we calculate
These adjustments shrink your income rate
Traditional IRA, business costs so real
Half your self-employment tax you steal
Above the line, reduces what you owe

[Outro]
Freelancers and teachers know the score
Above-the-line saves dollars by the score

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