Singing a different tax tune? ? Business Management Daily: Free ...

Q. I?ve invested thousands of dollars in sound systems, instruments and equipment for my band. Can I use the expenses in past years to offset income in 2012? D.B., via email

A. It depends on whether your activity was enough to rise to the level of a business. If it did, you can generally carry back a net operating loss (NOL) for two years and then forward for up to 20 years. You can elect to forgo the carryback period and carry a loss forward, but you must make a timely election on the tax return for the year of the loss.

Tip: On the other hand, the rules are less favorable for an activity treated as a hobby. Expenses are deductible only up to the amount of the hobby income. In other words, you can?t claim a tax loss from a hobby activity.

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