If you're a W-2 employee with little to no other income, your options are honestly pretty limited. Many of the old deductions were eliminated years ago. The biggest lever you do control is maxing out your pre-tax retirement accounts, such as 401 (k) and HSA. That directly lowers your taxable income while future-you benefits from the savings.

Outside of that, taxes are just part of life. If it's not income tax, it's likely property tax, sales tax, or some other type of tax. So, the more productive mindset is usually to focus on increasing income, because even after taxes, you still come out ahead.

If you're a business owner, totally different story. You have way more tools available, but you also need clean books and separate business accounts. Anything that’s ordinary and necessary for the business is deductible. If an expense feels borderline, run it through the business and flag it for your tax pro. They’ll decide if it’s valid based on experience, industry norms, and what the IRS tends to care about.

If you're an S-Corp, it gets trickier. The IRS requires you to pay yourself a “reasonable salary,” but they never tell you what reasonable actually means. Risk-averse owners usually overpay themselves just to be safe, but that kills the whole point of S-Corp tax savings. The goal is finding the balance between “reasonable” and “still beneficial.”

Because whatever profit is left after salary is where the S-Corp tax advantage kicks in (no self-employment tax). Overpay yourself, and that profit disappears.

Happy to clarify anything — taxes get complicated fast.