What Are Investment Expenses and Which Are Tax Deductible?Email FacebookTwitterMenu burgerClose thinWhat Are Investment Expenses and Which Are Tax Deductible?Edited by Mike Obel | Edited by Patrick Villanova, CEPF®Updated on April 10, 2025, 10:58pm ETSmartAsset maintains strict . It doesn’t provide legal, tax, accounting or financial advice and isn’t a financial planner, broker, lawyer or tax adviser. Consult with your own advisers for guidance. Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this post are only the author’s and for informational purposes. This post may contain links from advertisers, and we may receive compensation for marketing their products or services or if users purchase products or services. | Marketing DisclosureShareInvestment expenses include costs tied to managing or producing investment income, such as advisory fees, custodial fees and research subscriptions. But can you deduct investment-related expenses on your tax return? Under current tax law, most miscellaneous itemized deductions—including investment expenses—were suspended through 2025 by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This means that, for now, individuals cannot claim these costs on Schedule A.A may be able to provide tax planning advice, along with portfolio management services. and see how they may help.What Are Investment-Related Expenses?Investment-related expenses are costs tied to owning, managing or trading . These may include management and transaction fees. Account maintenance charges, such as annual or inactivity fees, also fall into this category. The amount you pay can depend on the types of investments you hold, how actively you trade, and the services offered by your brokerage or advisory firm.Other potential costs include subscription fees for investment research, legal or tax advice related to your investments and certain software or technology used to monitor your portfolio. While these expenses vary in nature, the IRS typically classifies these expenses as when claimed on a personal return.Can You Deduct Investment-Related Expenses?Most investment-related expenses, including advisory fees, brokerage charges and research subscriptions, were once deductible as miscellaneous itemized deductions. Prior to 2018, these could be deducted on Schedule A, but only to the extent they exceeded 2% of .However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended these deductions for tax years 2018 through 2025. This means that individual investors can no longer deduct these expenses unless they qualify as part of a business activity.Traders may deduct these costs as business expenses on Schedule C. For typical investors, however, these costs are currently not deductible for federal tax purposes.How Investment Expenses Can Impact Your Investment PortfolioUnderstanding how expenses can potentially impact your is crucial for effective investment management. Even 1% in extra fees might reduce your hypothetical investment returns significantly over time. Overpaying for can drag down long-term returns, especially if fees are excessive. According to , a 1% management fee reduced a hypothetical portfolio growing at 4% per year by 18% over a 20-year time line. Of course, paying a a 1% fee could be worth it if they can generate for your portfolio. Frequent trading can also increase costs through commissions, bid-ask spreads and potential tax consequences, which may further erode returns. Even low-cost carry expense ratios that, while modest, add up over time depending on the size of your portfolio.Types of Tax Deductible Investment ExpensesSome investment expenses may offer opportunities for tax savings. Certain investment expenses, for example, can be tax deductible, which can help offset their impact on your portfolio. It’s important to consult a tax advisor about the potential implications of these deductions, but here are three common expenses that are tax deductible., Some investment expenses may offer opportunities for tax savings. Certain investment expenses, for example, can be tax deductible, which can help offset their impact on your portfolio. It’s important to consult a tax advisor about the potential implications of these deductions, but here are three common expenses that are tax deductible., If you own a home, the interest you pay on your mortgage loan and (part of) your property taxes are tax-deductible. However, there’s a catch: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 capped state and local property tax deductions at $5,000 for married taxpayers filing separately and $10,000 for all other taxpayers. At the same time, standard .