The costs, which include amounts paid to investigate the possibility of creating or purchasing a business, and also expenditures incurred to get the business started, are called "capital expenses." According to the North Carolina Association of CPAs, although business owners generally cannot directly deduct capital expenses, they may elect to recover their investment in a business by depreciating or amortizing their costs over a number of years.

The rules for deducting start-up expenses hinge on whether or not the business owner actually open for business.

When You Open the Doors for Business
What are some legitimate start-up expenses? The Internal Revenue Service cites surveys of potential markets; analyses of available facilities, labor, and supplies; travel and other necessary costs for securing distributors, supplies or customers; advertisements for the opening of the business; salaries and wages for employees who are being trained; and fees for consultants and professional services.

Under tax law, you may elect to amortize these start-up costs ratably over a period of 60 months, commencing with the month in which the business begins, if they meet the following tests:

• They are costs that would be deductible if they were paid or incurred in connection with the expenses of an existing business in the same field.
• They are paid or incurred before you actually begin business operations.

Under tax rules governing start-up expenses, you must make an election to amortize expenses by the due date of the return (including extensions) for the year in which active business begins. To qualify, you must include a description of the expenses, the amounts, the dates they were incurred, the month in which the business began, and the number of months in the amortization period. Sole proprietors, partners, and LLC members claim these deductions on IRS Form 4562, Depreciation and Amortization.

If you sell or otherwise dispose of your business before the end of the amortization period you have selected, any start-up costs for the business that you have not yet deducted may be deducted to the extent that they qualify as a business loss.

When Your Business Idea Does Not Work Out
What happens if, after incurring start-up expenses, you decide not to open a business? If your attempt to go into business is not successful, you must divide your start-up costs into two categories. If you are not operating in corporate form, costs incurred for a general search or preliminary investigation prior to making a decision to acquire or to begin a specific business become personal expenses and are not deductible. An example of a preliminary investigation expense might be an analysis of potential markets and the area's labor supply.

Start-up expenses you incur after you have made a decision to acquire or to establish a specific business and prior to its actual operation may be deducted as a business loss in the year in which your attempt to go into business fails.