Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide specific tax advice and should be used as a guideline to help encourage you to seek professional tax services.

First and foremost, legally, you -have- to claim all of your wages that you made in the last year. However, most dancers do not. Don’t think that you can escape the IRS though. Everything that you deposit into your bank account or major purchases will be tracked to you and it will catch up with you.

Over the last year, you should have kept your receipts for shoes, make-up and mileage to and from the club.

What’s that? You didn’t keep track? No problem. Here are some easy tips to help you figure out what sort of deductions you can claim this year on your taxes and how to get them ready for the CPA of your choice.

Find a random shoe box and begin accumulating the following items for your Tax Professional.

*  Cash – If you didn’t keep any receipts for make up, shoes, or jewelry purchases there is pretty much no way you can claim a deduction for those items if you paid cash. Any time you purchase -anything- from the costume lady,  ask for a receipt. Even if they give you a funny look, feel good about being smart with your money. If you happen to find some random receipts stuffed in a drawer or in a old Mac bag,  add those to your shoe box.

* Debit/Credit Card Purchases – You should be receiving monthly statements from your bank or Creditor. Go through those to find purchases made local and online that were for your stripping business. Highlight those items with a highlighter pen and put with any receipts you found.

* The next time you go into work, figure out what the mileage is and calculate an average of how many shifts per week you worked over the last year (all of 2009).  For example:

If the club is 10 miles away, that’s 20 miles round trip. You worked 3 shifts on average per week, times 52 weeks equals 156 shifts. You then times 156 by the 20 miles and that equals 3,120 miles. Just write that down on a piece of paper and place in box.

* If you traveled out of state to work, your airfare is deductible as well as hotel and other expenses. Your CPA will be able to tell you exactly what you can deduct for business travels.

At the end of your gathering, just take the shoe box to your CPA appointment.

Preparing all year for the inevitable tax season can make a huge difference for your stripping business and your purse.

~Perelandra

Tip #1. First aid is most important when starting out. Here is a small list of things you’ll want to have on hand..

Band aids- get the stretch fabric kind as the clear one’s actually glow in the black light.

Super Glue – As you wear down the sole,  you’ll need to glue the bottom rubber back on your shoe.  Note: If the body of the shoe breaks never try to glue it back together and continue dancing! Its an accident waiting to happen.  If there isn’t a girl there who is willing to let you borrow shoes for the remainder of your shift, go home.  No amount of money is worth twisting your ankle or falling and getting hurt.  Cut your losses and get another pair ASAP.

Spray Deodorant – Whether open toe or closed, your shoes will begin to smell as your  feet sweat.  Spray your feet lightly with Arid Extra Dry Regular/Unscented before your shift to keep away the funk.  Make sure to put band-aids in place before spraying or they wont stick.

Gel Inserts - these have the ability to save your night. Less than $10, slip these into your shoes for added comfort as you build your calluses.

Tip #2. When first starting to dance, you’ll want to get 5 – 6 inch heels. Going for the 7 and 8 inch heels is a very bad idea if you’ve never walked in them. Wobbly ankles is not attractive. Starting low and working your way up builds stability. The muscles on your shins will need to strengthen also so be prepared to feel pain when simply standing as you use them to balance.

.
Tip #3. Recognize that your feet will be molding into your shoe. My first recommendation is the solid sole with 2 clear plastic straps. As your feet sweat, the straps stick and keep the shoe on. This has been the most comfortable shoe for me right out of the box, however, I still got a few small blisters. This is where band-aids come in handy.

Tip #4. When I first started dancing I learned in 5 inch stilettos and I ended up pinching the nerve in my feet. I couldn’t feel my toes until I started wearing 6 inch platforms.  I recommend platforms 10 out of 10 times.

Tip #5. When getting a pedicure, ask them to not remove your precious calluses. Expect your feet to get somewhat beat up as this job is hard on them but you need the calluses for protection. If you remove them, your feet will hurt forever. Keep them and your feet adapt.  Expect them to hurt for the first 3-4 months of dancing until they adjust.

Tip #6. Practice walking around in your work shoes at home. Start out walking in the kitchen and graduate to carpet. Some clubs have carpet in the VIP rooms so be prepared.  Stages are usually vinyl but don’t always have an even surface.  Walking around at home will also help break in the shoes.

Tip #7. Now that you have been dancing for a while you’ll notice the quickest part of a stripper shoe to wear out is the sole – the second being plastic strap.  After inspection, if you have determined that the shoe is still good (ie., straps intact, cracks in plastic, etc),  have them re-soled by by a local shoe shop. This usually costs around $20 and takes about a day to repair.  You can also re-sole brand new shoes to make them last months if not a year longer.

Hope this helps and, as always, if you have questions regarding this article, feel free to leave a comment.

~Perelandra

Integrating PayPal into Stripper Payment Options
The other night while I was working, I asked Marc for a dance. He said he would like to but had run out of cash.  Half jokingly I mentioned that I accept Paypal. His eyes got big and he said, “You do? Okay.” He got out his smart phone, logged in to his Paypal account then handed me his phone. I entered in my business Paypal email and he transferred $40 into my account.
Could this be a new way to accept table dance money? If you have a customer that would like a dance(s) from you but doesn’t have the cash, you have nothing to lose by having another option for payment.
What are the risks? As far as getting the money goes, the risks are fairly low when transferring money from one Paypal account to another. However, you’ll need to make sure you protect your personal account information – such as real name, email address, and possibly home address and phone number. I recommend you jump through the hoops and get a merchant account. Think of it as an investment and a business expense that is tax deductible (for those of you who actually claim taxes, that is). Another risk may be that your club won’t appreciate you exercising your right to alternative payment forms. Therefore, it is recommended that you keep this on the down-low with club employees and other girls.

What do I have to do in order to protect my identity? Here’s a brief list of steps you will take to set up a merchant account that will protect your personal information:
*What to call your business? Think of a business name that is unassuming – one that if some one’s wife were to look at a receipt, she wouldn’t freak out and he could easily explain.
*Set up a mailing address with some place like Mailboxes Plus, UPS Store, or a local service. Make sure it is an actual physical address not a P.O. Box. Also set it up in your business name.
*Using your new business address, register your business name with the state in which you live. You can do this at your local state office or online.
*Once you have your State Tax Id number, you’ll want to set up your Merchant Account with Paypal. Click below for more information about a Business Account with Paypal.

*Its also a good idea to get a bank account in the name of your business. Most banks offer free checking and/or savings accounts. You can link your Paypal and bank account so the money goes into your bank account automatically.
What do I name my new Paypal account? That’s easy – your business name.
How do I go about making payment options known to customers? When you are explaining the run down of the different dance and VIP room packages, just include Paypal in the list of payment options. Make sure that you explain the process with the customer as simply as possible. If they get confused, they will lose confidence in a process that is unfamiliar and shy away from spending money.
The whole process sounds more complicated than it really is and takes less than a week to get completely set up. Most questions are answered on the state website for new businesses. Just do a Google search for “register new business in *your state here* and follow the instructions. Easy peasy!