Can you deduct home office expenses?
This article organizes the original guidance on can you deduct home office expenses? into clear sections for easier reading and reference.
Overview
This opening section presents the main context from the original post.
Working from home has become commonplace. But just because you have a home office space doesn’t mean you can deduct expenses associated with it. And for 2018, even fewer taxpayers will be eligible for a home office deduction.
Changes under the TCJA
This section keeps the original guidance focused on changes under the tcja.
For employees, home office expenses are a miscellaneous itemized deduction. For 2017, this means you’ll enjoy a tax benefit only if these expenses plus your other miscellaneous itemized expenses (such as unreimbursed work-related travel, certain professional fees and investment expenses) exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income.
For 2018 through 2025, this means that, if you are an employee, you won’t be able to deduct any home office expenses. Why? The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) suspends miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% floor for this period.
If, however, you are self-employed, you can deduct eligible home office expenses against your self-employment income. Therefore, the deduction will still be available to you for 2018 through 2025.
Other eligibility requirements
This section keeps the original guidance focused on other eligibility requirements.
If you are an employee, your use of your home office must be for your employer’s convenience, not just your own. If you are self-employed, generally your home office must be your principal place of business, though there are exceptions.
Whether you are an employee or self-employed, the space must be used regularly (not just occasionally) and exclusively for business purposes. If, for example, your home office is also a guest bedroom or your children do their homework there, you cannot deduct the expenses associated with that space.
Two deduction options
This section keeps the original guidance focused on two deduction options.
If you are eligible, the home office deduction can be a valuable tax break. You have two options for the deduction:
- Deduct a portion of your mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and certain other expenses, as well as the depreciation allocable to the office space. This requires calculating, allocating, and substantiating actual expenses.
- Take the “safe harbor” deduction. Only one simple calculation is necessary: $5 × the number of square feet of the office space. The safe harbor deduction is capped at $1,500 per year, based on a maximum of 300 square feet.
More rules and limits
This section keeps the original guidance focused on more rules and limits.
Be aware that we’ve covered only a few of the rules and limits here. If you think you may be eligible for the home office deduction on your 2017 return or would like to know if there’s anything additional you need to do to be eligible on your 2018 return, contact us.
Related Resources
These resources connect the article topic with related Bowers service pages and approved professional reading.
FAQ
The questions below summarize the main points already covered in the article.
What is the main focus of Can you deduct home office expenses??
The article focuses on can you deduct home office expenses? and organizes the original guidance into sections for easier review.
What topics does the article cover first?
The article begins with changes under the tcja and then continues through the remaining points in the original post.
Which additional areas are included?
Additional sections include other eligibility requirements, two deduction options, more rules and limits.
Does the post include action items or reminders?
Yes. The original post includes listed items that have been kept in list format for easier scanning.
Was the original post wording changed?
The revision keeps the author wording and updates the structure so the post is easier to read online.