Home Office Expense Deductions

Home Office Expenses

The home office expense deduction is complicated. The IRS has a 32-page book (Publication 587) that discusses this subject. This article presents a brief overview of the subject. If you have a home-based business, check with your tax advisor about the home business deduction.

You may deduct expenses of a home office is you use your home "regularly and exclusively" for the following purposes:

• as your principal place of business
  
• as a place to meet patients, clients, or customers "in the normal course of your trade or business."

Use Form 8829 to calculate your home office deduction. The calculation asks you to determine the percentage of the total area of your home that is used for business purposes and the total hours the business area is available for use during the year. Then you must use this percentage to determine the allowable amount of deduction for these expenses:

• casualty losses (with limits
  
• mortgage interest
  
• real estate taxes
  
• homeowner's insurance
  
• rent
  
• repairs
  
• utilities
  
• and home depreciation

All of this will get you an amount for allowable expenses for business use of your home.

If you are self-employed, you can then report this deduction on Line 30 of your Schedule C on your 1040.

Disclaimer
This article presents general information; I am not a tax attorney or tax preparation specialist. Refer to IRS publications and refer questions to your tax consultant.