If you operate from home these costs are part of a home office deduction.
Home office deduction 2019 safe harbor. Of square feet of the office space. To use the safe harbor method taxpayers must continue to satisfy all the other requirements for a home office deduction including that the space be used exclusively for the qualified business purpose and that an employee qualifies for the deduction only if the office is for the convenience of the taxpayer s employer. The home office deduction is not a red flag for an irs audit. The tax rules on how to write off office expense deductions can be confusing.
Deducting a home office is treated differently depending on your business type. If you use part of your home exclusively and regularly for conducting business you may be able to deduct expenses such as mortgage interest insurance utilities repairs and depreciation for that area. Depending on whether you own or lease your office space you can deduct your rent or mortgage interest costs. Requirements to claim the home office deduction.
Whether you qualify for this deduction is determined each year. For example if your home office space is 200 square feet and your home is 2000 square feet you would claim 10 200 2000 of your home related expenses insurance taxes mortgage interest etc. Beginning in tax year 2013 returns filed in 2014 taxpayers may use a simplified option when figuring the deduction for business use of their home. Here s what you need to know.
This new safe harbor option allows taxpayers with a qualified home office to deduct 5 00 per square foot up to a maximum of 1 500 so the maximum allowable area of the home office is 300 square. It merely simplifies the calculation and. Generally when using the regular method deductions for a home office are based on the percentage of your home devoted to business use. You need to figure out the percentage of your home devoted to your business activities utilities repairs and depreciation.
Home office deduction may be trickier to qualify for this tax year. This simplified option does not change the criteria for who may claim a home office deduction. The simplified method can make it easier for you to claim the deduction but might not provide you with biggest deduction.