The workplace as we ve known it is transforming.
Home office expenses reimbursed by employer. No home office write offs for w 2 employees. The results showed that for half of the companies surveyed none of the expenses are reimbursed except under unique circumstances. Building an office at home or buying furniture the reimbursement paid to the employee is a taxable benefit to be included in the employee s income. In an effort to prevent the spread of covid 19 many employers are permitting and in some cases requiring employees to work from home.
The tax law permits employers to reimburse employees for legitimate job related expenses including home offices that meet the requirements for the home office deduction. A home printer or for capital expenses eg. If an employer pays a fixed amount in the form of a stipend the employer s. The remote work expenses that must be covered by employers in states with strict reimbursement laws includes mostly communications devices and plans.
As businesses and individuals try to ascertain what the new normal will look like one thing is clear. One unforeseen consequence of requiring employees to work from home is some jurisdictions mandate that employers reimburse their employees for certain expenses incurred as a result of their employment. To qualify for the home office deduction the employee must regularly and exclusively use a portion of his or her home for work it need not be a whole room. Where an employer reimburses an employee for the cost of tools eg.
Employees who are familiar with the home office tax deduction may be disappointed to learn that the write off only exists now for self employed people. Payment or reimbursement to your employees of up to 4 a week 6 a week from 6 april 2020 is non taxable for the additional household expenses incurred when your employee is working from home. Employers in california and similar jurisdictions should determine which of their employees are required to work remotely what expenses employees may incur as a result of working from home and determine if and how much of their remote work expenses must be reimbursed. This list would include phones phone service internet service computers and or tablets and any communications or home office expenses that are required.
The world is a different place today than it was a month ago or even a week ago. For employees who have an office at company facilities but also work from home on a part time basis the poll results varied greatly from the full time home based employees. Those expenses include the cost of setting up and operating a home office.