Simplified Option for Home Office Deduction
Do you work from home? You’ll want to read this information for the very simplified options for home office tax deductions.
As former IRS agents and managers please be advised that this is a favorite target for IRS tax auditors because this is an area very well abused by taxpayers.
Make sure you take only the tax deductions that you can document in this area because of the continued abuse. So, do not make yourself a target for the Internal Revenue Service
If so, you may be familiar with the home office deduction, available for taxpayers who use their home for business. Beginning this year, there is a new, simpler option to figure the business use of your home.
This simplified option does not change the rules for who may claim a home office deduction.
It merely simplifies the calculation and record keeping requirements. The new option can save you a lot of time and will require less paperwork and record keeping.
Here are facts you to know about the new, simplified method to claim the home office deduction.
1. You may use the simplified method when you file your 2013 tax return next year. If you use this method to claim the home office deduction, you will not need to calculate your deduction based on actual expenses.
You may instead multiply the square footage of your home office by a prescribed rate.
2. The rate is $5 per square foot of the part of your home used for business.
The maximum footage allowed is 300 square feet. This means the most you can deduct using the new method is $1,500 per year.
3. You may choose either the simplified method or the actual expense method for any tax year.
Once you use a method for a specific tax year, you cannot later change to the other method for that same year.
4. If you use the simplified method and you own your home, you cannot depreciate your home office. You can still deduct other qualified home expenses, such as mortgage interest and real estate taxes.
You will not need to allocate these expenses between personal and business use. This allocation is required if you use the actual expense method. You’ll claim these deductions on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions.
5. You can still fully deduct business expenses that are unrelated to the home if you use the simplified method. These may include costs such as advertising, supplies and wages paid to employees.
6. If you use more than one home with a qualified home office in the same year, you can use the simplified method for only one in that year.
However, you may use the simplified method for one and actual expenses for any others in that year.
If you need to optimize all your tax-deductible contact us today and speak directly to former IRS agents and managers who can ensure that you will pay the lowest amount of tax allowed by law. We are a full service tax firm that specializes in IRS tax problem help, tax preparation and any IRS or state tax issue.
