Many clients worked from Home in 2020 and asked us whether they can deduct the expenses on their tax return. If you’re working from home for an employer, you normally can’t deduct your home office expenses.

There are two requirements for having a tax-deductible home office:

• Your home office is only used for business purposes.
  • Your home office must be used exclusively for operating your business. To meet this requirement, set up your office in a separate area of your house. Then if you get audited by the IRS, there is no doubt that your office is used exclusively for business purposes.
• Your home office is your primary place of business.
  • You need to demonstrate that your home office is the primary place you conduct your business. The IRS has clarified that you can meet clients and conduct meetings at separate office locations, but your home office must be the only location where your administrative work is completed. So if you meet with clients or work on any part of your business away from your home office, keep a journal of each specific activity undertaken and describe how it doesn’t violate the primary place-of-business rule.

Looking at these two criteria, everyone that is now required to work from home probably meets both qualifications. If you’re a W-2 employee, however, you can’t deduct your home office expenses on your tax return.

How employee can get deduction on their tax return

Here are three options for solving your problem of being a W-2 employee and qualifying to deduct your home office expenses on your tax return .

1.Become an independent contractor. The easiest way to deduct your home office expenses is by switching from being an employee to an independent contractor. With a number of firms cutting pay and hours due to the pandemic, it may be worth exploring. There’s a big warning label if you go this route, however. You will need to account for lost benefits, such as health insurance, and the additional cost of self-employment taxes. If you can meet the IRS requirements for becoming an independent contractor, it may be worth doing the math and considering all the deductions your home office may make available to you.
2.Start a side business. If becoming an independent contractor for your current employer isn’t an option, consider starting a side business. You can deduct all business-related expenses on your tax return, including your home office expenses. If you go this route, ensure your home office is in a different location in your home than your other work space.
3. Consider your entire household. Even if you don’t qualify for the home office deduction, maybe someone else living in your home does qualify. So look into your options to see if a family member can take advantage of the home office deduction.

Get reimbursed by your company

There’s no question you are picking up some of the expense of your home office with added electrical, heating, telephone, internet, and other expenses. Some companies have set up an accountable plan. You may be able to find a way to get some of your home office expense reimbursed. So if you’re stuck working as a W-2 employee, look into whether your employer offers reimbursement for home office expenses.

Contact CINDIE for more information

200 Centennial Avenue, Suite 106, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Phone: (732) 896-0272
Fax: (732) 676-1661
Email: cpa@cindiellc.com 微信：cpa_xinyi

2020年，许多客户在家办公，并询问我们是否可以在退税中扣除费用。如果您是在家中为雇主工作，通常无法扣除家庭办公费用。

拥有免税家庭办公室有两个要求
1.您的家庭办公室仅用于商业目的。
您的家庭办公室必须专门用于经营您的业务。它不能兼作家庭媒体中心或起居室。为了满足此要求，请在房屋的单独区域中设置办公室。然后，如果您通过了IRS的审核，则毫无疑问您的办公室仅用于商业目的。
您的家庭办公室是您的主要办公地点。
2.您需要证明家庭办公室是开展业务的主要场所。美国国税局（IRS）澄清说，您可以在单独的办公室地点与客户见面并举行会议，但是您的家庭办公室必须是完成管理工作的唯一地点。因此，如果您在总部以外的地方与客户见面或从事业务的任何部分，请保留每项具体活动的日志，并描述其如何不违反主要营业地点规则。
从这两个标准来看，现在需要在家工作的每个人都可能符合这两个条件。但是，如果您是W-2员工，则无法在纳税申报单中扣除家庭办公费用。

员工如何从纳税申报单中扣除
这是解决您成为W-2雇员并有资格在纳税申报表中扣除家庭办公室费用的三种选择。

1.成为独立承包商。扣除家庭办公室费用的最简单方法是从雇员的身份转到独立的承包商。由于大流行，许多公司削减了工资和工时，这可能值得探讨。但是，如果您选择这条路线，则会有一个很大的警告标签。您将需要考虑福利损失，例如健康保险以及自雇税的额外费用。如果您能够满足IRS成为独立承包商的要求，那么可能值得做一下数学运算，并考虑您的家庭办公室可能为您提供的所有扣除额。
2.开展副业。如果您无法成为当前雇主的独立承包商，请考虑开展副业。您可以在纳税申报单中扣除所有与业务相关的费用，包括家庭办公费用。如果沿着这条路线走，请确保您的家庭办公室与其他工作空间不在家里。
3.考虑整个家庭。即使您不符合获得家庭办公室扣除的资格，也许住在您家中的其他人也符合资格。因此，请查看您的选择，以了解家庭成员是否可以利用家庭办公室扣除额。

得到公司的报销
毫无疑问，您要承担家庭办公室的一些费用，另外还要增加电费，暖气，电话，互联网和其他费用。一些公司已经制定了一个负责任的计划。您也许可以找到一种方式来偿还部分家庭办公室费用。因此，作为W-2员工工作，请调查您的雇主是否提供家庭办公费用的报销。