Here’s who qualifies for the home office deduction for 2023 taxes

For those who had been totally distant or a hybrid employee in 2023, chances are you’ll be curious in regards to the dwelling workplace deduction to your tax return.

Whereas totally distant work is now much less frequent, hybrid positions represented 13.1% of U.S. job postings in December, and practically 20% of all candidates went to these roles, in keeping with LinkedIn.

However in case you’re a W-2 employee — which means your employer withholds taxes out of your paychecks — you possibly can’t take the house workplace deduction for 2023 on bills associated to that work, in keeping with licensed monetary planner Eric Bronnenkant, head of tax at Betterment, a digital funding advisor. 

For the reason that Republican’s 2017 tax overhaul, there’s been no miscellaneous itemized deductions, which had been topic to a 2% adjusted gross earnings limitation. That tax break allowed some W-2 employees to assert a deduction for unreimbursed dwelling workplace bills, defined Bronnenkant, who can be an authorized public accountant.

Nevertheless, chances are you’ll qualify for the house workplace deduction for 2023 as a self-employed or contract employee, with earnings reported on Kind 1099-NEC, he stated.

Your house workplace should meet particular tips to qualify for the deduction, stated CFP Sean Lovison, founding father of Philadelphia-area Objective Constructed Monetary Providers. He’s additionally an authorized public accountant.

The workplace wants unique and common use, and have to be your “principal place of job,” in keeping with the IRS, corresponding to a separate room in your house.

Separate buildings may qualify. “This could possibly be a studio, storage, or barn, so long as it is solely and usually used,” for enterprise, Lovison stated.

For those who qualify for the house workplace deduction, there are two methods to calculate the tax break, in keeping with the IRS.

The “simplified choice” makes use of $5 per sq. foot of the portion of the house used, as much as 300 sq. ft, for a most tax break of $1,500.

“It may well simplify your life in a variety of methods” however it could not present the largest tax break, Lovison stated.

By comparability, the “common methodology” makes use of the proportion of your private home used for enterprise and deducts precise bills, corresponding to a part of your mortgage curiosity, insurance coverage, utilities, repairs and depreciation.

Whatever the methodology, it’s vital to keep up detailed information of your private home workplace bills and use, as a result of thorough documentation may “substantiate your deduction declare” within the occasion of an audit, Lovison stated.