Form 8829 and Multiple Businesses

What are the 3 general rules for qualifying your home office as a business expense?

In all cases, to be deductible the home office must be regularly and exclusively used for business.

• Regular and exclusive business use.
• Meeting with patients, clients or customers.
• Separate structure.
• Principal place of business.
• More than one trade or business.
• Simplified method.
• Actual expenses.

Who can use Form 8829?

self-employed taxpayers

IRS Form 8829 is used by self-employed taxpayers and small business owners who maintain a workspace in their homes to calculate their home office deduction. The form calculates the portion of expenses related to your home that you can claim as a tax deduction on Schedule C.

How many square feet can you write-off for a home office?

300 square feet

Instead of keeping records of all of your expenses, you can deduct $5 per square foot of your home office, up to 300 square feet, for a maximum deduction of $1,500. As long as your home office qualifies, you can take this tax break without having to keep records of the specific expenses.