Skip to main content

Safe Harbor for Home Office Deductions

By
Question:

 As a minister, I have an office in my home because I do not have an office at the church. I heard there is a simplified method for deducting home office expenses on my 2013 tax return. Is this true? If it is true, is there an advantage to using the new method?

 Answer:

 The IRS has provided a safe harbor method for deducting home office expenses. The safe harbor method may be used for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2013. Similar to the actual-expense method, the safe harbor method only permits a home office deduction if the office is used “regularly and exclusively” for business purposes.  The office must also be for the convenience of the employer.

 Just because the safe harbor method is available does not mean it is the best option for you. The safe harbor method has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages
  • Utilities, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and other expenses do not need to be tracked.
  • Allowable mortgage interest and real estate taxes may still be claimed as an itemized deduction on Schedule A.
  • Recapture of depreciation is not required when your home is sold. (This is also a disadvantage. See below.)
  • Each year you are allowed to choose the method that is most advantageous.
Disadvantages
  •  Depreciation is not permitted in years the safe harbor method is used.
  • The deduction is $5 per square foot and is limited to $1,500 (a maximum of 300 square feet).
  • Excess home office deductions may not be carried forward.
  • Loss carry forwards may not be claimed when the safe harbor method is used.
Regardless of the method chosen, you must still calculate the portion of your home used for business purposes.

Please keep in mind that if you receive a housing allowance, you should already be keeping detailed records of home expenses, which can be used when calculating the actual-expense method.

 Read Revenue Procedure 2013-13 for more detailed information.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rental of a Church Parsonage to a Non-Minister

By
Question: A church owns a parsonage, but the pastor does not use it as he owns his own home. The church rents the parsonage to a tenant other than a minister or employee of the church. Will the church be responsible for paying income tax on these monies as Unrelated Business Income (filing a Form 990-T) even if the money is used to carry on the business of the church? Answer: Whether the money is used for church purposes is irrelevant.  IRS Publication 598  states: "If an exempt organization regularly carries on a trade or business not substantially related to its exempt purpose, except that it provides funds to carry out that purpose, the organization is subject to tax on its income from that unrelated trade or business." Fortunately, in the case of rental income from real property, such income is "excluded in computing unrelated business taxable income" (Publication 598). Caution: see content below regarding debt-financed property.  However, a second concern not a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Housing Allowance and Form 1099-MISC Reporting

By
Question: A church provides its minister a housing allowance but believes it must report the full amount of compensation (including the non-taxable housing allowance portion) on Form 1099-MISC in order to demonstrate the full earnings of the minister. (Starting in 2020, Form 1099-MISC is replaced with Form 1099-NEC for non-employee compensation.) If the church reports his compensation, including the housing allowance, on the Form 1099-NEC as taxable income, will he be able to deduct his housing expenses somewhere else on the Form 1040? Answer: This question brings up a couple of issues. First, most ministers are properly classified as employees who receive Form W-2 , not as independent contractors who receive Form 1099-NEC . Box 1 on Form W-2 reports taxable compensation. It is reduced to reflect the church's designation of a portion of his pay as non-taxable housing. Then, in Box 14 (Other), Form W-2 typically reports as a memorandum item his additional non-taxable, housing allowa...
Read more

What you need to know about QuickBooks Desktop changes

By
  QuickBooks Warning for QB Desktop 2021 :   QB Desktop Pro, Premier, Enterprise, Accountant, & Mac 2021 versions are facing a service discontinuation after May 31, 2024. What this means : You can still use your desktop product but will no longer have access to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, Desktop Payments, live technical support, Online Backup, Online Banking, and other services through QuickBooks Desktop 2021. QB will not provide security updates after June 1, 2024. The 2021 discontinuation warning is not new, but Intuit’s July 31, 2024 product announcement will change the landscape.   After July 31st – Intuit will only be offering QB Desktop Enterprise for new subscribers. The only entities who will still be able to continue to use their current desktop product’s full functionality and receive security updates will be those who have an existing active subscription by July 31, 2024.   Intuit has publicly stated, “all future innovation will happen in Quick...
Post a Comment
Read more