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ELG Home Improvement
Level 1

building a new office in home

We have been using a third bedroom as the home office.


We will be framing in a new office in an unfinished basement for the business. I know repairs to a home office that apply to just that office are deductible. Would this be deductible like a repair to an existing office?

2 Comments 2
FishingForAnswers
Level 10

building a new office in home

@ELG Home Improvement  Depends on the exact details, but generally, larger scale projects go towards depreciation, even buildings. Y'know, capital improvements versus repairs.

 

So, you would be able to deduct repairing a hole in the wall as Repairs & Maintenance Expense within the year the money was spent, but if you installed a new roof, that would be a matter of depreciating an asset over several years and claiming a certain amount of Depreciation Expense each year instead.

ThomasJosephD
QuickBooks Team

building a new office in home

It's wonderful to hear about your plans for a new home office, ELG Home. Congratulations on this exciting expansion! Allow me to provide some context for this situation.

 

FishingForAnswers is correct: minor repairs, such as fixing a wall, can be classified as Repairs & Maintenance and deducted in the year the expenses are incurred. Conversely, larger projects, such as constructing a new office, fall under Capital Improvements and should be depreciated over multiple years.

 

Additionally, expenses for building a new office in your home are deductible if the space is used exclusively and regularly for business purposes. Since you are framing a new office in an unfinished basement, it may qualify for the home office deduction. You can refer to Box 21 and Box 22 for information on allowable and disallowable expenses.

 

It's advisable to consult a tax expert for further guidance on this matter to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and allowances.

 

Moreover, allow me to include an article that may help you in the future regarding federal self-employment taxes and how QuickBooks Self-Employed can assist you in estimating your federal tax payments. Please check out this article: Automatically Estimate Your Income Tax in QuickBooks Self-Employed.

 

Minor fixes can be deducted right away, but major upgrades are deducted gradually over several years. If you need more clarification, don't hesitate to reach out - we're here to help and will respond quickly to your inquiries.

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