Can you deduct home office expenses?
Working from home has become commonplace. But just because you have a home office space doesn’t mean you can deduct expenses associated with it. And for 2018, even fewer taxpayers will be eligible for a home office deduction.
Changes under the TCJA
For employees, home office expenses are a miscellaneous itemized deduction. For 2017, this means you’ll enjoy a tax benefit only if these expenses plus your other miscellaneous itemized expenses (such as unreimbursed work-related travel, certain professional fees and investment expenses) exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income.
For 2018 through 2025, this means that, if you’re an employee, you won’t be able to deduct any home office expenses. Why? The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) suspends miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% floor for this period.
If, however, you’re self-employed, you can deduct eligible home office expenses against your self-employment income. Therefore, the deduction will still be available to you for 2018 through 2025.
Other eligibility requirements
If you’re an employee, your use of your home office must be for your employer’s convenience, not just your own. If you’re self-employed, generally your home office must be your principal place of business, though there are exceptions.
Whether you’re an employee or self-employed, the space must be used regularly (not just occasionally) and exclusively for business purposes. If, for example, your home office is also a guest bedroom or your children do their homework there, you can’t deduct the expenses associated with that space.
2 deduction options
If you’re eligible, the home office deduction can be a valuable tax break. You have two options for the deduction:
- Deduct a portion of your mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, utilities and certain other expenses, as well as the depreciation allocable to the office space. This requires calculating, allocating and substantiating actual expenses.
- Take the “safe harbor” deduction. Only one simple calculation is necessary: $5 × the number of square feet of the office space. The safe harbor deduction is capped at $1,500 per year, based on a maximum of 300 square feet.
More rules and limits
Be aware that we’ve covered only a few of the rules and limits here. If you think you may be eligible for the home office deduction on your 2017 return or would like to know if there’s anything additional you need to do to be eligible on your 2018 return, contact us.
© 2018
Meals, entertainment and transportation may cost businesses more under the TCJA
Along with tax rate reductions and a new deduction for pass-through qualified business income, the new tax law brings the reduction or elimination of tax deductions for certain business expenses. Two expense areas where the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) changes the rules — and not to businesses’ benefit — are meals/entertainment and transportation. In effect, the reduced tax benefits will mean these expenses are more costly to a business’s bottom line.
Big data strategies for every business
You’ve probably heard or read the term “big data” at least once in the past few years. Maybe your response was a sarcastic “big deal!” under the assumption that this high-tech concept applies only to large corporations. But this isn’t necessarily true. With so much software so widely available, companies of all sizes may be able to devise and implement big data strategies all their own.
Trends, patterns, relationships
The term “big data” generally refers to any large set of electronic information that, with the right hardware and software, can be analyzed to identify trends, patterns and relationships.
Most notably for businesses, it can help you better understand and predict customer behavior — specifically buying trends (upward and downward) and what products or services customers might be looking for. But big data can also lend insights to your HR function, helping you better understand employees and potential hires, and enabling you to fine-tune your benefits program.
Think of big data as the product recommendation function on Amazon. When buying anything via the site or app, customers are provided a list of other items they also may be interested in. These recommendations are generated through a patented software process that makes an educated guess, based on historical data, on consumer preferences. These same software tools can make predictions about aspects of your business, too — from sales to marketing return on investment, to employee retention and performance.
Specific areas
Here are a couple of specific areas where big data may help improve your company:
Sales. Many businesses still adhere to the tried-and-true sales funnel that includes the various stages of prospecting, assessment, qualification and closing. Overlaying large proprietary consumer-behavior data sets over your customer database may allow you to reach conclusions about the most effective way to close a deal with your ideal prospects.
Inventory management. If your company has been around for a while, you may think you know your inventory pretty well. But do you, really? Using big data, you may be able to better determine and predict which items tend to disappear too quickly and which ones are taking up too much space.
Planning and optimization
Big data isn’t exactly new anymore. But it continues to evolve with the widespread use of cloud computing, which allows companies of any size to securely store and analyze massive amounts of data online. Our firm can offer assistance in planning and optimizing your technology spending.
New tax law gives pass-through businesses a valuable deduction
Although the drop of the corporate tax rate from a top rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21% may be one of the most talked about provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), C corporations aren’t the only type of entity significantly benefiting from the new law. Owners of noncorporate “pass-through” entities may see some major — albeit temporary — relief in the form of a new deduction for a portion of qualified business income (QBI).
Making the right choice about your office space
For many companies, there comes a time when owners must decide whether to renew a lease, move on to a different one or buy new (or pre-existing) space. In some cases, it’s a relatively easy decision. Maybe you’re happy where you are and feel like such a part of the local community that moving isn’t an option.
But, in other cases, a move can be an important step forward. For example, if a business is looking to cut costs, reducing office space and signing a less expensive lease can generally help the bottom line. Conversely, a growing company might decide to buy property and build new to increase its prestige and visibility. Making the right choice is critical.Read more
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Key provisions affecting businesses
The recently passed tax reform bill, commonly referred to as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA), is the most expansive federal tax legislation since 1986. It includes a multitude of provisions that will have a major impact on businesses.
Here’s a look at some of the most significant changes. They generally apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, except where noted.
• Replacement of graduated corporate tax rates ranging from 15% to 35% with a flat corporate rate of 21%
• Repeal of the 20% corporate alternative minimum tax (AMT)
• New 20% qualified business income deduction for owners of flow-through entities (such as partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations) and sole proprietorships — through 2025
• Doubling of bonus depreciation to 100% and expansion of qualified assets to include used assets — effective for assets acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023
• Doubling of the Section 179 expensing limit to $1 million and an increase of the expensing phaseout threshold to $2.5 million
• Other enhancements to depreciation-related deductions
• New disallowance of deductions for net interest expense in excess of 30% of the business’s adjusted taxable income (exceptions apply)
• New limits on net operating loss (NOL) deductions
• Elimination of the Section 199 deduction, also commonly referred to as the domestic production activities deduction or manufacturers’ deduction — effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, for noncorporate taxpayers and for tax years beginning after December 31, 2018, for C corporation taxpayers
• New rule limiting like-kind exchanges to real property that is not held primarily for sale
• New tax credit for employer-paid family and medical leave — through 2019
• New limitations on excessive employee compensation
• New limitations on deductions for employee fringe benefits, such as entertainment and, in certain circumstances, meals and transportation
Keep in mind that additional rules and limits apply to what we’ve covered here, and there are other TCJA provisions that may affect your business. Contact us for more details and to discuss what your business needs to do in light of these changes.
© 2017
This year’s company holiday party is probably tax deductible, but next year’s may not be
Many businesses are hosting holiday parties for employees this time of year. It’s a great way to reward your staff for their hard work and have a little fun. And you can probably deduct 100% of your 2017 party’s cost as a meal and entertainment (M&E) expense. Next year may be a different story.
Should you buy a business vehicle before year end?
One way to reduce your 2017 tax bill is to buy a business vehicle before year end. But don’t make a purchase without first looking at what your 2017 deduction would be and whether tax reform legislation could affect the tax benefit of a 2017 vs. 2018 purchase.Read more
2018 Q1 tax calendar: Key deadlines for businesses and other employers
Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the first quarter of 2018. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact us to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements.Read more
Brexit's Impact on US Taxes
The United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union (EU) is going to have a lot of impact on international trade, not to mention the American economy and tax policy. Americans with UK-sourced income and businesses looking to enter the UK market should take heed of the impending changes and how they will affect their tax liabilities. Here's an overview of Brexit's impact on American businesses and American expats who live and work abroad in the UK.
Brexit Impact on Income Taxes
For taxpayers who have UK-sourced income, you may see a reduction in your tax bill because the exchange rate between the US dollar and pound sterling (GBP) is already down about 8% from 2015. Analysts expect that GBP could fall by 10% by 2017. You will receive fewer dollars back from GBP as it will be the closest in parity to the dollar that it's been in over 30 years. If you have business expenses in the UK this will also reduce them but your UK-sourced income will also fall.
If you have investment income that is UK-sourced, DIRT (dividend and interest retention tax) rates may change. You may have more taxes withheld from your investments which reduces the amount you receive but grant you a larger foreign tax credit or deduction. However, the EU treaties that have prevented double taxation of investment income have been nullified.
For business taxpayers with substantial income and presence in the UK, the loss of the EU's Parent-Subsidiary Directive can exponentially raise business tax bills. There is also speculation that the Capital Duties Directive will return which is a tax levied on capital raised.
Tax Treaties and Potential Further Secession
Brexit is causing treaties that relied on the massive bargaining power of the EU to be renegotiated from the ground up. The US-UK tax treaty isn't currently facing any major changes for Americans who have UK-sourced income and no substantial presence there or non-residents with UK residency and US-sourced income. The tax treaty may still be renegotiated in the face of international trade and workforce shifts and the fact that the UK has been the most major economic and political touchstone for America's dealings with the EU.
In addition to other countries discussing leaving the EU, policy analysts in Scotland and Northern Ireland have brought up seceding from the UK in order to preserve the powers and protections they receive from the EU. If your company is establishing presence in these countries or plans to earn a significant amount of income from them, now would be a good time to consider restructuring. If Scotland and Northern Ireland leave the UK, they'll also have to draft their own tax treaties.
Americans Working Abroad
Brexit's impact on expat taxes is largely tied to the currency shift and immigration laws. Because the UK uses a point system for expats who are not from EU countries which has normally allowed these residents to easily come and go, Americans working abroad won't see an immediate impact since EU status never affected them. If additional visa restrictions and work requirements are enacted now that the EU resident category doesn't exist in the UK, Americans working abroad who don't meet the new requirements may fail the substantial presence test when it comes to the foreign earned income exclusion.
To book a consultation to learn more about Brexit's potential impact on your personal taxes or business, please contact Dukhon Tax by calling 617 651 0531 or by emailing [email protected].
Article Sources:
http://www.latinotaxpro.org/blog/item/338-what-brexit-is-likely-to-mean-for-taxes-trade-and-more
https://www.dlapiper.com/en/uk/insights/publications/2016/03/brexit-implications-for-tax-law/