I am a home maker and I rent out a basement and bedroom as my only source of income. I still live in the same house. How do I file? Rental property, business, etc?

[rachelgrothe]

I am a home maker and I rent out a basement and bedroom as my only source of income. I still live in the same house. How do I file? Rental property, business, etc? (In the past, I think I was advised by other tax services that filing as rental property would not apply to me.)

[IsabellaG · Accepted solution]

If you rent out part of your home, it's still considered to be a rental activity, and the income and expenses are reported as Rental property.It's not a self-employed business, it's rental real estate for a part of your home. 

You need to divide up your expenses between the personal part that you live in and the rental portion.You can deduct the expenses related to the part of the property used for rental purposes, such as home mortgage interest,real estate taxes, and utilities as rental expenses on Schedule E