Home Office Deduction for Self-Employed Teacher - Zoom Classes

[toureiffel]

I offer classes as a self-employed instructor. Up until 2020, I always rented studio space for teaching, but claimed a home office deduction for a room in my home where I do all other work related to my business — promotion, record-keeping, communications, etc.

During 2020, and even more so in 2021, I started offering classes over Zoom from a second space in my home. That space has been exclusively dedicated to my teaching (I no longer use it for personal use). I want to add the square footage for the second space to the area I was already claiming for my office space. Using the second space for my business activity, and exclusively so, makes it seem like a legitimate part of my home office space, but I'm unsure about the rule regarding "meeting with clients" because I'm not meeting them in person, and I've read that this is a crucial factor. I read that Zoom meetings with clients don't count.

How can I verify whether my use of this additional space for teaching online classes qualifies it as a legitimate addition to my home office space? (I want to emphasize that I am not employed by a school or other institution as a teacher. This is strictly self-employment work.)

[AliciaP1]

If all you did was expand the space you use at home to conduct your business in its entirety, you are allowed to increase the square footage of your Home Office space.  The information you're seeing regarding Zoom meetings is mainly directed at people working from home (not self-employed) to clarify that they are not entitled to the deduction.