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i have a pressure washing business, so i don't work from home. but i make repairs, invoicing, charge batteries and park there. i dont qualify for home office?

or, any deduction safely done for shed and electricity?
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Opus 17
Level 15
Intuit Approved! This answer has been verified for accuracy by an Intuit expert employee

i have a pressure washing business, so i don't work from home. but i make repairs, invoicing, charge batteries and park there. i dont qualify for home office?

You need to look at this link and at publication 587.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc509

 

To qualify to deduct the business use of your home, your home must be your regular place of business, and you must use it exclusively for business.  

 

Regular means it is your main place of work.  You can meet that test if you have no other main place of work (because you work in many different locations), and you use your home for most of your administrative work (that could include repairs, storage of supplies, billing, calling customers, etc.). It sounds like you might meet the regularity test.

 

However, you must also meet the exclusive use test.  That means that you set aside areas of your home that are used for business and nothing else (no personal use).  If you have a shed that is only used for your business, that would qualify, but not if you also store personal property there.  I don't think you can claim your driveway as being used exclusively for business.  If you converted a spare bedroom or half the basement into an office and workshop and only used it for business, that could qualify, but not if you do repairs in your garage where you also have personal property, and you do your billing at the kitchen table. 

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1 Reply
Opus 17
Level 15
Intuit Approved! This answer has been verified for accuracy by an Intuit expert employee

i have a pressure washing business, so i don't work from home. but i make repairs, invoicing, charge batteries and park there. i dont qualify for home office?

You need to look at this link and at publication 587.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc509

 

To qualify to deduct the business use of your home, your home must be your regular place of business, and you must use it exclusively for business.  

 

Regular means it is your main place of work.  You can meet that test if you have no other main place of work (because you work in many different locations), and you use your home for most of your administrative work (that could include repairs, storage of supplies, billing, calling customers, etc.). It sounds like you might meet the regularity test.

 

However, you must also meet the exclusive use test.  That means that you set aside areas of your home that are used for business and nothing else (no personal use).  If you have a shed that is only used for your business, that would qualify, but not if you also store personal property there.  I don't think you can claim your driveway as being used exclusively for business.  If you converted a spare bedroom or half the basement into an office and workshop and only used it for business, that could qualify, but not if you do repairs in your garage where you also have personal property, and you do your billing at the kitchen table. 

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