In my personal residence, I have a Home Office that I run my business out of,can I deduct the cost of a new roof for the residence anywhere in my Home Office Deductions?

[PeterM · Accepted solution]

Yes, a portion of the cost of that new roof can be written off.

Turbo Tax will walk you through the process of adding these expenses to your tax return once you get to the right place...

1. Open the software and click on the "Federal Taxes" tab, then click the "Wages & Income" tab, then click continue, or the "I'll choose what I work on" button.
   
2. Under the Business Items heading, click the Business Income and Expenses start button
3. Go through the questions about your business and you'll get to the Business Expense screen
   
4. Click the Home Office Expense start button (see screenshot below)
   
5. From here Turbo Tax will guide you through the process of getting these expenses to their proper place on the tax return.

You will add the roof to the depreciation schedule (Turbo Tax will guide you through this as well).

[BobRay]

Thanks, that works, but then I face two confusingly labeled input fields. I don't know what to put in either and the help makes them more confusing, not less:

1. "The cost of your entire home, the cost of the improvement" (which do they want?)
2.  "Excess basis amount"  No clue here