Last year for covid-19 I worked mostly at home and not in an office, does that qualify me for the home office deduction?

[edmond_me]

Last year for covid-19 I worked mostly at home and not in an office. Does that qualify me for the home office deduction? I am cautious because I read that IRS is very cautious about home office deductions? Can you let me know how turbotax helps me when I file for 2021?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

No.  If you are a W-2 employee you cannot deduct anything for a home office.   The tax laws that changed for 2018 and beyond eliminated job-related expenses as a federal deduction for W-2 employees.

If you are self-employed your home office can go on your Schedule C with your other business expenses.

[MaryK4]

If you are an employee, you cannot take the home office deduction in 2021 (the Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions were suspended until 2025).  Some states do allow a deduction-  if you live in Alabama, California, Hawaii, Arkansas, New York, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, you can still claim some of these deductions when you file your state taxes this year.