Is there no longer a way to enter Home Office Deduction in the Online Self-Employed version of Turbotax?

[apF00te]

I recall this being pretty straight forward in the 2020 Self-Employed version of Turbotax. I.e., entering the costs for use of our home office, utilities, insurance, square footage, etc., but I can't find a way to get to questions related to those and there is no way to do a direct entry on Schedule C nor Form 8829.

The automated response from the Help-bot give the instructions below but they appear to be for the CD/Downloaded Home & Business version. The 2021 Online Self-Employed version has Federal->Income and Expenses->Self-employment income and expenses. It does not have as listed below Federal->Wages and Income->Business Income and Expenses.

From the Help-bot:

_________________

To take Home Office Deduction for a business you report on TurboTax go to 

Federal

Wages and Income

Business Income and Expenses

Go through the beginning screens and then you get to a screen Tell us about any expenses 

Click next to Home Office in the list then the program will walk you through the information it needs for your Home Office Deduction.

[PatriciaV]

Yes, in TurboTax Self-Employed Online, the Home Office Deduction appears under Expenses for your business. If you used TurboTax last year, you should see the Home Office topic already, so click Edit/Add to begin. If this is a new business, click the box for "Add expenses for this work," then scroll down to "Home Office." Click Add to begin that section of the interview.

The look-and-feel has changed, but the entry process is essentially the same.

[apF00te]

I'm may be mistaken but that does not appear to be the case. On the "Your Income and expenses page", in the section "Self-employment income and expenses", you can edit that business (which existed last year BTW) to add expenses. In the first screen shot below (only showing the top of the webpage), the expense categories are Assets, Advertising, Legal and professional fees, Office expenses, Vehicle, and Other miscellaneous expenses. Presumably I would go into Office expenses, which I have done, but when you start in that section it just wants you to add calculated line items. See the last screen shot below please. No where have I found any indication of the Home Office topic unfortunately.

[FangxiaL · Accepted solution]

Home office deduction is still available in TurboTax.

1. Click on the dropdown arrow next to Less common under the 10 categories recommended for you on the screen that says First, select the expenses you know you had
2. Scroll down the list to locate the Home office deduction
3. Click on Add under Home office
4. Continue and click Start next to Home office on the next screen. 

@apF00te

[apF00te]

Fangxia,

That is the pretty much the right answer. The Home office as an expense is hidden as the 9th option under the normally collapsed pull-down labeled "Less common".

To get to it you must follow these nine steps: (1) Select Federal -> (2) Select "Edit/Add" on the Self-employment income and expenses row -> (3) Select "Edit" -> (4) Select "Add expenses for this work" -> (5) Open the pull-down for "Less common" at the bottom of the page -> (6) Select " Show More". Then it, "Home office," appears as the 9th item which you can then (7) select "Add". (8) Press "Continue" at the bottom of the page, then (9) Select "Start" on the "Home office" row. Phew. That took a while.

Note even if you use the built-in search and search for the text "home office deduction", the search results will show you a link that says "Jump to home office deduction". Unfortunately that does not take you to (9) where you can enter information. The link just takes you to the page presented after step (2). 

Regardless, thanks for you answer. You saved the day.