Académique Documents
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Important Changes
Increase in the section 179 deduction. If you bought
certain property to use in your business, you may be
able to elect to deduct (rather than depreciate) all or a
part of its cost as a section 179 deduction. For 2000,
the total you can elect to deduct is increased to
$20,000. In 2001 the total will increase to $24,000. For
more information on the section 179 deduction, see
Section 179 Deduction under Business Furniture and
Equipment.
Important Reminder
Definition of principal place of business. It may now
be easier for your home office to qualify as your prin-
cipal place of business. For more information, see
Principal Place of Business, later under Qualifying for
a Deduction.
spondence.
Introduction
Useful Items
The purpose of this publication is to provide information You may want to see:
on figuring and claiming the deduction for business use
of your home. The term home includes a house,
apartment, condominium, mobile home, or boat. It also Publication
includes structures on the property, such as an unat-
䡺 523 Selling Your Home
tached garage, studio, barn, or greenhouse. However,
it does not include any part of your property used ex- 䡺 551 Basis of Assets
clusively as a hotel or inn.
This publication includes information on the follow- 䡺 583 Starting a Business and Keeping Records
ing. 䡺 946 How To Depreciate Property
• What types of expenses you can deduct. 䡺 2106-EZ Unreimbursed Employee Business Ex-
penses
• How to figure the deduction (including depreciation
of your home). 䡺 4562 Depreciation and Amortization
• Special rules for day-care providers. 䡺 8829 Expenses for Business Use of Your Home
• Selling a home that was used partly for business. See How To Get Tax Help near the end of this pub-
lication for information about getting publications and
• Deducting expenses for furniture and equipment forms.
used in your business.
• What records you should keep.
• Where to deduct your expenses. Qualifying for a Deduction
To deduct expenses related to the business use of part
of your home, you must meet specific requirements.
If you are an employee or file Schedule F (Form
Even then, your deduction may be limited.
1040), use the worksheet and its instructions, near the
This section describes the tests that you must meet
end of this publication, to help figure your deduction. If
to qualify for the deduction. Use this section, along with
you file Schedule C (Form 1040), you must use Form
Figure A, to decide if you can deduct expenses for the
8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home. The
business use of your home.
Schedule C Example shows how to report the de-
To qualify to claim expenses for business use of your
duction.
home, you must meet the following tests.
The rules in this publication apply to individuals,
trusts, estates, partnerships, and S corporations. They 1) Your use of the business part of your home must
do not apply to corporations (other than S corporations). be:
There are no special rules for the business use of a
home by a partner or S corporation shareholder. a) Exclusive (however, see Exceptions to Exclu-
If you need information on deductions for renting out sive Use, later),
your property, see Publication 527, Residential Rental
Property. b) Regular,
c) For your trade or business, AND
Comments and suggestions. We welcome your 2) The business part of your home must be one of the
comments about this publication and your suggestions following:
for future editions.
You can e-mail us while visiting our web site at a) Your principal place of business,
www.irs.gov/help/email2.html. b) A place where you meet or deal with patients,
You can write to us at the following address: clients, or customers in the normal course of
your trade or business, or
Internal Revenue Service
Technical Publications Branch c) A separate structure (not attached to your
W:CAR:MP:FP:P home) you use in connection with your trade
1111 Constitution Ave. NW or business.
Washington, DC 20224
Additional tests for employee use. If you are an
We respond to many letters by telephone. Therefore, employee and you use a part of your home for busi-
it would be helpful if you would include your daytime ness, you may qualify for a deduction for its business
phone number, including the area code, in your corre- use. You must meet the tests discussed above plus:
Page 2
1) Your business use must be for the convenience of Regular Use
your employer, and
To qualify under the regular use test, you must use a
2) You do not rent any part of your home to your specific area of your home for business on a continuing
employer and use the rented portion to perform basis. You do not meet the test if your business use
services as an employee. of the area is only occasional or incidental, even if you
do not use that area for any other purpose.
Whether your home's business use is for your
TIP employer's convenience depends on all the
facts and circumstances. However, business Trade or Business Use
use is not considered to be for your employer's con- To qualify under the trade or business use test, you
venience merely because it is appropriate and helpful. must use part of your home in connection with a trade
or business. If you use your home for a profit-seeking
activity that is not a trade or business, you cannot take
Exclusive Use a deduction for its business use.
To qualify under the exclusive use test, you must use
a specific area of your home only for your trade or Example. You use part of your home exclusively
business. The area used for business can be a room and regularly to read financial periodicals and reports,
or other separately identifiable space. The space does clip bond coupons, and carry out similar activities re-
not need to be marked off by a permanent partition. lated to your own investments. You do not make in-
You do not meet the requirements of the exclusive vestments as a broker or dealer. Since your activities
use test if you use the area in question both for busi- are not part of a trade or business, you cannot take a
ness and for personal purposes. deduction for the business use of your home.
Example. You are an attorney and use a den in your
home to write legal briefs and prepare clients' tax re- Principal Place of Business
turns. Your family also uses the den for recreation. You can have more than one business location, in-
Since the den is not used exclusively in your profession, cluding your home, for a single trade or business. To
you cannot claim a business deduction for its use. qualify to deduct the expenses for the business use of
your home under the principal place of business test,
Exceptions to Exclusive Use your home must be your principal place of business for
You do not have to meet the exclusive use test if either that trade or business. To determine your principal
of the following applies. place of business, you must consider all the facts and
circumstances.
• You use part of your home for the storage of in- Your home office will qualify as your principal place
ventory or product samples (discussed next). of business for deducting expenses for its use if you
meet the following requirements.
• You use part of your home as a day-care facility,
discussed later under Day-Care Facility.
• You use it exclusively and regularly for administra-
tive or management activities of your trade or busi-
Storage of inventory or product samples. If you use ness.
part of your home for the storage of inventory or product
samples, you can claim expenses for the business use • You have no other fixed location where you conduct
of your home without meeting the exclusive use test. substantial administrative or management activities
However, you must meet all the following tests. of your trade or business.
• You keep the inventory or product samples for use Alternatively, if you use your home exclusively and
in your trade or business. regularly for your business, but your home office does
not qualify as your principal place of business based
• Your trade or business is the wholesale or retail on the previous rules, you determine your principal
selling of products.
place of business based on the following factors.
• Your home is the only fixed location of your trade
or business. 1) The relative importance of the activities performed
• You use the storage space on a regular basis. at each location.
• The space you use is an identifiably separate space 2) If the relative importance factor does not determine
suitable for storage. your principal place of business, you can also con-
sider the time spent at each location.
Example. Your home is the sole fixed location of
your business of selling mechanics' tools at retail. You If, after considering your business locations, your
regularly use half of your basement for storage of in- home cannot be identified as your principal place of
ventory and product samples. You sometimes use the business, you cannot deduct home office expenses.
area for personal purposes. The expenses for the However, see the later discussions under Place To
storage space are deductible even though you do not Meet Patients, Clients, or Customers or Separate
use this part of your basement exclusively for business. Structure for other ways to qualify to deduct home office
expenses.
Page 3
Figure A. Can You Deduct Business Use of the Home Expenses?*
Start Here:
Yes
䊲
No
Are you an employee? 䊳
Yes
䊲
No Do you work at home
䊴 for the convenience of
your employer?
Yes
䊲
No
Yes Do you rent part of your 䊳
䊴 home used for business
to your employer?
No 䊲
䊴 Is the use regular
Yes and exclusive?
䊲
Is it your principal place Yes
䊳
of business?
No
䊲
Do you meet patients, Yes
clients, or customers in 䊳
your home?
No
䊲
䊲 䊲
No Yes
Is it a separate
No deduction 䊴 䊳 Deduction allowed
structure?
* Do not use this chart if you use your home for the storage of inventory or product samples, or to operate a day-care facility. See Exceptions to Exclusive Use,
earlier, and Day-Care Facility, later.
Administrative or management activities. There are • You conduct administrative or management activ-
many activities that are administrative or managerial in ities at places that are not fixed locations of your
nature. The following are a few examples. business, such as in a car or a hotel room.
• You occasionally conduct minimal administrative or
• Billing customers, clients, or patients. management activities at a fixed location outside
• Keeping books and records. your home.
• You conduct substantial nonadministrative or non-
• Ordering supplies. management business activities at a fixed location
• Setting up appointments. outside your home. (For example, you meet with
or provide services to customers, clients, or patients
• Forwarding orders or writing reports. at a fixed location of the business outside your
home.)
Administrative or management activities performed • You have suitable space to conduct administrative
at other locations. The following activities performed or management activities outside your home, but
by you or others will not disqualify your home office choose to use your home office for those activities
from being your principal place of business. instead.
• You have others conduct your administrative or Example 1. John is a self-employed plumber. Most of
management activities at locations other than your John's time is spent at customers' homes and offices
home. (For example, another company does your installing and repairing plumbing. He has a small office
billing from its place of business.) in his home that he uses exclusively and regularly for
Page 4
the administrative or management details of his busi- • Reading medical journals and books.
ness, such as phoning customers, ordering supplies,
and keeping his books.
John does not do his own billing. He uses a local Paul's home office qualifies as his principal place of
bookkeeping service to bill his customers. business for deducting expenses for its use. He con-
John's home office qualifies as his principal place of ducts administrative or management activities for his
business for deducting expenses for its use. He uses business as an anesthesiologist there and he has no
the home office for the administrative or managerial other fixed location where he conducts administrative
activities of his plumbing business and he has no other or management activities for this business. His choice
fixed location where he conducts these administrative to use his home office instead of one provided by the
or managerial activities. His choice to have his billing hospital does not disqualify his home office from being
done by another company does not disqualify his home his principal place of business. His performance of
office from being his principal place of business. Be- substantial nonadministrative or nonmanagement ac-
cause he meets all the qualifications, including principal tivities at fixed locations outside his home also does not
place of business, he can deduct expenses (to the ex- disqualify his home office from being his principal place
tent of the deduction limit, explained later) for the busi- of business. Because he meets all the qualifications,
ness use of his home. including principal place of business, he can deduct
expenses (to the extent of the deduction limit, explained
later) for the business use of his home.
Example 2. Pamela is a self-employed sales repre-
sentative for several different product lines. She has
Example 4. Kathleen is employed as a teacher. She
an office in her home that she uses exclusively and
is required to teach and meet with students at the
regularly to set up appointments and write up orders
school and to grade papers and tests. The school pro-
and other reports for the companies whose products
vides her with a small office where she can work on her
she sells. She occasionally writes up orders and sets
lesson plans, grade papers and tests, and meet with
up appointments from her hotel room when she is away
parents and students. The school does not require her
on business overnight.
to work at home.
Pamela's business is selling products to customers
Kathleen prefers to use the office she has set up in
at various locations throughout her territory. To make
her home and does not use the one provided by the
these sales, she regularly visits customers to explain
school. She uses this home office exclusively and reg-
the available products and take orders.
ularly for the administrative duties of her teaching job.
Pamela's home office qualifies as her principal place
Kathleen must meet the convenience-of-the-
of business for deducting expenses for its use. She
employer test, even if her home qualifies as her princi-
conducts administrative or management activities there
pal place of business for deducting expenses for its use.
and she has no other fixed location where she conducts
Because her employer provides her with an office and
administrative or management activities. The fact that
does not require her to work at home, she does not
she conducts some administrative or management ac-
meet the convenience-of-the-employer test and cannot
tivities in her hotel room (not a fixed location) does not
claim a deduction for the business use of her home.
disqualify her home office from being her principal place
of business. Because she meets all the qualifications,
including principal place of business, she can deduct More Than One Trade or Business
expenses (to the extent of the deduction limit, explained
later) for the business use of her home. Whether your home office is the principal place of
business must be determined separately for each trade
or business activity. One home office may be the prin-
Example 3. Paul is a self-employed anesthesiologist. cipal place of business for more than one activity.
He spends the majority of his time administering anes- However, you will not meet the exclusive use test for
thesia and postoperative care in three local hospitals. any activity unless each activity conducted in that office
One of the hospitals provides him with a small shared meets all the tests for the business use of the home
office where he could conduct administrative or man- deduction.
agement activities.
Paul does not use the office the hospital provides. Example. Tracy White is employed as a teacher.
He uses a room in his home that he has converted to Her principal place of work is the school. She also has
an office. He uses this room exclusively and regularly a mail order jewelry business. All her work in the jewelry
to conduct all the following activities. business is done in her home office and the office is
used exclusively for that business. If she meets all the
other tests, she can deduct expenses for business use
• Contacting patients, surgeons, and hospitals re- of her home for the jewelry business.
garding scheduling. If Tracy also uses the office for work related to her
teaching, she would not meet the exclusive use test for
• Preparing for treatments and presentations. the jewelry business. As an employee, Tracy must meet
• Maintaining billing records and patient logs. the convenience-of-the-employer test to qualify for the
deduction. Because she does not meet this test for her
• Satisfying continuing medical education require- work as a teacher, she cannot claim a deduction for the
ments. business use of her home for either activity.
Page 5
Place To Meet Patients, Clients, or You can use any reasonable method to determine
the business percentage. The following are two com-
Customers monly used methods for figuring the percentage.
If you meet or deal with patients, clients, or customers
in your home in the normal course of your business, 1) Divide the area (length multiplied by the width) used
even though you also carry on business at another lo- for business by the total area of your home.
cation, you can deduct your expenses for the part of 2) Divide the number of rooms used for business by
your home used exclusively and regularly for business the total number of rooms in your home. You can
if you meet the following tests. use this method if the rooms in your home are all
about the same size.
• You physically meet with patients, clients, or cus-
tomers on your premises. Example 1.
• Their use of your home is substantial and integral
to the conduct of your business.
• Your office is 240 square feet (12 feet × 20 feet).
• Your home is 1,200 square feet.
Doctors, dentists, attorneys, and other professionals • Your office is 20% (240 ÷ 1,200) of the total area
who maintain offices in their homes will generally meet of your home.
this requirement.
Using your home for occasional meetings and tele- • Your business percentage is 20%.
phone calls will not qualify you to deduct expenses for
the business use of your home. Example 2.
The part of your home you use exclusively and reg-
ularly to meet patients, clients, or customers does not • You use one room in your home for business.
have to be your principal place of business. • Your home has four rooms, all of about equal size.
Example. June Quill, a self-employed attorney, • Your office is 25% (1 ÷ 4) of the total area of your
works 3 days a week in her city office. She works 2 home.
days a week in her home office used only for business. • Your business percentage is 25%.
She regularly meets clients there. Her home office
qualifies for a business deduction because she meets Use lines 1–7 of Form 8829, or lines 1–3 on the
clients there in the normal course of her business. TIP worksheet near the end of this publication, to
figure your business percentage.
Separate Structure
You can deduct expenses for a separate free-standing
structure, such as a studio, garage, or barn, if you use
it exclusively and regularly for your business. The Part-Year Use
structure does not have to be your principal place of You cannot deduct expenses for the business use of
business or a place where you meet patients, clients, your home incurred during any part of the year you did
or customers. not use your home for business purposes. For example,
if you begin using part of your home for business on
Example. John Berry operates a floral shop in town.
July 1, and you meet all the tests from that date until
He grows the plants for his shop in a greenhouse be-
the end of the year, consider only your expenses for the
hind his home. Since he uses the greenhouse exclu-
last half of the year in figuring your allowable deduction.
sively and regularly in his business, he can deduct the
expenses for its use, subject to the deduction limit, ex-
plained later. Deduction Limit
If your gross income from the business use of your
home equals or exceeds your total business expenses
(including depreciation), you can deduct all your busi-
ness expenses. If your gross income from that use is
Figuring the Deduction less than your total business expenses, your deduction
After you determine that you meet the tests under for certain expenses for the business use of your home
Qualifying for a Deduction, you can begin to figure how is limited.
much you can deduct. You will need to figure the per- Your deduction of otherwise nondeductible ex-
centage of your home used for business and the limit penses, such as insurance, utilities, and depreciation
on the deduction. (with depreciation taken last), allocable to the business,
is limited to the gross income from the business use
of your home minus the sum of the following.
Business Percentage
To find the business percentage, compare the size of 1) The business part of expenses you could deduct
the part of your home that you use for business to your even if you did not use your home for business
whole house. Use the resulting percentage to figure the (such as mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and
business part of the expenses for operating your entire casualty and theft losses, which are discussed un-
home. der Deducting Expenses, later).
Page 6
2) The business expenses that relate to the business
activity in the home (for example, salaries or sup-
plies), but not to the use of the home itself. Deducting Expenses
If you qualify to deduct expenses for the business use
of your home, you must divide the expenses of oper-
If you are self-employed, do not include in (2) above ating your home between personal and business use.
your deduction for half of your self-employment tax. This section discusses the types of expenses you may
have and gives examples and brief explanations of
these expenses.
Carryover of unallowed expenses. If your deductions
are greater than the current year's limit, you can carry
over the excess to the next year. They are subject to Types of Expenses
the deduction limit for that year, whether or not you live The part of a home operating expense you can use to
in the same home during that year. figure your deduction depends on both of the following.
Example. You meet the requirements for deducting Expense Description Deductibility
expenses for the business use of your home. You use Direct Expenses only for Deductible in full.*
20% of your home for this business. In 2000, your the business part
business expenses, and expenses for the business use of your home.
of your home are deducted from your gross income in Examples: Exception: May be only
the following order. Painting or repairs partially deductible in a
only in the area day-care facility. See
used for business. Day-Care Facility, later.
Gross income from business .................................................. $6,000
Less: Indirect Expenses for Deductible based on the
Deductible mortgage interest and real estate taxes (20%) 3,000 running your percentage of your home
Business expenses not related to the use of your home entire home. used for business.*
(100%) (business phone, supplies, and depreciation on Examples:
equipment) 2,000 Insurance,
Deduction limit ...................................................................... $1,000 utilities, and
Less other expenses allocable to business use of home: general repairs.
Maintenance, insurance, and utilities (20%) ...................... 800
Depreciation allowed (20% = $1,600 allowable) ................ 200 Unrelated Expenses only for Not deductible.
Other expenses up to the deduction limit ............................... $1,000 the parts of your
Depreciation carryover to 2001 ($1,600 − $200) (subject to home not used
deduction limit in 2001) ........................................................... $1,400 for business.
Page 10
Figure B
OMB No. 1545-1266
Form 8829 䊳
Expenses for Business Use of Your Home
File only with Schedule C (Form 1040). Use a separate Form 8829 for each
2000
home you used for business during the year.
Department of the Treasury Attachment
Internal Revenue Service (99) 䊳 See separate instructions. Sequence No. 66
Name(s) of proprietor(s) Your social security number
Mary Lake 412 00 1234
Part I Part of Your Home Used for Business
1 Area used regularly and exclusively for business, regularly for day care, or for storage of inventory
or product samples. See instructions 1 1,600
2 Total area of home 2 3,200
3 Divide line 1 by line 2. Enter the result as a percentage 3 50 %
● For day-care facilities not used exclusively for business, also complete lines 4–6.
● All others, skip lines 4–6 and enter the amount from line 3 on line 7.
4 Multiply days used for day care during year by hours used per day 4 3,000 hr.
5 Total hours available for use during the year (366 days ⫻ 24 hours). See instructions 5 8,784 hr.
6 Divide line 4 by line 5. Enter the result as a decimal amount 6 . 3415
7 Business percentage. For day-care facilities not used exclusively for business, multiply line 6 by
line 3 (enter the result as a percentage). All others, enter the amount from line 3 䊳 7 17.07 %
Part II Figure Your Allowable Deduction
8 Enter the amount from Schedule C, line 29, plus any net gain or (loss) derived from the business use of
your home and shown on Schedule D or Form 4797. If more than one place of business, see instructions 8 25,000
See instructions for columns (a) and (b) before (a) Direct expenses (b) Indirect expenses
completing lines 9–20.
9 Casualty losses. See instructions 9
10 Deductible mortgage interest. See instructions 10
11 Real estate taxes. See instructions 11
12 Add lines 9, 10, and 11 12
13 Multiply line 12, column (b) by line 7 13
14 Add line 12, column (a) and line 13 14 -0-
15 Subtract line 14 from line 8. If zero or less, enter -0- 15 25,000
16 Excess mortgage interest. See instructions 16
17 Insurance 17
18 Repairs and maintenance 18 171
19 Utilities 19 850
20 Other expenses. See instructions 20 8,400
21 Add lines 16 through 20 21 171 9,250
22 Multiply line 21, column (b) by line 7 22 1,579
23 Carryover of operating expenses from 1999 Form 8829, line 41 23
24 Add line 21 in column (a), line 22, and line 23 24 1,750
25 Allowable operating expenses. Enter the smaller of line 15 or line 24 25 1,750
26 Limit on excess casualty losses and depreciation. Subtract line 25 from line 15 26 23,250
27 Excess casualty losses. See instructions 27
28 Depreciation of your home from Part III below 28
29 Carryover of excess casualty losses and depreciation from 1999 Form 8829, line 42 29
30 Add lines 27 through 29 30 -0-
31 Allowable excess casualty losses and depreciation. Enter the smaller of line 26 or line 30 31 -0-
32 Add lines 14, 25, and 31 32 1,750
33 Casualty loss portion, if any, from lines 14 and 31. Carry amount to Form 4684, Section B 33 -0-
34 Allowable expenses for business use of your home. Subtract line 33 from line 32. Enter here
and on Schedule C, line 30. If your home was used for more than one business, see instructions 䊳 34 1,750
Part III Depreciation of Your Home
35 Enter the smaller of your home’s adjusted basis or its fair market value. See instructions 35
36 Value of land included on line 35 36
37 Basis of building. Subtract line 36 from line 35 37
38 Business basis of building. Multiply line 37 by line 7 38
39 Depreciation percentage. See instructions 39 %
40 Depreciation allowable. Multiply line 38 by line 39. Enter here and on line 28 above. See instructions 40
Part IV Carryover of Unallowed Expenses to 2001
41 Operating expenses. Subtract line 25 from line 24. If less than zero, enter -0- 41
42 Excess casualty losses and depreciation. Subtract line 31 from line 30. If less than zero, enter -0- 42
For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see page 4 of separate instructions. Cat. No. 13232M Form 8829 (2000)
Page 11
Mary can deduct 34.15% of any direct expenses for the generally only 50% of the cost of food consumed by
basement. However, because her indirect expenses your employees. However, you can deduct 100% of the
are for the entire house she can deduct only 17.07% cost of food consumed by your employees if its value
of the indirect expenses. She figures the percentage for can be excluded from their wages as a de minimis
her indirect expenses as follows. fringe benefit. Generally, the value of meals you provide
Business percentage of the basement ............................... 50%
to employees on your business premises is de minimis
Multiplied by: Percentage of time used .............................. × 34.15% if more than half of these employees are provided the
Percentage for indirect expenses ................................... 17.07% meals for your convenience. For more information on
de minimis meals, see Publication 15-B, Employer's
Mary completes Form 8829 as shown in Figure B. Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits.
In Part I she figures the percentage of her home used If you deduct the cost of food for your day-care
for business, including the percentage of time the business, keep a separate record (with receipts) of your
basement is used. family's food costs.
In Part II, Mary figures her deductible expenses. She Reimbursements you receive from a sponsor under
uses the following information to complete Part II. the Child and Adult Food Care Program of the Depart-
Gross income from her day-care business ........................... $50,000
ment of Agriculture are taxable only to the extent they
Expenses not related to the business use of the home ....... $25,000 exceed your expenses for food for eligible children. If
Tentative profit ....................................................................... $25,000 your reimbursements are more than your expenses for
Rent ....................................................................................... $8,400 food, show the difference as income in Part I of
Utilities ................................................................................... $850 Schedule C. If your food expenses are greater than the
Painting the basement .......................................................... $500 reimbursements, show the difference as an expense in
Mary enters her tentative profit, $25,000, on line 8. Part V of Schedule C. Do not include payments or ex-
(This figure is the same as the amount on line 29 of her penses for your own children if they are eligible for the
Schedule C.) program. Follow this procedure even if you receive a
The expenses she paid for rent and utilities relate to Form 1099 reporting a payment from the sponsor.
her entire home. Therefore, she enters them in column
(b) on the appropriate lines. She adds these two ex-
penses (line 21) and multiplies the total by the per-
centage on line 7 and enters the result, $1,579, on line Sale or Exchange of
22.
Mary paid $500 to have the basement painted. The
Your Home
painting is a direct expense. However, because she If you sell or exchange your home, you may be able to
does not use the basement exclusively for day care, exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for certain married
she must multiply $500 by the percentage of time the persons filing a joint return) of the gain on the sale or
basement is used for day care (34.15% — line 6). She exchange if you meet the ownership and use tests.
enters $171 (34.15% × $500) on line 18, column (a).
She adds lines 21 and 22 and enters $1,750 ($171 + Ownership and use tests. To claim the exclusion, you
$1,579) on line 24. Because this is less than her de- must meet the ownership and use tests. This means
duction limit (line 15), she can deduct the entire amount. that during the 5-year period ending on the date of the
She completes the rest of Part II by entering $1,750 on sale, you met both the following tests.
lines 32 and 34. She then carries the $1,750 to line 30 1) You owned the home for at least 2 years (owner-
of her Schedule C (not shown). ship test).
Example 2. Assume the same facts as in Example 2) You lived in the home as your main home for at
1 except that Mary also has another room that is least 2 years (use test).
available each business day for children to take naps
in. Although she did not keep a record of the number Business use during the ownership and use pe-
of hours the room was actually used for naps, it was riods. If you used part of your home for business
used for part of each business day. Since the room was during the ownership and use periods, the exclusion
available during regular operating hours each business generally applies only to the gain attributable to the
day and was used regularly in the business, it is con- personal part of your home.
sidered to be used for day care throughout each busi-
ness day. The basement and room are 60% of the total Depreciation. If you were entitled to take depreciation
area of her home. In figuring her expenses, 34.15% deductions because you used your home for business,
of any direct expenses for the basement and room are you cannot exclude the part of your gain equal to any
deductible. In addition, 20.49% (34.15% × 60%) of her depreciation allowed or allowable as a deduction for
indirect expenses are deductible. periods after May 6, 1997. If you can show by adequate
records or other evidence that the depreciation de-
Meals. If you provide food for your day-care recipients, duction allowed was less than the amount allowable,
do not include the expense as a cost of using your the amount you cannot exclude is the depreciation al-
home for business. Claim it as a separate deduction lowed.
on your Schedule C (Form 1040). You can never de-
duct the cost of food consumed by you or your family. Basis adjustment. If you used any part of your home
You can deduct as a business expense 100% of the for business, you must adjust the basis of your home
cost of food consumed by your day-care recipients and for any depreciation that was allowable for its business
Page 12
use, even if you did not claim it. If you took less de- than-50%-use test. However, you do use the combined
preciation than you could have under the method you total of business and investment use to figure your de-
properly selected, you must decrease the basis by the preciation deduction for the property.
amount you could have taken under that method. If you
took more depreciation than you should have under the Example 1. Sarah does not qualify to claim a de-
method you properly selected, you must decrease the duction for the business use of her home, but she uses
basis by the amount you should have deducted, plus her home computer 40% of the time for a business she
the part of the excess deducted that actually decreased operates out of her home. She also uses the computer
your tax liability for any year. For more information on 50% of the time to manage her investments. Sarah's
reducing the basis of your property for depreciation, see home computer is listed property because it is not used
Publication 551. in a qualified office in her home. Because she does not
use the computer more than 50% for business, she
cannot elect a section 179 deduction. She can use her
More information. This section covers only the basic
combined business/investment use (90%) to figure her
rules for the sale or exchange of your home. For more
depreciation deduction using ADS.
information, see Publication 523.
Example 2. If Sarah uses her computer 60% of the
time for her business and 30% for managing her in-
vestments, her computer meets the more-than-50%-
Business Furniture and use test. She can elect a section 179 deduction. She
Equipment can use her combined business/investment use (90%)
to figure her depreciation deduction using the General
This section discusses the depreciation and section 179 Depreciation System (GDS).
deductions you may be entitled to take for furniture and
equipment you use in your home for business or work Employee. If you use your own listed property (or
as an employee. These deductions are available listed property you rent) in your work as an employee,
whether or not you qualify to deduct expenses for the the property is business-use property only if you meet
business use of your home. the following requirements.
This section explains the different rules for each of
the following. • The use is for your employer's convenience.
• The use is required as a condition of your employ-
1) Listed property. ment.
2) Property bought for business use.
“As a condition of your employment” means the use
3) Personal property converted to business use. of the property is necessary for you to properly perform
your work. Whether the use of the property is required
Listed Property for this purpose depends on all the facts and circum-
stances. Your employer does not have to tell you spe-
If you use certain types of property, called listed cifically to use the property. Nor is a statement by your
property, in your home, special rules apply. Listed employer to that effect sufficient.
property includes any property of a type generally used
for entertainment, recreation, and amusement (includ-
ing photographic, phonographic, communication, and Years following the year placed in service. If, in a
video recording equipment). Listed property also in- year after you place an item of listed property in service,
cludes computers and related equipment unless they you fail to meet the more-than-50%-use test for that
are used in a qualifying office in your home. If you use item of property, you may be required to do the follow-
your computer in a qualifying office in your home, see ing.
Property Bought for Business Use, later. 1) Figure depreciation, beginning with the year you no
longer use the property more than 50% for busi-
More-than-50%-use test. If you bought listed property ness, using the straight line method.
and placed it in service during the year, you must use
it more than 50% for business (including work as an 2) Figure any excess depreciation (include any section
employee) to claim a section 179 deduction or an ac- 179 deduction on the property in figuring excess
celerated depreciation deduction. depreciation) and add it to:
If your business use of listed property is 50% or less, a) Your gross income, and
you cannot take a section 179 deduction and you must
depreciate the property using the Alternate Depreci- b) The adjusted basis of your property.
ation System (ADS) (straight line method). For more
information on ADS, see chapter 3 in Publication 946. For more information, see Years After the First Recov-
Listed property meets the more-than-50%-use test ery Year under Applying the Predominant Use Test in
for any year if its qualified business use is more than Publication 946.
50% of its total use. You must allocate the use of any
item of listed property used for more than one purpose Reporting and recordkeeping requirements. If you
during the year among its various uses. You cannot use use listed property in your business, you must file Form
the percentage of investment use as part of the per- 4562 to claim a depreciation or section 179 deduction.
centage of qualified business use to meet the more- Begin with Part V, Section A, of that form.
Page 13
You cannot take any depreciation or section activities, including wages, during the tax year. Figure
179 deduction for the use of listed property un- taxable income for this purpose in the usual way, but
RECORDS less you can prove your business/investment without regard to all the following.
use with adequate records or sufficient evidence to
support your own statements. • The section 179 deduction.
To meet the adequate records requirement, you • The self-employment tax deduction.
must maintain an account book, diary, log, statement
of expense, trip sheet, or similar record or other docu- • Any net operating loss carryback or carryforward.
mentary evidence that is sufficient to establish busi-
ness/investment use. For more information on what More information. For more information on the section
records to keep, see What Records Must Be Kept in 179 deduction, see chapter 2 in Publication 946.
chapter 4 of Publication 946.
Depreciation
More information. For more information on listed Use Part II of Form 4562 to claim your deduction for
property, see chapter 4 in Publication 946. depreciation on property placed in service during the
year. Do not include any costs deducted in Part I (sec-
tion 179 deduction).
Property Bought for Business Use Most business property used in a home office is ei-
If you bought certain property to use in your business, ther 5-year or 7-year property under MACRS.
you can do any one of the following (subject to the limits
discussed later). • 5-year property includes computers and peripheral
equipment, typewriters, calculators, adding ma-
• Elect a section 179 deduction for the full cost of chines, and copiers.
the property.
• 7-year property includes office furniture and
• Take part of the cost as a section 179 deduction equipment such as desks, files, and safes.
and depreciate the balance.
Under MACRS, you generally use the half-year
• Depreciate the full cost of the property. convention, which allows you to deduct a half year of
depreciation in the first year you use the property in
Section 179 Deduction your business. If you place more than 40% of your
You can claim the section 179 deduction for the cost depreciable property in service during the last 3 months
of depreciable tangible personal property bought for use of your tax year, you must use the mid-quarter con-
in your trade or business. You can choose how much vention instead of the half-year convention.
(subject to the limit) of the cost you want to deduct After you have determined the cost of the deprecia-
under section 179 and how much you want to depreci- ble property (minus any section 179 deduction taken
ate. You can spread the section 179 deduction over on the property) and whether it is 5-year or 7-year
several items of property in any way you choose as long property, use the table, shown next, to figure your de-
as the total does not exceed the maximum allowable. preciation if the half-year convention applies.
You cannot take a section 179 deduction for the basis
of the business part of your home. MACRS Percentage Table
You elect the section 179 deduction by completing for 5- and 7-Year Property
Part 1 of Form 4562. Using Half-Year Convention
Recovery Year 5-Year Property 7-Year Property
Deduction limits. The section 179 deduction cannot 1 20% 14.29%
be more than the business cost of the qualifying prop- 2 32% 24.49%
3 19.2% 17.49%
erty. In addition, you must apply the following limits 4 11.52% 12.49%
when figuring your section 179 deduction. 5 11.52% 8.93%
6 5.76% 8.92%
1) Maximum dollar limit. 7 8.93%
8 4.46%
2) Investment limit.
See Publication 946 for a discussion of the mid-
3) Taxable income limit. quarter convention and for complete MACRS percent-
age tables.
Maximum dollar limit. The total cost of section 179
property you can elect to deduct for 2000 cannot be Example. During the year, Donald Kent bought a
more than $20,000. This maximum dollar limit is re- desk and three chairs for use in his office. His total bill
duced if you go over the investment limit (discussed for the furniture was $1,975. His taxable business in-
next) in any year. come for the year was $3,000 without any deduction for
Investment limit. If the cost of your qualifying sec- the office furniture. Donald can elect to do one of the
tion 179 property is over $200,000, you must reduce the following.
maximum dollar limit ($20,000) for each dollar over
1) Take a section 179 deduction for the full cost of the
$200,000.
office furniture.
Taxable income limit. The total cost you can de-
duct each year is limited to your total taxable income 2) Take part of the cost of the furniture as a section
from the active conduct of all your trade or business 179 deduction and depreciate the balance.
Page 14
3) Depreciate the full cost of the office furniture. You must keep your records for as long as they are
important for any tax law. This is usually the later of the
The furniture is 7-year property. If Donald does not following dates.
take a section 179 deduction, he multiplies $1,975, the
cost of the furniture, by 14.29% (.1429) to get his de- 1) 3 years from the return due date or the date filed.
preciation deduction of $282.23. 2) 2 years from the date the tax was paid.
Personal Property Converted to Keep records to prove your home's depreciable ba-
sis. This includes records of when and how you ac-
Business Use quired your home, your original purchase price, any
If you use property in your home office that was used improvements to your home, and any depreciation you
previously for personal purposes, you cannot take a are allowed because you maintained an office in your
section 179 deduction for the property. You can de- home. You can keep copies of Forms 8829 or the
preciate it, however. The method of depreciation you Publication 587 worksheets as records of depreciation.
use depends on when you first used the property for For more information on recordkeeping, see Publi-
personal purposes. cation 583.
If you began using the property for personal pur-
poses after 1986 and change it to business use in 2000,
depreciate the property under MACRS.
The basis for depreciation of property changed from Where To Deduct
personal to business use is the lesser of the following. Deduct expenses for the business use of your home
on Form 1040. Where you deduct these expenses on
1) The adjusted basis of the property on the date of the form depends on whether you are:
change.
• A self-employed person, or
2) The fair market value of the property on the date
of change. • An employee.
If you began using the property for personal pur-
poses after 1980 and before 1987 and change it to
business use in 2000, you generally depreciate the Self-Employed Persons
property under the accelerated cost recovery system
If you are self-employed and file Schedule C (Form
(ACRS). However, if the depreciation under ACRS is
1040), attach Form 8829 to your return. If you file
greater in the first year than the depreciation under
Schedule F (Form 1040), report your entire deduction
MACRS, you must depreciate it under MACRS. For
for business use of the home, up to the limit discussed
information on ACRS, see Publication 534, Depreciat-
earlier (line 32 if you used the worksheet), on line 34
ing Property Placed in Service Before 1987.
of Schedule F. Write “Business Use of Home” on the
If you began using the property for personal pur-
dotted line beside the entry.
poses before 1981 and change it to business use in
2000, depreciate the property by the straight line or
Deductible mortgage interest. If you file Schedule C
declining balance method based on salvage value and
(Form 1040), enter all your deductible mortgage interest
useful life.
on line 10 of Form 8829. After you have figured the
business part of the mortgage interest on lines 12 and
13, subtract that amount from the total mortgage inter-
Recordkeeping est on line 10. The remainder is deductible on Schedule
A (Form 1040), lines 10 and 11. Do not deduct any of
You do not have to use a particular method of the business part on Schedule A. If the interest you
recordkeeping, but you must keep records that deduct on Schedule A for your home mortgage is lim-
RECORDS provide the information needed to figure your ited, enter the excess on line 16 of Form 8829.
deductions for the business use of your home. You If you file Schedule F (Form 1040), include the
should keep canceled checks, receipts, and other evi- business part of your deductible home mortgage inter-
dence of expenses you paid. est with your total business use of the home expenses
on line 34. You can use the worksheet near the back
Your records must show the following information. of this publication to figure the deductible part of mort-
gage interest. Enter the nonbusiness part of the
• The part of your home you use for business. deductible mortgage interest on Schedule A, lines 10
and 11.
• That you use the part of your home exclusively and To determine if the limits on qualified home mortgage
regularly for business as either your principal place interest apply to you, see the instructions for Schedule
of business or as the place where you meet or deal A or Publication 936.
with clients or customers in the normal course of
your business. (However, see the earlier discussion, Real estate taxes. If you file Schedule C (Form 1040),
Exceptions to Exclusive Use.) enter all your deductible real estate taxes on line 11 of
• The depreciation and expenses for the business Form 8829. After you have figured the business part
part. of your taxes on lines 12 and 13, subtract that amount
Page 15
from your total real estate taxes on line 11. The re- • Your employer paid you for any of your job ex-
mainder is deductible on Schedule A, line 6. Do not penses reportable on line 20. (Amounts your em-
deduct any of the business part of real estate taxes on ployer included in box 1 of your Form W-2 are not
Schedule A. considered paid by your employer).
If you file Schedule F (Form 1040), include the
business part of real estate taxes with your total busi- However, you can use the simpler Form 2106-EZ,
ness use of the home expenses on line 34. Enter the instead of Form 2106, if you meet the following re-
nonbusiness part of your real estate taxes on line 6 of quirements.
Schedule A.
• You were not reimbursed for your expenses by your
Casualty losses. If you are using Form 8829, refer to employer, or if you were reimbursed, the re-
the specific instructions for lines 9 and 27 and enter the imbursement was included in box 1 of your Form
amount from line 33 on line 27 of Form 4684, Section W-2.
B. Write “See Form 8829” above line 27. • If you claim car expenses, you use the standard
If you file Schedule F (Form 1040), enter the busi- mileage rate.
ness part of casualty losses (line 31 if you use the
worksheet) on line 27 of Form 4684, Section B. Write When your employer pays for your expenses using
“See attached statement” above line 27. a reimbursement or allowance arrangement, the pay-
ments generally should not be on your Form W-2 if the
Other expenses. Report the other home expenses following rules for an accountable plan are met.
that would not be allowable if you did not use your home
for business (insurance, maintenance, utilities, depre- 1) You adequately account to your employer for the
ciation, etc.), on the appropriate lines of your Form expenses within a reasonable time.
8829. If you rent rather than own your home, include 2) You return any payments not spent for business
the rent you paid on line 20. If these expenses exceed expenses (excess reimbursements).
the deduction limit, carry the excess over to next year.
The carryover will be subject to next year's deduction 3) You must have paid or incurred deductible ex-
limit. penses while performing services as an employee.
If you file Schedule F (Form 1040), include your
otherwise nondeductible expenses (insurance, mainte- If you meet the accountable plan rules and your
nance, utilities, depreciation, etc.), with your total busi- business expenses equal your reimbursement, do not
ness use of the home expenses on line 34 of Schedule report the reimbursement as income and do not deduct
F. If these expenses exceed the deduction limit, carry the expenses.
the excess over to the next year. The carryover will be
subject to next year's deduction limit. Adequately accounting to employer. You adequately
account to your employer when you give your employer
Business expenses not for the use of your home. documentary evidence of your travel, mileage, and
Deduct in full your business expenses that are not for other employee business expenses, such as receipts,
the use of your home itself (dues, salaries, supplies, along with an account book, diary, or similar record in
certain telephone expenses, etc.) on the appropriate which you entered each expense at or near the time
lines of Schedule C (Form 1040) or Schedule F (Form you had it.
1040). Because these expenses are not for the use of You also may be treated as adequately accounting
your home, they are not subject to the deduction limit to your employer if your employer gives you a per diem
for business use of the home expenses. or car allowance similar in form to, and not more than,
the federal rate and you verify the time, place, and
business purpose of each expense. For more informa-
Employees tion, see the instructions for Form 2106 and Publication
As an employee, you must itemize deductions on 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses.
Schedule A (Form 1040) to claim expenses for the
business use of your home and any other employee Deductible mortgage interest. Although you gener-
business expenses. This generally applies to all em- ally can deduct expenses for the business use of your
ployees, including outside salespersons. If you are a home on line 20 of Schedule A (Form 1040), do not
statutory employee, use Schedule C (Form 1040) to include any deductible home mortgage interest on that
claim the expenses. Follow the instructions given earlier line. Instead, deduct both the business and nonbusi-
under Self-Employed Persons. The “statutory ness parts of this interest on line 10 or 11 of Schedule
employee” box within box 15 on your Form W-2 will be A.
checked if you are a statutory employee. If the home mortgage interest you can deduct on
If you have employee expenses for which you were lines 10 or 11 is limited by the home mortgage interest
not reimbursed, report them on line 20 of Schedule A. rules, you cannot deduct the excess as an employee
You generally must also complete Form 2106 if either business expense on line 20 of Schedule A, even
of the following apply. though you use part of your home for business. To
determine if the limits on home mortgage interest apply
• You claim any travel, transportation, meal, or to you, see the instructions for Schedule A or Publica-
entertainment expenses. tion 936.
Page 16
Real estate taxes. Deduct both the business and all your otherwise nondeductible expenses ($800) and
nonbusiness parts of your real estate taxes on line 6 $700 ($1,500 − $800) of your depreciation.
of Schedule A. For more information on amounts al- You deduct your expenses for business use of your
lowable as a deduction for real estate taxes, see Pub- home on Schedule A (Form 1040) as shown in the fol-
lication 530, Tax Information for First-Time Homeown- lowing table.
ers.
Expense Amount Schedule A
Lines
Casualty losses. Enter the business part of casualty Deductible mortgage interest $1,500 10 or 11*
losses (line 31 of the worksheet) on line 27 of Form
Real estate taxes $1,000 Line 6*
4684, Section B. Write “See attached statement” above
line 27. Expenses not related to the business
use of the home $2,000 Line 20**
Other expenses. If you file Form 2106 or Form Otherwise nondeductible expenses $800 Line 20**
2106-EZ, report on line 4 the following expenses. Depreciation $700 Line 20**
*In addition to the 80% nonbusiness part of the expense.
• The business part of your otherwise nondeductible **Subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit.
expenses (utilities, maintenance, insurance, depre- You can carry over the $900 of depreciation that
ciation, etc.) that do not exceed the deduction limit. exceeds the deduction limit to next year, subject to the
• The employee business expenses not related to the deduction limit for that year.
use of your home, such as advertising.
Page 18
OMB No. 1545-0074
SCHEDULE C Profit or Loss From Business
(Form 1040)
Part I Income
1 Gross receipts or sales. Caution. If this income was reported to you on Form W-2 and the “Statutory
employee” box on that form was checked, see page C-2 and check here 䊳 1 34,280
2 Returns and allowances 2 – 0 –
3 Subtract line 2 from line 1 3 34,280
4 Cost of goods sold (from line 42 on page 2) 4 – 0 –
其
31 Net profit or (loss). Subtract line 30 from line 29.
● If a profit, enter on Form 1040, line 12, and also on Schedule SE, line 2 (statutory employees,
see page C-5). Estates and trusts, enter on Form 1041, line 3. 31 24,071
● If a loss, you must go to line 32.
其
32 If you have a loss, check the box that describes your investment in this activity (see page C-5).
● If you checked 32a, enter the loss on Form 1040, line 12, and also on Schedule SE, line 2 32a All investment is at risk.
(statutory employees, see page C-5). Estates and trusts, enter on Form 1041, line 3. 32b Some investment is not
● If you checked 32b, you must attach Form 6198. at risk.
For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see Form 1040 instructions. Cat. No. 11334P Schedule C (Form 1040) 2000
Page 19
OMB No. 1545-1266
Form 8829 䊳
Expenses for Business Use of Your Home
File only with Schedule C (Form 1040). Use a separate Form 8829 for each
2000
home you used for business during the year.
Department of the Treasury Attachment
Internal Revenue Service (99) 䊳 See separate instructions. Sequence No. 66
Name(s) of proprietor(s) Your social security number
John Stephens 465 00 0001
Part I Part of Your Home Used for Business
1 Area used regularly and exclusively for business, regularly for day care, or for storage of inventory
or product samples. See instructions 1 200
2 Total area of home 2 2,000
3 Divide line 1 by line 2. Enter the result as a percentage 3 10 %
● For day-care facilities not used exclusively for business, also complete lines 4–6.
● All others, skip lines 4–6 and enter the amount from line 3 on line 7.
4 Multiply days used for day care during year by hours used per day 4 hr.
5 Total hours available for use during the year (366 days ⫻ 24 hours). See instructions 5 8,784 hr.
6 Divide line 4 by line 5. Enter the result as a decimal amount 6 .
7 Business percentage. For day-care facilities not used exclusively for business, multiply line 6 by
line 3 (enter the result as a percentage). All others, enter the amount from line 3 䊳 7 10 %
Part II Figure Your Allowable Deduction
8 Enter the amount from Schedule C, line 29, plus any net gain or (loss) derived from the business use of
your home and shown on Schedule D or Form 4797. If more than one place of business, see instructions 8 25,552
See instructions for columns (a) and (b) before (a) Direct expenses (b) Indirect expenses
completing lines 9–20.
9 Casualty losses. See instructions 9
10 Deductible mortgage interest. See instructions 10 4,500
11 Real estate taxes. See instructions 11 1,000
12 Add lines 9, 10, and 11 12 5,500
13 Multiply line 12, column (b) by line 7 13 550
14 Add line 12, column (a) and line 13 14 550
15 Subtract line 14 from line 8. If zero or less, enter -0- 15 25,002
16 Excess mortgage interest. See instructions 16
17 Insurance 17 400
18 Repairs and maintenance 18 300 1,400
19 Utilities 19 1,800
20 Other expenses. See instructions 20
21 Add lines 16 through 20 21 300 3,600
22 Multiply line 21, column (b) by line 7 22 360
23 Carryover of operating expenses from 1999 Form 8829, line 41 23 – 0 –
24 Add line 21 in column (a), line 22, and line 23 24 660
25 Allowable operating expenses. Enter the smaller of line 15 or line 24 25 660
26 Limit on excess casualty losses and depreciation. Subtract line 25 from line 15 26 24,342
27 Excess casualty losses. See instructions 27
28 Depreciation of your home from Part III below 28 271
29 Carryover of excess casualty losses and depreciation from 1999 Form 8829, line 42 29
30 Add lines 27 through 29 30 271
31 Allowable excess casualty losses and depreciation. Enter the smaller of line 26 or line 30 31 271
32 Add lines 14, 25, and 31 32 1,481
33 Casualty loss portion, if any, from lines 14 and 31. Carry amount to Form 4684, Section B 33
34 Allowable expenses for business use of your home. Subtract line 33 from line 32. Enter here
and on Schedule C, line 30. If your home was used for more than one business, see instructions 䊳 34 1,481
Part III Depreciation of Your Home
35 Enter the smaller of your home’s adjusted basis or its fair market value. See instructions 35 130,000
36 Value of land included on line 35 36 20,000
37 Basis of building. Subtract line 36 from line 35 37 110,000
38 Business basis of building. Multiply line 37 by line 7 38 11,000
39 Depreciation percentage. See instructions 39 2.461 %
40 Depreciation allowable. Multiply line 38 by line 39. Enter here and on line 28 above. See instructions 40 271
Part IV Carryover of Unallowed Expenses to 2001
41 Operating expenses. Subtract line 25 from line 24. If less than zero, enter -0- 41
42 Excess casualty losses and depreciation. Subtract line 31 from line 30. If less than zero, enter -0- 42
For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see page 4 of separate instructions. Cat. No. 13232M Form 8829 (2000)
Page 20
OMB No. 1545-0172
Depreciation and Amortization
Form 4562 (Including Information on Listed Property) 2000
Department of the Treasury Attachment
Internal Revenue Service (99) 䊳 See separate instructions. 䊳 Attach this form to your return. Sequence No. 67
Name(s) shown on return Business or activity to which this form relates Identifying number
John Stephens Tax Preparations 465-00-0001
Part I Election To Expense Certain Tangible Property (Section 179)
Note: If you have any “listed property,” complete Part V before you complete Part I.
1 Maximum dollar limitation. If an enterprise zone business, see page 2 of the instructions 1 $20,000
2 Total cost of section 179 property placed in service. See page 2 of the instructions 2 3,800
3 Threshold cost of section 179 property before reduction in limitation 3 $200,000
4 Reduction in limitation. Subtract line 3 from line 2. If zero or less, enter -0- 4 – 0 –
5 Dollar limitation for tax year. Subtract line 4 from line 1. If zero or less, enter -0-. If married
filing separately, see page 2 of the instructions 5 20,000
(a) Description of property (b) Cost (business use only) (c) Elected cost
Page 21
Worksheet To Figure the Deduction for Business Use of Your Home
PART 1—Part of Your Home Used for Business:
1) Area of home used for business 1)
2) Total area of home 2)
3) Percentage of home used for business (divide line 1 by line 2 and show result as percentage) 3) %
Page 22
Lines 11–13. Enter any other business expenses that
are not attributable to business use of the home on line
Instructions for the Worksheet 11. For employees, examples include travel, supplies,
If you are an employee or file Schedule F (Form 1040), and business telephone expenses. Farmers should
use the preceding worksheet to figure your deduction generally enter their total farm expenses before de-
for the business use of your home. The following in- ducting office in the home expenses. Do not enter the
structions explain how to complete each part. deduction for one-half of your self-employment tax.
Add the expenses on line 11 to the line 10 amount, and
If you file Schedule C (Form 1040), use Form enter the total on line 12. Subtract line 12 from line 4,
! 8829 to figure the deductions and attach the
form to your return.
and enter the result on line 13. This is your deduction
CAUTION
limit. You use it to determine whether you can deduct
this year any of your other expenses for business use
of the home. If you cannot, you will carry them over to
next year.
Part 1—Part of Your Home Used for If line 13 is zero, deduct your expenses for deductible
home mortgage interest, real estate taxes, casualty
Business losses, and any business expenses not attributable to
use of your home on the appropriate lines of the
Lines 1–3. If you figure the percentage based on area, schedule(s) for Form 1040 as explained earlier under
use lines 1 through 3 to figure the business-use per- Where To Deduct.
centage. Enter the percentage on line 3.
You can use any other reasonable method that ac- Lines 14–21. On lines 14 through 18, enter your oth-
curately reflects your business-use percentage. If you erwise nondeductible expenses for the business use
operate a day-care facility and you meet the exception of your home. These include utilities, insurance, repairs,
to the exclusive use test for part or all of the area you and maintenance. If you rent, include the amount paid
use for business, you must figure the business-use on line 18. If you file Schedule F, include any part of
percentage for that area as explained under Day-Care your home mortgage interest that is more than the limits
Facility, earlier. If you use another method to figure your given in Publication 936. (If you are an employee, do
business percentage, skip lines 1 and 2 and enter the not enter any excess home mortgage interest.) In col-
percentage on line 3. umn (a), enter the expenses that benefit only the busi-
ness part of your home (direct expenses). In column (b),
enter the expenses that benefit the entire home (indirect
Part 2—Figure Your Allowable expenses). Multiply line 19, column (b) by the
Deduction business-use percentage and enter this amount on line
20.
If you claimed a deduction for business use of your
Line 4. If you file Schedule F, enter your total gross home on your 1999 tax return, enter the amount from
income from the business use of your home. This would line 39 of your 1999 worksheet on line 21.
generally be the amount on line 11 of Schedule F.
If you are an employee, enter your total wages from
the business use of the home. Lines 24–29. On lines 24 through 29, figure your limit
on deductions for excess casualty losses and depreci-
ation.
Lines 5–7. Enter your expenses paid for deductible On line 25, figure the excess casualty loss by multi-
mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and casualty plying the business use percentage from line 3 by the
losses. Under column (a), Direct Expenses, enter ex- part of casualty losses that would not be allowable if
penses that benefit only the business part of your home. you did not use your home for business ($100 plus 10%
Under column (b), Indirect Expenses, enter expenses of your adjusted gross income).
that benefit the entire home. You generally enter 100% On line 26, enter the depreciation deduction from
of the expense. However, if the business percentage Part 3.
of an indirect expense is different from the percentage If you claimed a deduction for business use of your
on line 3, enter only the business part of the expense home on your 1999 tax return, enter on line 27 the
on the appropriate line in column (a), and leave that line amount from line 40 of your 1999 worksheet.
in column (b) blank. On lines 28 and 29, figure your allowable excess
Enter only amounts that would be deductible whether casualty losses and depreciation.
or not you used your home for business. In other words,
these amounts would normally be allowable as itemized
Lines 30–32. On line 30, total all allowable business
deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). Include only
use of the home deductions.
the part of a casualty loss that exceeds $100 plus 10%
On line 31, enter the total of the casualty losses
of adjusted gross income.
shown on lines 10 and 29. Enter the amount from line
31 on line 27 of Form 4684, Section B. See the in-
Lines 9–10. Multiply your total indirect expenses by the structions for Form 4684 for more information on com-
business percentage from line 3. Enter the result on line pleting that form.
9. Add this amount to the total direct expenses and Line 32 is the total (other than casualty losses) al-
enter the total on line 10. lowable as a deduction for business use of your home.
Page 23
If you file Schedule F (Form 1040), enter this amount Free tax services. To find out what services are
on line 34 of Schedule F and write “Business Use of available, get Publication 910, Guide to Free Tax Ser-
Home” on the line beside the entry. Do not add the vices. It contains a list of free tax publications and an
specific expenses into other line totals of Part II of index of tax topics. It also describes other free tax in-
Schedule F. formation services, including tax education and assist-
If you are an employee, see Where To Deduct, ear- ance programs and a list of TeleTax topics.
lier, for information on how to claim the deduction.
Personal computer. With your personal com-
puter and modem, you can access the IRS on
Part 3—Depreciation of Your Home the Internet at www.irs.gov. While visiting our
web site, you can select:
Figure your depreciation deduction on lines 33 through
38. On line 33, enter the smaller of the adjusted basis • Frequently Asked Tax Questions (located under
or the fair market value of the property at the time you Taxpayer Help & Ed) to find answers to questions
first used it for business. Do not adjust this amount for you may have.
changes in basis or value after that date. Allocate the
basis between the land and the building on lines 34 and • Forms & Pubs to download forms and publications
35. You cannot depreciate any part of the land. On line or search for forms and publications by topic or
37, enter the correct percentage for the current year keyword.
from the tables in Publication 946. Multiply this per- • Fill-in Forms (located under Forms & Pubs) to enter
centage by the business basis to get the depreciation information while the form is displayed and then
deduction. Enter this figure on lines 38 and 26. Com- print the completed form.
plete and attach Form 4562 to your return if this is the
first year you used your home, or an improvement or • Tax Info For You to view Internal Revenue Bulletins
addition to your home, in business. published in the last few years.
• Tax Regs in English to search regulations and the
Internal Revenue Code (under United States Code
Part 4—Carryover of Unallowed (USC)).
Expenses to Next Year • Digital Dispatch and IRS Local News Net (both lo-
Complete these lines to figure the expenses that must cated under Tax Info For Business) to receive our
be carried forward to next year. electronic newsletters on hot tax issues and news.
• Small Business Corner (located under Tax Info For
Business) to get information on starting and oper-
ating a small business.
How To Get Tax Help
You can get help with unresolved tax issues, order free You can also reach us with your computer using File
publications and forms, ask tax questions, and get more Transfer Protocol at ftp.irs.gov.
information from the IRS in several ways. By selecting
the method that is best for you, you will have quick and
easy access to tax help.
TaxFax Service. Using the phone attached to
your fax machine, you can receive forms and
Contacting your Taxpayer Advocate. If you have
instructions by calling 703–368–9694. Follow
attempted to deal with an IRS problem unsuccessfully,
the directions from the prompts. When you order forms,
you should contact your Taxpayer Advocate.
enter the catalog number for the form you need. The
The Taxpayer Advocate represents your interests
items you request will be faxed to you.
and concerns within the IRS by protecting your rights
and resolving problems that have not been fixed
through normal channels. While Taxpayer Advocates
cannot change the tax law or make a technical tax de-
cision, they can clear up problems that resulted from Phone. Many services are available by phone.
previous contacts and ensure that your case is given
a complete and impartial review.
To contact your Taxpayer Advocate:
• Ordering forms, instructions, and publications. Call
1–800–829–3676 to order current and prior year
• Call the Taxpayer Advocate at 1–877–777–4778.
forms, instructions, and publications.
• Call the IRS at 1–800–829–1040. • Asking tax questions. Call the IRS with your tax
• Call, write, or fax the Taxpayer Advocate office in questions at 1–800–829–1040.
your area. • TTY/TDD equipment. If you have access to
• Call 1–800–829–4059 if you are a TTY/TDD user. TTY/TDD equipment, call 1–800–829–4059 to ask
tax questions or to order forms and publications.
For more information, see Publication 1546, The • TeleTax topics. Call 1–800–829–4477 to listen to
Taxpayer Advocate Service of the IRS. pre-recorded messages covering various tax topics.
Page 24
Evaluating the quality of our telephone services. • Western part of U.S.:
To ensure that IRS representatives give accurate, Western Area Distribution Center
courteous, and professional answers, we evaluate the Rancho Cordova, CA 95743–0001
quality of our telephone services in several ways.
• Central part of U.S.:
• A second IRS representative sometimes monitors Central Area Distribution Center
live telephone calls. That person only evaluates the P.O. Box 8903
IRS assistor and does not keep a record of any Bloomington, IL 61702–8903
taxpayer's name or tax identification number. • Eastern part of U.S. and foreign addresses:
• We sometimes record telephone calls to evaluate Eastern Area Distribution Center
IRS assistors objectively. We hold these recordings P.O. Box 85074
no longer than one week and use them only to Richmond, VA 23261–5074
measure the quality of assistance.
• We value our customers' opinions. Throughout this
year, we will be surveying our customers for their
opinions on our service. CD-ROM. You can order IRS Publication 1796,
Federal Tax Products on CD-ROM, and obtain:
Walk-in. You can walk in to many post offices, • Current tax forms, instructions, and publications.
libraries, and IRS offices to pick up certain
forms, instructions, and publications. Also, • Prior-year tax forms, instructions, and publications.
some libraries and IRS offices have: • Popular tax forms which may be filled in electron-
ically, printed out for submission, and saved for
• An extensive collection of products available to print recordkeeping.
from a CD-ROM or photocopy from reproducible
proofs. • Internal Revenue Bulletins.
• The Internal Revenue Code, regulations, Internal The CD-ROM can be purchased from National
Revenue Bulletins, and Cumulative Bulletins avail-
Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling
able for research purposes.
1–877–233–6767 or on the Internet at www.irs.gov/
cdorders. The first release is available in mid-
December and the final release is available in late
January.
IRS Publication 3207, The Business Resource
Mail. You can send your order for forms, in- Guide, is an interactive CD-ROM that contains infor-
structions, and publications to the Distribution mation important to small businesses. It is available in
Center nearest to you and receive a response mid-February. You can get one free copy by calling
within 10 workdays after your request is received. Find 1–800–829–3676 or visiting the IRS web site at www.
the address that applies to your part of the country. irs.gov/prod/bus_info/sm_bus/smbus-cd.html.
Page 25
Index
Page 26
See How To Get Tax Help for a variety of ways to get publications, including by
Tax Publications for Business Taxpayers computer, phone, and mail.
General Guides 505 Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax 597 Information on the United States-
510 Excise Taxes for 2001 Canada Income Tax Treaty
1 Your Rights as a Taxpayer 598 Tax on Unrelated Business Income
17 Your Federal Income Tax (For 515 Withholding of Tax on Nonresident
Aliens and Foreign Corporations of Exempt Organizations
Individuals) 686 Certification for Reduced Tax Rates
334 Tax Guide for Small Business (For 517 Social Security and Other
Information for Members of the in Tax Treaty Countries
Individuals Who Use Schedule C or 901 U.S. Tax Treaties
C-EZ) Clergy and Religious Workers
527 Residential Rental Property 908 Bankruptcy Tax Guide
509 Tax Calendars for 2001 911 Direct Sellers
553 Highlights of 2000 Tax Changes 533 Self-Employment Tax
534 Depreciating Property Placed in 925 Passive Activity and At-Risk Rules
910 Guide to Free Tax Services 946 How To Depreciate Property
Service Before 1987
535 Business Expenses 947 Practice Before the IRS and Power
Employer’s Guides 536 Net Operating Losses (NOLs) for of Attorney
Individuals, Estates, and Trusts 954 Tax Incentives for Empowerment
15 Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide Zones and Other Distressed
15-A Employer’s Supplemental Tax Guide 537 Installment Sales
538 Accounting Periods and Methods Communities
15-B Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe 1544 Reporting Cash Payments of Over
Benefits 541 Partnerships
$10,000
51 Circular A, Agricultural Employer’s 542 Corporations
1546 The Taxpayer Advocate Service of
Tax Guide 544 Sales and Other Dispositions of the IRS
80 Circular SS, Federal Tax Guide For Assets
Employers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 551 Basis of Assets
Guam, American Samoa, and the 556 Examination of Returns, Appeal Spanish Language Publications
Commonwealth of the Northern Rights, and Claims for Refund 1SP Derechos del Contribuyente
Mariana Islands 560 Retirement Plans for Small Business 579SP Cómo Preparar la Declaración de
179 Circular PR Guía Contributiva (SEP, SIMPLE, and Qualified Plans) Impuesto Federal
Federal Para Patronos 561 Determining the Value of Donated 594SP Comprendiendo el Proceso de Cobro
Puertorriqueños Property
850 English-Spanish Glossary of Words
926 Household Employer’s Tax Guide 583 Starting a Business and Keeping and Phrases Used in Publications
Records Issued by the Internal Revenue
Specialized Publications 587 Business Use of Your Home Service
(Including Use by Day-Care 1544SP Informe de Pagos en Efectivo en
225 Farmer’s Tax Guide Providers) Exceso de $10,000 (Recibidos en
378 Fuel Tax Credits and Refunds 594 The IRS Collection Process una Ocupación o Negocio)
463 Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car 595 Tax Highlights for Commercial
Expenses Fishermen
Commonly Used Tax Forms See How To Get Tax Help for a variety of ways to get forms, including by computer, fax, phone,
and mail. Items with an asterisk are available by fax. For these orders only, use the catalog number
when ordering.
Catalog Catalog
Form Number and Title Number Form Number and Title Number
W-2 Wage and Tax Statement 10134 1120S U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation 11510
W-4 Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate* 10220 Sch D Capital Gains and Losses and Built-In Gains 11516
940 Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment 11234 Sch K-1 Shareholder’s Share of Income, Credits, 11520
(FUTA) Tax Return* Deductions, etc.
940-EZ Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment 10983 2106 Employee Business Expenses* 11700
(FUTA) Tax Return* 2106-EZ Unreimbursed Employee Business 20604
941 Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return 17001 Expenses*
1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return* 11320 2210 Underpayment of Estimated Tax by 11744
Sch A & B Itemized Deductions & Interest and 11330 Individuals, Estates, and Trusts*
Ordinary Dividends* 2441 Child and Dependent Care Expenses* 11862
Sch C Profit or Loss From Business* 11334 2848 Power of Attorney and Declaration of 11980
Representative*
Sch C-EZ Net Profit From Business* 14374
Sch D Capital Gains and Losses* 11338 3800 General Business Credit 12392
Sch D-1 Continuation Sheet for Schedule D 10424 3903 Moving Expenses* 12490
Sch E Supplemental Income and Loss* 11344 4562 Depreciation and Amortization* 12906
Sch F Profit or Loss From Farming* 11346 4797 Sales of Business Property* 13086
Sch H Household Employment Taxes* 12187 4868 Application for Automatic Extension of Time To 13141
File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return*
Sch J Farm Income Averaging* 25513
5329 Additional Taxes Attributable to IRAs, Other 13329
Sch R Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled* 11359 Qualified Retirement Plans, Annuities, Modified
Sch SE Self-Employment Tax* 11358 Endowment Contracts, and MSAs*
1040-ES Estimated Tax for Individuals* 11340 6252 Installment Sale Income* 13601
1040X Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return* 11360 8283 Noncash Charitable Contributions* 62299
1065 U.S. Return of Partnership Income 11390 8300 Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 62133
Sch D Capital Gains and Losses 11393 Received in a Trade or Business*
Sch K-1 Partner’s Share of Income, 11394 8582 Passive Activity Loss Limitations* 63704
Credits, Deductions, etc. 8606 Nondeductible IRAs* 63966
1120 U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return 11450 8822 Change of Address* 12081
1120-A U.S. Corporation Short-Form 11456 8829 Expenses for Business Use of Your Home* 13232
Income Tax Return
Page 27