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Can You Claim Rent On Your Taxes?

Getting a tax deduction for rent probably never crossed your mind if you've always worked as a W-2 employee. But if you're self-employed, many of the purchases you make for your business can be written off from your taxable income. You might already be on the lookout for any business expenses you can deduct from your taxable income. But what about living expenses? For example, is rent tax-deductible? It is, if you pay 1099 employee taxes. In fact, you can write off your rent in not one but three ways, and if you know how to use them, a rental tax deduction can be the one that saves you the most each year.

Table of contents

Key takeaways...Read more

I work from home. Can I deduct rent from my taxes?...Read more

When can I deduct rent from my taxes?...Read more

How does claiming rent on taxes work?...Read more

What are the IRS regulations for writing off your rent with a home office?...Read more

What else can be written off from taxes for renters?...Read more

How else can you deduct rent from taxes?...Read more

There's one more way to write off your rent...Read more

Renters tax credits...Read more

Key takeaways

To lower taxes for renters, a home office or rented office space can be written off 1099 taxes.
Hotel lodgings can also be a rental tax deduction for self-employed individuals.
There are also renters tax credits like the California renters credit that lower state taxes.

I work from home. Can I deduct rent from my taxes?

It's possible you might have heard about this one already, even if you're not a freelancer, because the home office deduction is a very popular rental tax deduction. One reason for that is housing costs. In the US, having a roof over your head is the single highest cost for most people. So, knowing that you can write off rent on your taxes is a big deal. But it's not always very well understood. Here's who can use it, how it works and some rules around it.

When can I deduct rent from my taxes?

The home office deduction is one of the biggest perks that freelancers, self-employed individuals and independent contractors have. If you work for yourself and work from home, you can deduct rent from your taxes. Why isn’t rent tax deductible for W-2 employees? Back in the day, W-2 employees were allowed to deduct some of their work-related expenses if they worked from home, but the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did away with that.

How does claiming rent on taxes work?

The most important thing to remember is that you can't actually deduct all of your rent, only the portion you use for your home office. If you want to figure out exactly how much of your rent you can write off, there's a simple three-step formula:

Find the square footage of your home workspace:
Divide the square feet you use for your home workspace by the total number of square feet in your home to get a percentage.
Find the deductible portion of your rent: Multiply that number by the monthly rent amount to get the dollar amount you can write off from your taxes.
Find your annual rent tax deduction: Multiply that dollar amount by 12 months to get your total annual tax deduction for rent.

Suppose you rent a small house and run a woodworking business from a workshop in the basement. You can write off a portion of your rent by dividing the square footage of your home workshop by the square footage of the home and multiplying that number by the monthly rent.

Infographic entitled How To Calculate Home Office Deduction showing how you can write off rent on your taxes.

What are the IRS regulations for writing off your rent with a home office?

Just because you have a home office, it doesn't mean you can automatically take the rental tax deduction. The IRS has parameters that your home office has to fit into, or it won't be considered deductible. Here are three simple questions to give you an idea of whether your home office qualifies you to write off rent:

Is your home office regularly used for work? Do you use this space at your home regularly to do work for your main occupation or run your business, rather than occasionally using the space for work? If yes, then you can claim rent on your taxes.
Do you use your home office exclusively for your work? If the space doubles as a home theater or your child's playroom, for example, you can't use it to write off your rent. It must be a part of your home used only for business purposes.
Is your home office the principal place where you do business? Using your home office to write off your rent has to be the main place where you do your work. If you rent office space outside your home and occasionally work from your home workspace, your home office won't qualify you to write off your rent.

What else can be written off from taxes for renters?

Rent isn't the only thing you can deduct from your taxes if you have a home office. There are many other related expenses you can take. If you pay utilities like electricity or natural gas, you can deduct a percentage of them from your taxable income based on the percentage of space you use for your home office. The same goes for renter's insurance, office supplies, Wi-Fi and certain home repair expenses. One way to find every home office tax write-off you can take advantage of is to use FlyFin. With A.I. finding every possible tax write-off, you won't need to save your receipts anymore or spend time keeping detailed spreadsheets.

Infographic entitled Top 6 Home Office Tax Write-Offs listing expenses that can be deducted from taxes for renters.

How else can you deduct rent from taxes?

If your business reaches a point where you need more office space than your home office can accommodate, congratulations! You not only have a growing business, which is the dream, but you also have another situation where your rent is tax deductible. Let's say you're an Airbnb host. You used to have a home office, but now you're renting out your entire apartment, so you want to find another place to work. Signing a lease on a dedicated office space outside your home means you get to deduct the entire cost of renting that space from your taxable income. Just keep in mind that the IRS won't let you also deduct part of your apartment rent for a home office. You can use a 1099 tax calculator to calculate your rental tax deduction. As an Airbnb host, you can also deduct the cost of groceries from your taxes as it is an ordinary and necessary expense. Additionally, you can only deduct rent during the year you pay it. So if you’ve paid for a space in advance, you can deduct only the portion you use in the current tax year. The rest you can deduct the following year. You also cannot deduct rent if the rate is higher than the current market value. You can have a professional appraisal of your home or workspace to determine the current valuation. Paying “unreasonable rent” and claiming it as a deduction isn’t going to fly with the IRS. Sometimes, business owners may mistake property purchase payments for rent. This can get confusing, but basically, if your agreement is a conditional sales contract, those payments are not tax deductible.

There's one more way to write off your rent

It's not the same as signing a lease on an apartment or office space somewhere, but when you're on a business trip, you technically "rent" a hotel or short-term lodging. And as a business travel expense, the IRS allows this to be written off from your taxes. Along with other business travel expenses, anything you spend for accommodations at a hotel, Airbnb, Vrbo or other apartment share service is deductible, as long as it is within the IRS regulations for business travel write-offs.

Infographic entitled Is Your Trip Work-Related listing the criteria for taking the rent deduction on your taxes.

These methods for turning your rent into a tax deduction are generally only available to self-employed individuals. With all the ways to save money as a freelancer or independent contractor, it's important to keep your finances organized so you don't miss a single opportunity to write off a business expense. If your tax liability is over $1,000, you can use an estimated tax calculator to total your quarterly tax payments.

Renters tax credits

What if we told you there was a way to lower taxes for renters apart from writing off rent? Well, there is. Many US states offer renters tax credits that can be used to lower their state taxes. And while this doesn’t affect federal taxes, it’s still an option you should take advantage of. Let’s say you’re an independent contractor living in California. The state of California does offer its residents a renters tax credit provided they fulfill a few requirements like:

Not being a dependent
Did not receive an exemption from property tax
Paid rent for at least 6 months in California
Earned less than $49,220 as a single filer or less than $98,440 as a joint filer

Each state has its own program, and they give it different names, which can be a bit confusing. But the general idea is to help people who are paying rent for their main place of residence. To qualify for this state-level renter's tax credit, you usually need to meet specific criteria. These criteria can vary from one state to another, but they often focus on factors like your income, family size, and whether you're renting your primary residence. Now, about income limits - most state programs limit how much you can earn to be eligible for the credit. So, if you're in a higher tax bracket, you probably won't qualify. This is designed to direct assistance to those who really need it. To claim the credit, you'll typically have to fill out an application during tax season. The application might require some documents to prove you're eligible, like proof of income and where you live. Now, you should know that these state programs aren't one-size-fits-all. Some states offer refundable credits, while others have non-refundable credits, which reduce your tax liability but won't give you a refund check. So, make sure to research what the rules are in your state.

Infographic entitled What Can I Deduct As A 1099 employee listing some independent contractor tax write-offs that can lower SE tax.

Claiming rent on your taxes is a huge way to reduce your financial burden. You should always ask a tax professional to help if you feel like you need some extra help. Taking the home office deduction also requires keeping good records, so save everything!

Office Supplies Tax Deduction

Office supplies are tax deductible for self-employed individuals and can be reported under the office expenses category on Schedule C.