TAXES
MAKE SOME FAMILY RULES. Just like work can creep into non-working hours, chores and errands can creep into work time.
Can I deduct my home office on my taxes?
If you have a spouse, children or even roommates, there should be some ground rules in place, a consistent schedule and limits on what non-work things can be accomplished during the day. “Create boundaries, whether it’s physical spaces just for work, or a schedule,” said McLaughlin, who schedules herself (on some days, at least) as if she were in an office. “I say, ‘I’m working at these times. I’m not throwing in laundry, I’m not throwing food in the crockpot.’”
“You cannot be 100 percent present for either of those things if you’re trying to do both. I don’t care how good of a multitasker you are,” Hawk said. “I’m not doing justice to my kids and I’m not doing justice to my work when I’m trying to do both.” Even with its challenges, working at home has huge benefits, Jaffe said. “I could sit out on my porch and work in the sunshine if I wanted. That’s not something you can always do in an office.”
TELEWORK
Also, Hawk laughs at people who think they can be productive working from home while watching the kids.
TO
Hawk takes a different approach. “I treat my daily routine and rituals the same as if I were going into an office,” she said. Her father worked from home (and still does today), and she remembers him kissing her mom goodbye in the morning and going upstairs to work.
FROM TRAFFIC
Jaffe says working from home has provided her with more work-life balance because she uses her time as efficiently as she can. “If I’m on a call, I am never sitting down,” Jaffe said. While she’s on conference calls, she may also be folding laundry or cleaning. “If I don’t have to be sitting at my desk, I try to do those things. I chose that on purpose to help our family.” She’s even gotten grocery shopping down to a high-speed science and can get it done during her lunch hour.
There isn’t a straight yes-or-no answer to this question for telecommuters. Whether you can take a tax deduction for your home office or the equipment in it depends on your job and the space. While it doesn’t need to be a full room with walls and a door, the minimum requirements are that the space needs to be specifically identifiable and used exclusively for work. Talk to a professional accountant about whether you can (or should) write off your workspace.
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As to whether she’d ever go back to working in an actual office, McLaughlin said maybe – when her kids are older and for a big salary increase. “They’d have to pay me a lot more to deal with the traffic.”
May / June 2019 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com
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