Can I deduct telephone bills and internet, if working from home. I work 2-3 days from home.?

Question

In yahoo fianance, some times back i read, if you working from home, can deduct telephone bills, internet bills and furniture used for this purpose. Is it true? Is there any verification letter need from employeer.

Answer 1

yes if the equipment is used only for your business. I stock trade and get to use part of a write off because it is my home computer and my home phone line I'm using I have not registered as a business. As anything with the government when it is questioned you will need to be able to prove intent to get the write off you want to claim.

Answer 2

To answer the question, you need to give more info. Are you a W-2 employee from some company where you are to be performing the work? Do you get reimbursed for any expenses?

Gut feeling is that no, you should not be taking these expenses if you don't have a Schedule C type business. If you intend on trying, better keep meticulous records documenting how, when, why,and for what business purposes were served by using and deducting these items.

These all sound more like 'office in the home' expenses that would be allowable with a profitable Schedule C business (but not in excess of schedule c profits).

Answer 3

If the phone, internet, and furniture is dedicated 100% to work, then you may qualify for a home office deduction. You can also claim the portion of your house if you qualify for this. It is best to talk to a tax professional if you are going to try this. It is a big red audit flag at the IRS when someone claims home office deductions.

If you do not qualify for the home office deduction, you can still write off any long distance calls that you make for work from home. Regular phone service, internet access, and furniture are considered ordinary home expenses, so you can't just write it all off.

Answer 4

Working from home might entitle you to a home office deduction: it would have to be for the convenience of your employer, not for your own convenience, and you'd have to use a particular portion of your home regularly AND EXCLUSIVELY for business - if you surf the net off-hours on the computer you use for work, then you would not be able to take a home office deduction. Furniture would fall under that same rule.

You could deduct long-distance calls directly for business purposes, but couldn't take the whole phone bill if you use the same phone for personal use also. And internet bills - probably not but depends on circumstances.

Answer 5

The IRS really tightened up on this priviledge. You have to have a home business with so many sq ft being used as that office. All business calls are covered, the internet is covered only if you use it only for work. But, contact the IRS they will send you a pamphlet. You might try online also.

Answer 6

No. Online medical billing and coding schools are very suspect when it comes to training on the latest medical/billing software since most medical centers have very customized medical software which is not normally shared with trade schools and the like. In the real world of medical billing and coding, training occurs on-the-job. We therefore do not recommend that you subscribe to any online school for medical billing and coding and concentrate on entering a medical internship program at your local medical facility/center for medical billing/coding. On another subject: the major bulk of medical billing/coding work in the U.S. has been greatly curtailed by state privacy laws as it pertains to medical records and patient confidentiality. The vast majority of medical records are kept in recordkeeping departments within medical centers and any billing/coding work is done "in-house," not "outsourced." So, beware of any offers which promote online at home medical billing/coding work--there are scammers out there. Good luck!

Answer 7

i run a home based business selling on eBay and also run a website on which i sell. i have had the same tax pro do my taxes for over 10 years and yes, i do claim a percentage of my internet costs, telephone costs and space used in my home and garage for business purposes. keep good records of your business internet and phone use and figure the percent of your home area you use for business (home office.) furniture and office equipment can be used based on the same percentage basis- if your office is dedicated strictly to business use you can claim 100%. consult a tax pro on the best way to keep records- i keep a log of the time i use my computer/ internet for business daily, as well as phone calls.

Answer 8

Yeah you can deduct both of these things. My husband and I have done this for the past couple of years.

Answer 9

Heck yeah, They are buisness expenses & cost fo doing business...