Anyone who’s invested in home office equipment may wonder: Can I deduct the expenses on my taxes? According to a Eugene tax specialist, the short answer is no. Not yet.
Neil Langlois is a CPA with Jones and Roth. He said until the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect in 2018, people could deduct some work expenses that were not reimbursed by an employer, but, “There is no current deduction for employees of employers to deduct their increased expenses for working from home on their individual tax returns.”
Langlois said the CARES Act allows employers to deduct certain expenses they pay for work-from-home employees, but that it's nuanced, and best to consult a CPA. He also noted, “I think there will be changes, but I don’t now what, and the IRS has been known to make retroactive changes, so we’ll be in a new tax year and they’ll pass rules that will apply to the prior year.”
Langlois said there’s pressure on the new congress to address the issue, so save those receipts.
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