Home Office Expenses and COVID-19
With almost all businesses adopting a work-from-home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees and independent contractors may be wondering if they can claim home office expenses for their new work environments.
If you have been working remotely, you may be able to claim some expenses related to the business use of the home.
Home Office Expenses and COVID-19 – Am I Eligible?
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many unprecedented changes in our lifestyle and workspaces. The CRA is aware of these changes and recently stated that, in light of COVID-19, they will allow up to $500 in reimbursement for purchases related to setting up technology to work remotely. This means that up to $500 in personal computer equipment expenses will not be considered a taxable benefit. However, employees must have invoices for these purchases and the purchases must be made primarily for the employer’s benefit. Unfortunately, you may not be able to deduct expenses for purchases of equipment that you simply prefer to use versus those that are necessary for you to perform your job.
For an employee or an independent contractor to claim home office expenses, at least one of two requirements must be met. The workspace in your home must be either:
- Your principal place of business (you work from this space more than 50% of the calendar year); or
- You use the space only to earn your employment or business income on a regular and continuous basis, and for meeting customers or clients as part of your work duties
While the CRA has not announced whether they will be relaxing these requirements considering the new mandatory work-from-home arrangements put in place because of the COVID-19 lockdown, they may provide some leeway in their interpretation of the rules. This is especially true for employees who were required to work from home and adopted their home office as their principal place of business during the lockdown.
If you are an independent contractor, you must meet one of those two conditions to claim home office expenses. However, if you are working from home during the lockdown as a requirement of your contract for service and it is your principal place of business for the time period, then you may be eligible to claim home office expenses should the CRA relax the rules.
If you are an employee who is now working remotely from your home office and meet one of the two conditions required, you also need:
- A formal work arrangement that outlines that you are required to work from home; and
- A Form T2200 from your employer.
Home Office Expenses and COVID-19 – What is a Formal Working Arrangement?
An employee looking to deduct home office expenses must do so only if the employee is “required by the contract of employment” to incur those expenses. While it would be ideal for this requirement to be formalized in a written agreement or as part of the employment contract, it may be unrealistic given the current circumstances. Nevertheless, you may be able to rely on the fact that your work from home arrangement during the lockdown is an implied requirement of your employment. The CRA confirmed that they will accept a non-written contract where the taxpayer can establish that it was “tacitly understood” between the employer and employee that such expenses were to be made by the taxpayer and that they were necessary under the circumstances to fulfill the duties of employment.
Home Office Expenses and COVID-19 – What is Form T2200?
Please see our previous blog post found here to learn more about Form T2200.
Home Office Expenses and COVID-19 – What Expenses are Allowable?
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may deduct the part of your costs that relate to your workspace within the home. This can include heat, home insurance, electricity, minor maintenance, and property taxes. However, you cannot claim mortgage interest expense and capital cost allowance. If your workspace within the home is part of a rented house or apartment in which you live, you can deduct the percentage of the rent and maintenance costs related to that space.
You can calculate the amount of home office expenses you can reasonably claim by dividing the total area of your home office or workspace by the total finished area of the home. The amount of maintenance costs that you can deduct in relation to your workspace likewise depends on whether the expenses you paid were used to maintain only the workspace or whether part of the material or work went towards the maintenance of other parts of the home. At all times, the expenses you claim must be reasonable and should be supported by invoices and supporting documentation. The total amount you deduct in home office expenses is also limited to your net income before your deduction. You cannot create or increase a loss from employment using home office expenses.
The CRA’s mandate and approach to taxation during the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve rapidly. The information provided here regarding the rules and interpretations regarding home office expenses is subject to change.
If you are filing taxes, are being audited for your home office, or you have questions about what home office expenses you are eligible to claim, give R&A Tax Law a call today! We can help you navigate this complicated process. We are here to help!
**Disclaimer
This article provides information of a general nature only. It does not provide legal advice nor can it or should it be relied upon. All tax situations are specific to their facts and will differ from the situations in this article. If you have specific legal questions you should consult a lawyer.
Tyra Yah
