The Tax Deduction You Might Be Able To Claim If You Work From Home

If you currently work from home, consider yourself extremely lucky. While remote work was a common practice amongst many companies between 2020 and 2022, in the two years that followed, there has been a mass exodus of remote work in the United States. This has been especially apparent among remote government workers in 2025, with Elon Musk and DOGE threatening to put federal employees who refuse to return to the office on administrative leave. So, in an ironic turn of events, while some Social Security offices are closing because of DOGE cuts, other previously largely vacant federal government offices in D.C. may soon become packed to the teeth.

For other remote workers, now is a better time than ever to take advantage of the opportunity before you, specifically by exploring different options for tax write-offs available to you when working from home. Now, while there are many in that regard, the easiest tax deduction you might be able to claim if you work from home is a home office deduction.

Outside of changes you need to know about IRS tax refunds in 2025, for remote workers, it's important to also understand any number of tax write-offs you may potentially qualify for by working from home. The first of these are going to be deductions for business expenses, if you are self-employed or run your own business. These deductions generally aren't available to employees.

This category includes a variety of different things, but it is worth noting that they have to be directly related to the business you conduct at home. The easiest ones to start with are your insurance, banking fees, and the cost of any equipment you purchased to set up your home office. This can include a desk, a computer, a chair, and similar purchases of that nature. Also, if you've had to pay for any type of advertising or marketing for your home-based work, you can write that off too, as well as any meals you've purchased as long as they are business or work related. Now, in the case that your home office resides in a house that you actually own, you can access even more potential write-offs. However, even if you don't, this next specific tax deduction still applies to any remote workers, just with less potential tax value.

Simply put, since as a remote worker your place of residence is effectively your place of work, on paper it can also be considered your office. That said, you are able to claim a home office tax deduction as a result. For those that rent the property you work out of, you can easily write off portions of your rent payments as well as utility and internet bills. However, for those that own the property that they work out of, you can write off internet and utility bills as well, but you also have more options as far as tax deductions than renters.

These write-offs and deductions can include depreciation on said home, deductible mortgage interest, home depreciation, and any repairs or maintenance you have had to pay for during the tax year of which you are filing for. Your refrigerator broke and you had to call a repair man? Deduct it. Your shower got clogged because too much hair got stuck in the drain and you had to call a plumber and pay him to fix it? Deduct it. Your laundry machine broke, and you had to call another repair man and pay him to fix it? Good news, you can deduct that expense as well. The key here is to be resourceful and do your own research. However, if you hire a licensed tax professional, this process will be much easier.