Can I claim a portion of my bills on my taxes due to work from home?

May 27, 2020 9:22 PM

With Coronavirus, I've been working from home for the past several weeks. I'd like to know if I can claim any of my household bills on my taxes due to my working from home. And if so, which bill can I claim and what portion of them?

With Coronavirus, I've been working from home for the past several weeks. However, even once this is over, I expect to be working from home for 2 - 3 days a week. My question is, if I work from home on a regular basis, am I able to claim some of my home bills (electricity, internet, etc.) on my taxes? If so, which bills specifically am I able to claim? And is there a threshold that must be met in order for me to claim these? i.e. Can I only claim them if I work from home at least X days per week? In case it matters, I'm located in Ontario, Canada.

posted by NoneOfTheAbove to Work & Money (2 answers total)

The CRA has not updated its guidance for the 2020 tax year, but this 2019 guidance should give you an idea of what's eligible and what's not (and it's not outside the realm of possibility that changes and clarifications may be made for the 2020 tax year since a substantial percentage of the workforce that is able to is currently working from home).

Work-space-in-the-home expenses:

You can deduct the part of your costs that relates to your work space, such as the cost of electricity, heating, and maintenance. However, you cannot deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, home insurance, or capital cost allowance.

To calculate the percentage of work-space-in-the-home expenses you can deduct, use a reasonable basis, such as the area of the work space divided by the total finished area (including hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, etc.). For maintenance costs, it may not be appropriate to use a percentage of these costs. For example, if the expenses you paid (such as cleaning materials or paint) were to maintain a part of the house that was not used as a work space, then you cannot deduct any part of them. Alternatively, if the expenses you paid were to maintain the work space only, then you may be able to deduct all or most of them.

If your office space is in a rented house or apartment where you live, deduct the percentage of the rent as well as any maintenance costs you paid that relates to the work space.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:45 PM on May 27, 2020

This Financial Post article says things are still up in the air but it would be good to keep records of unreimbursed expenses.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:01 PM on May 27, 2020 [1 favorite]