Use of home as office - le bog.

**MrsGoof** · 8 August 2006, 08:44

I hope your landlord knows you are sub-letting!

**Alexander Coe** · 8 August 2006, 08:46

IANAA but when I did this my accountant suggested the following method of calculating:

total cost of flat (rent + all bills) / by number of rooms - so you claim one rooms worth of the cost as the expense of your home office...

I was sharing the rent/bills with my girlfriend of the time, so the calculation was based on my share of the rent/bills only

HTH

**pickle** · 8 August 2006, 09:16

Originally posted by Alexander Coe

IANAA but when I did this my accountant suggested the following method of calculating:

total cost of flat (rent + all bills) / by number of rooms - so you claim one rooms worth of the cost as the expense of your home office...

I was sharing the rent/bills with my girlfriend of the time, so the calculation was based on my share of the rent/bills only

HTH

Ah, but my point is, is the bathroom counted as one of the rooms?

**pickle** · 8 August 2006, 09:33

Originally posted by zeitghost

Don't forget the broom cupboard...

Its London. The broom cupboard has been converted into a compact and bijou studio and is rented out to six Poles.

**VectraMan** · 8 August 2006, 10:29

Originally posted by pickle

Ah, but my point is, is the bathroom counted as one of the rooms?

Bathroom and hallways don't count. Not so sure about a kitchen, but I think not.

I claimed for a couple of months, when I was genuinely doing work at home full time, and just went for rent + a bit / 3. Claiming for when you're normally on a client's site, or when you're on the bench are presumably a bit dubious?

**pickle** · 8 August 2006, 11:38

Vectra
Thanks for the info.

Originally posted by VectraMan

Claiming for when you're normally on a client's site, or when you're on the bench are presumably a bit dubious?

Really? Where do you do your paperwork/accounts/research/job hunting? Its not on client site, and its something my company requires me to do each and every week. I have been claiming "use of home as office" in this regards for years. Works out at a few grand each year. Hope im not in for a nasty shock....

**Ganesh** · 8 August 2006, 14:53

Originally posted by pickle

Vectra
Thanks for the info.

Really? Where do you do your paperwork/accounts/research/job hunting? Its not on client site, and its something my company requires me to do each and every week. I have been claiming "use of home as office" in this regards for years. Works out at a few grand each year. Hope im not in for a nasty shock....

Good thread!

I may be wrong but I have a couple of queries:

Do you show this as your income in your tax return as well?
Do you file P11d etc to show this as benefit of some kind?

Regards,
Ganesh

**MikeP** · 9 August 2006, 08:46

Originally posted by VectraMan

Bathroom and hallways don't count. Not so sure about a kitchen, but I think not.

I asked my accountants and the info I got back was that a home usually has a kitchen and both a home and an office need a bathroom. To be deductible it should be a separate room exclusivley used for business purposes - i.e. my workspace in the corner of the living room didn't count.
So I set up my second bedroom as my office, and claim 20% (2 bed, bathr. kitchen & living rm = 5 rooms, 1 for business).

**VectraMan** · 9 August 2006, 09:09

Originally posted by MikeP

I asked my accountants and the info I got back was that a home usually has a kitchen and both a home and an office need a bathroom. To be deductible it should be a separate room exclusivley used for business purposes - i.e. my workspace in the corner of the living room didn't count.
So I set up my second bedroom as my office, and claim 20% (2 bed, bathr. kitchen & living rm = 5 rooms, 1 for business).

I would read that as the kitchen and bathroom make no difference, so you should be claiming 33%.

Use of home as office - le bog.