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"close" your home office before you sell your house...sm

Posted By: JoV on 2006-02-03
In Reply to: taxes - sm

then you don't have to do anything with the tax depreciation, etc.




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"close" your home office before you sell your house and you will have no problem..nm
x
Home Office vs In-House
What about transcription done in-house in an office or dept. where there is high traffic from MDs to janitors?

My dog watches me type and horror of all horrors, I usually have the dictation on speaker phone.


Yes, yes, yes. Go IC and sell yourself. Get out of the house sm
and actually DRIVE to places where transcription takes place.  Leave a business card, a brochure, etc.  Usually, you'll have opportunity RIGHT THEN AND THERE to meet one of the doctors.  Two practices I stopped at made me WAIT in the waiting room while they got the MD to meet me because they were DESPERATE to find someone who KNEW what they were doing.   I have turned down work in  the past year because I was not able to keep up. One of these days, I might think of operating a small company. For now, I'm quite content.
Also, if you take the write-off, when you sell your house
One is considered sale of your home and the office portion is considered sale of business property. Sometimes it isn't worth it. It can get complicated, so make sure you know what you're doing up front; good advice below to see a good accountant. Good luck.
Price that house to SELL and NOW!
You need cash flow and cannot afford to wait around for your big profit. I have also flipped houses. This is a prime example of exactly what happens when one thing goes awry in your plan. You need to be more prepared to weather a storm in the future, but for right now you need to unload that house. Best of luck to you. :-)
Office politics. That is why I enjoy working at home. In the office,
people are in other people business. Just mind your own business.
have a real office in this house but...
before we built this house 9 years ago, lived in a 700 square foot apartment. I had a little computer desk in the corner of the bedroom. My husband would sleep on the couch if I was working late at night. The phone cord for the modem would snake through from the kitchen under the carpet...glad those days are over...
I prefer office by front of house
Since I am female and live alone, I want to see if any activity takes place. Everyone else on my street other than a retired gentlmen who is frail is gone for the work day. Mostly, I see people putting flyers on the door for carpet shampooing or Jehovah's Witnesses. I don't think I am considered hateful, just not friendly. It is okay, I have enough friends lol
I worked in house in a doctor's office and it was the same for me...
and I had to answer phones, make copies, et cetera, basically was an MT/secretary...and I hated it...I am making much more money now working at home part-time...
I can use the deduction now, and when old and ready to sell, hope sell price is high enough won't
matter.  Also, I think there is a time frame of not working that negates the job deduction factor. 
I work in-house for doctor's office now and Love My Job!
Good Luck.  I accepted an in-house position at a doctor's office after being laid off from a very large hospital. It is wonderful to be able to go and ask the doctor questions and get feedback directly from them.  It really is the way to go now instead of working for the really big transcription companies.  I feel like I am appreciated.
If you don't have kids, have you considered working in-house at a doc office or the nearest big
s
Home vs in house
The perfect solution is working at home for a doctor's office or hospital and being paid by the hour instead of the line.  It's so irritating to have to be online in for a certain time period, having NO work and making NO money.  At least hourly you're guaranteed income.  JMHO.
Is $15 an hour a good hourly rate for an in-house office position?

nm


 


Home versus in-house
Let me answer before I read everyone else's responses. I worked at home and for awhile it was great, but I had kids underfoot, that didn't work out. So back to inhouse. It's nice having a regular paycheck and not having to worry about taxes, they're taken out. Also health insurance is a big concern. But I'm sick of the nitpicking and being treated like a child. I hate being spied on and I hate office politics. People are in close proximity when I'm transcribing and there is a lot of loud talking in the small room. Plus when the other people are crabby, it casts a dark shadow on the whole day.

I may soon have no choice but to work at home again, as my place of employment is rumored to be upgrading and at all other facilities owned by this company, that has meant shipping our work overseas. I don't dread returning home though. Just got a brand-new Dell computer, found and loaded my Instant Type and imported my PRD files. I will switch to my husband's insurance which is a kind I'm not crazy about but it's better than nothing. I have a tax guy now and I'll stay on top of taxes with my estimated quarterles. And there's a company I've been working for on and off for years that treats me like gold and will take me on anytime!

I'm the type of person who doesn't like being constantly monitored by an authority figure, particularly an ignorant one! It may soon be time to get out of the in-house and back to my home! We'll see. For now, I'm in-house. But maybe soon, I won't be.
6 at home and 1 in house (first job) in 6 years
x
stay home or go in house....

I got offered a job in a small neurology office starting at $17/hr with a raise in a few months.  No working weekends or holidays and lots of vacation days.  Low stress.


I currently work at home for a pretty decent company with a pretty decent line rate, but am starting to feel pressure to produce more...my average pay at home is between $13 and $15 an hour.  It also adds stress when there is little to know work available and I am having to alter my schedule to "make up" time.


So, I would be making a bit more money, but I will have to have child care for the summers and for after school, so I don't know if it is worth it. 


Can someone give me some insight as to whether they were faced with this decision...what they decided and why?  I would really appreciate it. 


Stay home or go in-house?

Help! What do I do?  I currently work for a pretty good national company and I get to stay home and work in my PJs, but then... we ran out of work for a few days and I panicked.  I applied for an in-house position doing radiology, which I have never done before.  I am fairly certain they will offer me the position to work 24 to 32 hours, with many more hours if I want them.  It pays about 18.50 per hour during the week and 19.39 on the weekends, which I will work one weekend day.  So now what???


Do I give up the comfort of my home for a guaranteed paycheck and work in a cubical typing radiology notes for 8 hours a day?  UGH!  Tough to have such choices in this economy. 


Any insight or thoughts on this?  I do have young children, but they spend a lot of time at grandma's while I work anyway.


 


"close enough"
that blows me away! No, the job is in NY, not VT - but it sounds like a clone. And they don't even care about line count in this job - no way to measure - and I'm paid hourly! :-)
at home vs office - i am in office
well, I really was referring to the MONSTER MANAGER that I have, who has her favorites here, and she assigns them the easy doctors who say the same thing over and over, you know.  I have to do something.  I am losing my SELF at this point, with no church and no family.  The stuff on here about running out of work, my lack of computer savvy, all  has me just frozen. MOre about in-office.  Do you have little habits like talking out loud to the dr?  Someone will complain about you.  Do you ever say a cussword?  Someone will complain.  Do you ever sigh?  Complaints.  About age - I was offered 2 trans. positoins in San Diego before I came here.  I had gone to a seminar about how to look for work over age 55, had revamped my resume and my "presenting" self, and it made all the difference.  Things are way different than they were evern 10 years ago, you will be judged by someone younger than you, but in this line of work they do appreciate experience and reliability.  And the computer doesn't care if you're pretty.  It's not your age unless you are sickly.  Don't give up!!  if that's what you want. 
I've worked in-house and at home ....
I find that even when you're in-house, with the nature of the job, there's no time for chit-chat.  When I worked in-house we had production minimums and there was incentive to earn if you produced, so who has time to talk?  I'm with you.  I'm happy being here in my comfy clothing without all that aggravation.  Let is snow, I don't have to drive in it!
Along the same line, does anyone do coding at home or only in house? Does it pay well? nm
s
If you had your very own office at home,
How would you decorate it?  Anything specific you'd get?  Wall color?  Flooring?  Curtains?  Light fixture?  Any feng shui motivational tips on color or spacing?  It's your fantasy here, so let it out.
Where is your home office?
Mine is in my dining room.  I have my computer on a desk in the corner of my formal dining room.  I am thinking of moving it to a bedroom for less traffic and noise.  I am curious - where is your home office and is it working for you?
Your home office
Do you have a room in your house that is solely dedicated to your work space, or do you work in another room that actually has another purpose as well (such as a bedroom)? If you have a multi-use room, do you feel that you have enough space to do your work efficiently?
You want Office XP pro or home at least
I just bought a new Dell and they didnt give me Word and told me something similar about works. I blew a gasket and then offered to return the computer since they didnt see fit to include the program as promised and they very quickly changed their tune and sent me Office XP Pro for no charge.

so stick to your guns and have them give you a copy when you buy your computer.
home office ?
I plan to use TurboTax Small Business this year since many of you seem to be satisfied with it.  I will take a home office since I work exclusively at home as an IC.  Have any of you had any problems with the IRS and taking a home office ? I have not taken one in the past because they said I could not even receive personal e-mail or surf the web if I did so in my office.  I use the same e-mail for work and personal so I don't have to toggle between two different e-mail accounts.  Besides, I only have one computer so would have to receive personal business on that computer even if separate accounts.  I hope they change some of these ridiculous rules since I have no other place to work and have to use my own electricity, internet, etc that is unreimbursed by the company I work for.  I use high-speed internet (required) also for work.  Is this just lumped in with utilities?  Last year I was an employee, so that is why I have so many questions (IC).  Thanks in advance !
home office
My tax woman told me years ago that if I did not have a dedicated room, I could figure the amount of space -- say your computer and the usual thousand or so reference books, paper, storage, printer, file cabinets, plus the phone bill, or anything else like cleaning bills for a person or supplies -- as a percentage of the square footage of home. Deduction is the percentage. IMPORTANT: Good friend is a tax attorney, and he tells me it drives HIM nuts because the IRS changes the rules every year. So, be sure to get the most up-to-date regulations from the IRS, themselves. After all, where do the CPAs get their info? Rosie
My 3 sons are eating me outta house and home too! :) NM
d
Majority of the jobs seem to be in-house. Never could find an at-home job that way. nm
s
Answer is get out of the house. Gym, dances, Home Depot.
zz
Love in house, hate nationals at home nm
xxx
Is coding offered at home or only in-house? Gotta be better than doing this...nm
s
And I disagree with that. I've worked home and in-house,
Everyone is different and some people don't rely on jobs to provide social interaction. When it comes to my job, I prefer being at home working independently without a lot of interruptions and enjoy the freedom of working from home. If I were stuck in an office with rigid hours, then I'd be resentful. Personally, I loathe being stuck in an office full of catty backstabbers and love the solitude of home. When I want to socialize, I call one of my friends.

You also have to be able to let QA remarks roll off your back a little, but that only works if you don't have the threat of being docked or terminated as a result of those QA remarks. Find an MTSO that doesn't hold those things over your head (yes, they do exist).

I do think the key IS where you work, but not home versus office - it's finding a company that values MTs, not sees them as mere production machines. They are few and far between, but they're out there. I lived through my share of bad apples in this biz before finding the good ones, so I speak from experience.
I have my own decorated home office
And I LOVE it. Husband just painted it a sunny yellow not too long ago for me and I totally redecorated with a corner desk with hutch that I bought that is situated where I have a great view out my window to our front yard and road. My office is all done in a tropical theme, with a cute tropical valance and bamboo shade on my window. I have a wicker chair and trunk, tropical hanging greenery basket hanging from my ceiling, decorative shell ceiling hanger, a big palm tree sitting in a corner, 3 piece palm/mirror wall hanging, a live bamboo plant on the top shelf of my desk, palm tree designed vase and two big candle-holders. I also have a cute table top palm tree lamp.

I absolutely love my office and everyone that enters does as well. :D I spend SO much time in here I wanted it bright, cheery and something I would enjoy - and that I do. :D I feel very lucky.
I have a patriotic home office and
many houseplants.
Reasons for home office
I too have home office for tax purposes.  Also, with friends and family knowing I work in an office at home, they seem to take my job more seriously.  I am not just sitting at the dining room table "playing" at the computer.
Can you take home office deduction if you are sm

an employee and how would one guestimate if they would qualify? Looking into this option this year.


Home office deduction
No, but unreimbursed work-related expenses may be deduced on Schedule A.
nix the home office deduction
If you plan on selling your house later on. The deductions you claimed in previous years will be lost when you try to sell. So, if you were planning on selling for $150,000, but you claimed $500 a year in home-office deductions, per year, over ten years, that's $5000 you'll lose out at the end.
home office tax question
Doing taxes.  To measure the square feet of my my home office, which is 10 x 12, do I just multiply, which would give me 120 square feet?  Thank you! 
My IC home office deductions came to only sm
$1100 because I own my house outright and, like you, have no real expenses because I work at home off the Internet. My health insurance premiums are low because it's lousy insurance.

People with high mortgages will have a higher deduction based on that. They may travel each day to get their work, etc. Every person's situation is different.

I think you did okay!

BTW, if anyone uses H&R Block, I strongly urge you to get the Peace of Mind benefit for $27. Mine came in handy for 2004 when the preparer made a big, big mistake caught by the IRS (I'm going to end up getting a refund of what the preparer said I owed in 2004!!!) This may be my last year with the blockheads, though. I should say I've gotten excellent service in the last 25 years, except for that one preparer last year and Block messing up on its own tax preparation.




home office and interruptions

I work out of my home doing medical transcription and have for quite some time.  I love it except for the interruptions!  I can't seem to get into the "zone" because of it and my production is down.  Here is an example of what I find hard to deal with: Phone calls, contractors working on the house (one-time thing but still..), husband running the microwave (can't hear my voice files), husband in an out of the house on his days off, husband mowing the lawn right outside my office window.  You get the picture.  I have thought of moving my office to an upstairs bedroom but I really don't know if I would be gaining that much for all the trouble.   A sound proof room would be nice!


 


I'm very discouraged right now.  I would like to earn more money but it seems like an uphill battle!  I have a hard time concentrating as it is (probably menopausal) and after so many interruptions in a day I feel like throwing in the towel!


 


How can I set up boundaries and keep them in place?  Any suggestions would be welcomed!


home office location-sm

I will take another look at another location for my office but I do like it where it is because it is handy for me (when there is no visitors), convenient to the kitchen, bathroom (I only have1), and I can start the evening meal and still work, etc.  Why can't anything be easy?


Work in office and home
The office provided me with software in order to hook up to the office over my DSL line. Just connect to the company's software and the computer works as if I was in the office exactly the same way. And anyone in the office can see what I have typed instantly! I love it! I would much prefer working at home than at the office however!!
Home Office Deduction
I rent my apartment. I have a home office, which is a room used soley for the purpose of an office, which is the restriction, cannot be part of living room, etc. I deduct portion of rent, all supplies, telephone, cell phone, electric, gas, and oil heat. I don't think your name has to be on the lease, just that you live there and use that room solely as an office. Also, if you travel to and from your job you can deduct mileage, oh and internet connection, which I use mainly for work. Hope that helps you.
home office lighting
Any advice about the new full spectrum lighting that supposedly resembles daylight?  I rent my house, so can't install ceiling fixtures; can only use floor lamps and desk lamps.  I also have pretty severe seasonal affective disorder and need as much light as I can get here in the gray midwest.  The regular (incandescent) lights I've been using put off way too much heat in the summer and really don't provide good light in the winter.  The compact flourescent bulbs don't seem to be bright enough.  I'm thinking of trying the BlueMax full spectrum line.  Any experience from you guys out there?
home office lighting
Thanks!  I checked out the website and have emailed them for info. 
Working from home and not going to the office
I work for a local hospital and I have worked from home for 20 years now.

I would never never go back to an office setting unless there no other at-home jobs were out there.

I have a separate office and can watch my house from thieves, throw a load of laundry in, put supper on early, etc. I do take my two 15 minute breaks and 30 minutes for lunch just like I am in the office. If I need to run a short errand I save my breaks and lunch and combine the two and have an hour to get back.

I have three grown children but I still get phone calls all day and have a separate phone line for them if they need me and screen other calls on regular phone line.

You just have to learn to kind of pace yourself. I do sometimes type in my PJs but not too often because my husband runs his business from our home and Fedex and UPS come here all of the time.

Just set a space aside if you can from the other part of the house. I try to stick to a rule for everyone "if they see my door closed to my office, then they try not to bother me unless it is absolute necessary."

You will love it if you ever try it.I really do not miss the office and its politics.

Sometimes being at home we home MTs do not get the necessary information like we should have. Also I can count part of one phone line and my office space and books and whatever it takes to do my job on income tax. Hope this helps. I do not think that you would regret it.
Home Office Deduction
I have 2 jobs, one as an employee and one as an IC. I was living in a house with a separate room for an office. I have now moved to an apartment. Will I still be able to deduct some portion of my rent and utilities if I don't have a separate office? I would still be able to deduct office supplies and a percentage of internet and cell phone charges, correct? Thanks in advance for your advice.
When I took a business trip one time, I came home to an immaculate house.
Then during the next few weeks, I couldn't find certain things like clothes, dishes, and items I kept on the counters. DH had decided to put all the dirty stuff out in the garage where the babysitter couldn't see it because he was embarrased by the mess he and the kids had made. There was mold and mildew on everything because he taped it inside boxes or stuffed it inside coolers, and he forgot to tell me about it.