If I have multiple side businesses I run from the same home office, can I claim the deduction for each business or is it one deduction total? And does having a home office deduction affect selling your house later with the capital gains exclusion?

You can't double-dip by claiming the same home office space for multiple businesses. You need to allocate the space between your businesses based on usage, but the total can't exceed 100% of that space. For example, if you use your office 60% for Business A and 40% for Business B, you'd deduct those percentages of your eligible home office expenses on each business's Schedule C. Regarding capital gains, yes, there's an impact. If you've taken depreciation on your home through the regular method home office deduction, you'll need to recapture that depreciation when you sell. The simplified method doesn't include depreciation, so it doesn't affect your capital gains exclusion the same way. This is actually a big advantage of the simplified method that many people overlook.

I was audited two years ago. They mainly wanted to verify that my office was exclusively used for business. I provided photos, a diagram of my apartment showing the dedicated room, and my work calendar showing regular use. They also looked at my utility bills compared to what I deducted. Since I had most documentation, it went smoothly, but it was stressful. Now I keep way better records.

This is super important! If your parents claim you and claim the Lifetime Learning Credit for your education expenses, you cannot claim it too. Double check with your parents before filing.

Wait, could I still qualify for stimulus money from 2021? I thought those were all sent out automatically. I definitely never received anything back then.

Yes, you might still be able to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 return if you didn't receive the stimulus payments and were eligible! The third stimulus payment (Economic Impact Payment) of up to $1,400 was issued in 2021, and many people who were eligible didn't receive it for various reasons. If you file your 2021 return now, you can claim this as the Recovery Rebate Credit. There's a worksheet in the 2021 Form 1040 instructions to help you determine if you qualify and how much you can claim. This is exactly why filing a return even with zero income can be beneficial - you might have money waiting for you!

Also remember to sign and date the return! IRS will reject unsigned returns and that just delays everything further. Ask me how I know 😩

Is the $600 limit per person or per return? Like if I'm married filing jointly, do we get $1,200 total or still just $600?

The limit is per tax return for single filers, but for married filing jointly, it's per person. So for 2021 (which had the $300 per person limit), a married couple filing jointly could claim up to $600 total on line 10-B if taking the standard deduction. The exact limits have changed over the years as this was a temporary provision, so always check the current year's instructions. The most important thing is that this special deduction on line 10-B is ONLY for people taking the standard deduction. If you itemize, you'll include all charitable contributions on Schedule A instead.

TurboTax is correct - you can't do both. It's either all on Schedule A (if you're itemizing) OR up to $600 on line 10-B (if taking the standard deduction). Your accountant friend might be confusing this with some other deduction rules.

I hadn't even thought about the insurance angle! I do have a small liability policy that covers me at craft shows. And I joined the local artisan guild last year ($175). Do you know if online courses count for professional development? I took a $350 course on advanced metalsmithing techniques.

Yes, online courses absolutely count for professional development! That $350 metalsmithing course is 100% deductible as long as it relates to your current business. Even somewhat related skills can qualify - like if you took a course on photography to better capture images of your jewelry for your website. The liability policy and artisan guild membership are definitely deductible as well. Keep the receipts for everything, and if the guild offers any events or shows, track expenses for those separately as they might fall under different categories.

You only deduct materials when they're actually used in products that are sold. So if you bought $2000 of silver but still have half unused, you'd only deduct $1000 (the used portion). Keep a simple inventory sheet tracking: 1) starting inventory value, 2) purchases during the year, 3) what was used in sold products, and 4) ending inventory value. You can use a basic spreadsheet for this.