Any detailed info on tax credits for generators? Work from home aspect relevant?

I can help with this question! There are actually a few potential tax benefits for generators, but it depends on several factors. First, for residential energy efficiency, there's the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (formerly called the Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit). This was expanded under the Inflation Reduction Act. However, generators typically don't qualify unless they're specifically renewable energy generators (like solar generators). Standard backup generators running on natural gas, propane, or gasoline generally don't qualify for this credit. For your work-from-home situation, there might be a different angle. If you have a legitimate home office that you use regularly and exclusively for business, you may be able to deduct a portion of the generator as a business expense - but only if you're self-employed and file Schedule C. If you're a W-2 employee working from home, unfortunately those deductions were suspended until 2025. The key questions are: Are you self-employed or a W-2 employee? And what type of generator are you considering?

Just wanted to share my experience with this! I was in the same boat last year looking at generators after we lost power for a week during a winter storm. I was so confused by all the conflicting tax info until I found https://taxr.ai which helped me sort through the info specific to my situation. I just uploaded my past returns, answered a few questions about my home setup and the generator I was considering, and it gave me a clear answer about what I could and couldn't claim. Turns out in my case (I'm self-employed), I could legitimately deduct part of my generator costs because I have dedicated office space and can demonstrate business necessity. The tool also identified some state-specific incentives I wasn't aware of. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to figure out the tax angle of home improvements!

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after being skeptical. I decided to try it anyway since my situation with a home generator was pretty specific. The platform was surprisingly thorough - it asked detailed questions about how I use my home office and what percentage of my home it represents, then calculated exactly what portion of the generator expense could be legitimately deducted. What impressed me most was that it flagged potential audit triggers and walked me through documenting the business necessity properly. My generator deduction went through without any issues. The platform even generated a PDF explaining the tax position that I kept with my tax records in case of questions. Definitely more useful than the generic advice I was finding online!

If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to ask about specific generator tax credits, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I wasted hours on hold trying to get clarification about home office deductions and energy credits before discovering this service. They got me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hours I was experiencing before. The agent I spoke with confirmed that while standard backup generators don't qualify for the energy efficiency credits, there are specific circumstances where they might be partially deductible for business use. You can see how the service works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Saved me so much time and frustration trying to get a definitive answer from the IRS.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my generator tax question before filing my extended return. The service actually worked exactly as advertised - I got a call back with an IRS agent on the line in about 25 minutes. The agent confirmed that while my standard home backup generator doesn't qualify for energy credits, I could claim a portion of it as a business expense since I'm self-employed with a dedicated home office that I use exclusively for work. They walked me through how to properly document it and what percentage I could reasonably claim based on my home office square footage. Saved me from potentially making a mistake on my return and definitely saved me hours of frustration on hold.

Don't forget to check with your state tax department too! Federal credits are only part of the picture. In my state (NY), we have additional incentives for "resilient home" improvements that can include generators in certain cases. The state program gave me a $500 credit that the federal wouldn't cover. Also, some insurance companies offer discounts for homes with backup power systems since they reduce claims from power outage related damages (like frozen pipes). Mine gives me about 7% off my annual homeowners premium which adds up over time.

Has anyone looked into medical necessity generators? My father-in-law got a partial tax deduction for his generator because he has medical equipment that requires constant power (oxygen concentrator). His tax guy told him medical necessity home improvements can sometimes be deducted as medical expenses if they exceed the threshold percentage of your AGI.