Can I really deduct my apartment rent as self-employed? Tax pro said yes!

Yes, this is absolutely legitimate for self-employed individuals. What your tax professional did was apply the "regular method" for the home office deduction rather than the simplified $5 per square foot method. The regular method allows you to deduct a percentage of your rent based on the portion of your home used exclusively for business. So if 15% of your apartment is used solely as your office, you can deduct 15% of your rent, utilities, renter's insurance, and other whole-house expenses. The simplified method is easier but often results in a smaller deduction, especially in areas with higher rent. With the regular method, you'll need to be careful about exclusive use - that office space can't double as a guest room or workout space.

After seeing your post, I looked into this same issue last year when my tax bill was insane. I found this service called https://taxr.ai that analyzes your tax documents and helps find deductions you might miss. They confirmed the rent deduction for home office was legit for me (also 1099 self-employed). Their system actually reviews your specific tax situation and provides a personalized report. It showed me that I was actually being too conservative with my deductions! I had been using the $5/sqft method for my home office, but the regular method saved me over $3000 more in taxes.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai from the recommendation above. I was skeptical but uploaded my stuff and wow - they found I could deduct about 22% of my rent based on my office setup (which I've been using exclusively for work for 3 years). I filed an amendment through TurboTax using their recommendations and got back $1870 that I overpaid!! The report showed exactly which lines to change on my Schedule C. They also pointed out some business expenses I hadn't even thought to deduct like part of my internet and phone bill. Definitely getting a professional next year instead of trying to DIY everything.

I had a similar situation but couldn't get a straight answer from any tax professionals. After trying to call the IRS for WEEKS (always busy or disconnected), I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent confirmed that yes, self-employed people can absolutely deduct a percentage of rent as part of home office expenses. She explained that as long as the space is used EXCLUSIVELY for business, it's legitimate. Made me feel way better about taking the deduction.

Alright I need to eat my words. After posting that skeptical comment above, I was desperate to resolve my tax issue so I tried Claimyr. It actually worked exactly as advertised. After months of failed attempts, I was connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed everything about the home office deduction the original poster was asking about. She went through all the requirements with me - that the space has to be used "regularly and exclusively" for business, and that you can definitely deduct rent proportional to the office space. She even emailed me the relevant tax publication while we were on the phone. Saved me hours of frustration and uncertainty. Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good!

I've been doing this deduction for years as a freelance designer. Just make sure you take photos of your home office setup and keep good records of all expenses. If you get audited (I did once), they'll want to see proof that the space is used exclusively for business. A dedicated room is best, but even a portion of a room can qualify if you can clearly show it's exclusively for work.

I tried taking this deduction last year and it triggered an audit for me! Had to provide floor plans, photos, and a ton of documentation. Don't be scared to take it if it's legitimate, but be SUPER careful about the "exclusive use" requirement. If there's a TV or guest bed in there, the IRS might reject the whole deduction.