Can I write off my apartment rent as a business expense for my videography company?

Hey there! I run a small videography and photography business in Milwaukee and do most of my work from my apartment when I'm not on location for shoots. I've been struggling with expenses lately and was wondering if there's any way to write off my rent as a business expense on my taxes? I use about half my living room as an editing station, have a small corner set up for product photography, and store all my equipment in one of my closets. My rent is $1,450 per month which is killing me with all my other business expenses. Anyone know if this is something I can deduct? Any other tax-saving tips for a struggling creative would be super appreciated!! Running this business has been awesome but the tax situation is confusing as hell.

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18 comments

Noah Lee

•8M

You can definitely deduct a portion of your rent, but not the whole amount. What you're looking for is the home office deduction. To qualify, you need to use part of your apartment "regularly and exclusively" for business. That means the space can't be used for personal activities too. Since you mentioned using half your living room, a corner for product photography, and a closet, you'll need to calculate what percentage of your total square footage those areas represent. For example, if your business spaces total 300 sq ft out of a 900 sq ft apartment, you could deduct 33% of your rent. You can use either the simplified method ($5 per square foot up to 300 sq ft) or the regular method (calculating actual expenses). Most small business owners find the simplified method easier, but the regular method might give you a bigger deduction.

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Noah Lee

•8M

Those spaces wouldn't qualify because they aren't used "exclusively" for business. If you sometimes use your kitchen table for eating and sometimes for work, that space doesn't count. Only count areas that are 100% dedicated to your business at all times. For your laptop situation, only the permanent workspace would qualify. Moving around occasionally doesn't invalidate your dedicated office space, but you can't count those temporary spots in your square footage calculation.

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Isabella Martin

•8M

I went through this exact situation with my graphic design business last year! I tried doing all the calculations myself and was stressing about exactly what I could deduct. After hours of confusion, I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my apartment expenses and business usage. The tool walked me through exactly how to measure my office space properly and helped me understand what qualified as "exclusive use." I discovered I was actually using more dedicated business space than I thought (when counting equipment storage areas). It even generated documentation to support my deductions in case of an audit. Seriously saved me a ton of time and probably prevented some costly mistakes. Plus it helped me find other deductions for my business I had no idea about!

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Isabella Martin

•8M

The tool uses a guided interview process where you input measurements and describe how you use each space. You don't need to upload photos, but you can attach them to your records if you want extra documentation. It asks specific questions to determine if your spaces meet the "regular and exclusive use" requirements. It absolutely helps with verification. It creates an audit-ready file with all your deduction calculations, measurements, and business use documentation. The IRS does scrutinize home office deductions, which is exactly why having proper documentation is so important. It's basically like having a tax pro guide you through the process without the hefty hourly rate.

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Elijah Jackson

•8M

Just wanted to update that I tried https://taxr.ai after asking about it yesterday. It was way more helpful than I expected! I've been taking random deductions for years without really documenting anything. The system helped me properly calculate my office space (turns out I was being too conservative) and showed me how to document everything correctly. It also pointed out that I could deduct a portion of utilities, internet, and even renter's insurance that I had no idea about. Really impressed with how it explained everything in simple terms. Definitely feel more confident about my deductions now!

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Mason Davis

•8M

If you're dealing with the IRS about your home office deduction, be prepared for a long wait on the phone. After I got audited last year (they questioned my home office deduction), I spent HOURS trying to reach someone. I finally found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They basically hold your place in line and call you when they get an agent. Saved me literally hours of hold time. The IRS agent helped me understand exactly what documentation I needed to defend my home office deduction.

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Mason Davis

•8M

It doesn't jump the queue - that would be illegal. Instead, they have automated systems that wait on hold for you. When a real person answers, their system detects it and immediately connects you. They're basically waiting on hold so you don't have to. I was super skeptical too. The average IRS wait time when I called was over 90 minutes. The service connected me in about 12 minutes. I used the time I saved to organize my documentation instead of listening to awful hold music. I don't remember exactly what I paid, but it was worth every penny considering the alternative was losing half my day on hold.

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Jacob Lewis

•8M

OK I have to admit I was dead wrong about Claimyr. After being skeptical yesterday, I had to call the IRS today about my home office deduction questions and decided to try it. I was connected to an actual IRS person in 11 minutes while the recorded message had said the wait time was "greater than 2 hours." The agent walked me through exactly what documentation I need for my home office deduction and cleared up my confusion about the simplified vs. regular method. Honestly felt like a life hack. Wish I had known about this years ago when I spent entire afternoons on hold just to get disconnected.

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Amelia Martinez

•8M

Don't forget about all the other business expenses you can write off besides just rent! Since you do videography and photography, you can deduct: - Equipment purchases (cameras, lights, etc.) - Software subscriptions (editing software, cloud storage) - Travel to shoots (mileage or actual expenses) - Professional development (courses, workshops) - Marketing expenses (website, business cards) - Props and backdrops - External hard drives and memory cards These can add up to more savings than the home office deduction in many cases!

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Amelia Martinez

•8M

There are several good mileage tracking apps - MileIQ, Everlance, and Stride are popular ones. Most have free versions with limited trips and paid versions for more frequent drivers. For past mileage, you can create a log retroactively, but you'll need to provide reasonable documentation. Look through your calendar, emails, or invoices to find dates of shoots. Then use Google Maps to determine the mileage for each trip. Keep this log with addresses, dates, purpose of trips, and miles driven. It's not ideal, but it's better than losing the deduction entirely. Going forward, I'd strongly recommend using an automatic tracking app.

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