Submitted By: Steve
Answered: September 17, 2013 8:30 am

I am self-employed and use one portion of my home as an office. My wife is also self-employed and uses a different part of the home as her office. Can we each claim a home office deduction?

Yes, assuming you each meet the eligibility tests for the home office deduction. Each of you would need to complete a separate Form 8829 and attach it to your separate Schedule Cs if you figure the deduction for 2013 using the actual expense method. Alternatively, if you each qualify for a home office deduction, both of you can use the new simplified method for your respective home offices, which is multiplying your square footage (up to 300 square feet) by $5.

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Tax Glossary

Lump-sum distribution

Payments within one tax year of the entire amount due to a participant in a qualified retirement plan. Qualifying lump sums may be directly rolled over tax free, or, in some cases, are eligible for current tax under a favorable averaging method.

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