Login

I’m trying to figure out if I can deduct the cost of my home office desk and chair this year, since I’m now fully remote and my company doesn’t provide furniture. I bought a new ergonomic chair and a larger desk specifically for work, but I’m getting mixed messages about whether these qualify as a capital expense or if they can be written off directly.

I did something similar when I was freelancing. The desk and chair felt like business assets, so I could depreciate them over a few years or, if the numbers worked, elect to expense the full cost in year one. I kept receipts and split the cost by how much of the room I used for work.

If you’re just an employee with a full remote setup, most of these costs aren’t deductible right now. The unreimbursed employee business expenses deduction was basically removed for the years through 2025, so the chair and desk don’t usually qualify unless you have a separate business income.

Some folks go the simple route with the home office deduction for self employed folks, using a per area method. It requires regular and exclusive use of part of the home, and you’d calculate a deduction based on the workspace size. It’s a separate calculation from buying furniture.

I learned you have to prove the space is used exclusively for work. If the room doubles as a living space, a portion might be disallowed. For a dedicated setup, it might be worth talking to a CPA.

I bought the desk and chair and then forgot to check the receipts; I ended up not deducting them because I wasn't sure how to allocate personal vs business use; Now I'm reconsidering.

Are you sure about your status — W2 employee vs self employed? That makes a big difference in whether any of this is deductible.

One thing that bugs me is the idea of capital expense vs current deduction; in practice you either depreciate or deduct; It depends on your tax situation and where the item sits on your books.

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me