Do anyone have a guide how to claim for work for home expenses and if you are selected for audit what documents or proof do you supply to substantiate your claim?
This is a never-ending topic of discussion that I have.
Before I go into this, please note the following.
Work From Home (WFH)/Home Office Expenses (HOE) impact your primary residence exclusion and capital gain calculation when you sell your primary residence.
Please go read paragraph 49 together with paragraph 45(1)(a) of the 8th Schedule in the income tax act.
In short: If you use 20% of your home as Home Office and you claim it. Then your primary residence exclusion (Up to R2,000,000.00 [two million]) on CGT will be reduced by 20% or whatever percentage your office is.
It doesn't always create a tax liability due to the reduction in the exclusion, but it is something to be aware of.
The fraction of the deduction is obtained by dividing the m^2 of the office the to the total m^2 of the house (garage included).
Documentation
- Letter from employer stating you are allowed to WFH.
- Detailed Calculation of your deduction
- Relevant supporting documentation substantiating balances in point 2.
Expenses
There are 2 types of expenses when you WFH.
1. Direct Expenses (These don't get apportioned to the m^2 percentage)*
These expenses are
directly attributable to your trade/work and reduced by the private use component.
Examples
- Small Assets under R7000 (Keyboards, Mice, Webcams) - You'll need the invoice and a depreciation schedule.
- Stationery (Pens. Printer Ink. Paper. Books. Etc.)
- Telephone Expenses (You will need to reduce the total by a percentage you deem private)
*They do get apportioned depending on your private use portion. Eg. Cellphone expenses is deemed to be 20% private use.
2. Indirect Expenses (Apportioned to the m^2% of the property)
These are passive expenses not directly involved in your trade but without them you wouldn't be able to perform your tasks
- Water, Rates & Taxes
- Electricity
- Levies
- Insurance
- Rental (If you don't own)
- Interest on bond (Just the interest, not the entire payment)
Calculation
Direct Expenses (after private use reduction) + (Indirect Expenses x m^2%) = Home Office Expenses deduction.
General documentation to substantiate amounts declared
You need to be able to prove every figure you have claimed. SARS looks at this deduction in a lot of detail.
So yeah, a basic summary
- Letter from Employer
- HOE Calculation
- Depreciation Calculation
- Rates & Taxes Statements
- Levy Statement
- Prepaid Electricity Slips or whatever account
- Bank Statements or proof of payment for stuff you don't have statements/invoices for.
- Relevant Invoices
When you submit schedules, please ensure it's clear, concise and it has references to the tables and expenses. If you submit rubbish to SARS you will just have your expense disallowed.
Paid cash and never kept the invoice? Sorry, bad news for you.
And a side note: If your general administration is bad and you don't keep record of your stuff and put it into relevant files (printed) or save it (electronic), or you're too lazy to ask HR for a letter then it's really not worth it. I say this because this is what I deal with too often. Especially after the lockdown. And you can really create difficulties in your life if you aren't organised. It isn't a quick weekend jobbie.