Coworking + Taxes: What You Need to Know
I want to start off by saying that I am not a licensed tax professional—this is not tax advice. This is simply some research I pulled for us to learn together about how working out of a coworking space can affect your taxes.
Now that the legal disclaimer is over, let’s dive right in. In certain circumstances, coworking memberships are tax-deductible. If you’re a freelancer or 1099 employee, your membership is considered a business expense deduction. If you’re a W2 employee, your membership is not deductible. You can get your employer to pay/reimburse you; we even have a handy guide you can send to your employer.
As an employer, if you purchase coworking memberships or day passes for you or your employees, you can deduct those costs from your taxes. It’s similar to renting traditional office space; it’s an expense that goes toward running your business, therefore it’s deductible.
For both employers and independent contractors/freelancers to claim these write offs, all you have to do is fill out this Schedule C form.
For freelancers, you can either claim your coworking membership or your home office–not both. There is one exception, though: if you use your home office for day-to-day business activities and use a coworking space for meeting with clients in conference rooms, then you may claim both. Just make sure you can show that both are used for their intended purpose if you’re ever audited.
Speaking of conference rooms, if you held any business meetings at a coworking space (even if you aren’t a member), the cost of the room can be deducted from your taxes as a business expense.
As far as parking and/or mileage cannot be a deducted expense, as they’re both considered commuting expenses. Luckily for members of The Root Coworking, our parking is free. Freelancers, however, can deduct mileage/parking costs if they visit a client at their space (if costs are incurred).
Attending networking events can be deducted if your goal is to meet new clients or continue your education in your industry. Hosting networking events are also tax deductible, but there are lots of rules and regulations to this, so consult a professional on the details. For example, food and drinks are only 50% deductible, but a seminar is 100%.
These are the basics of what you might be eligible for this tax season as far as coworking is concerned. Make sure to reach out to your personal tax advisor to get squared away this April!
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Member of the Month: John Edwards, Enovation Controls
Have you ever met a child prodigy all grown up? Well you’re about to! Meet John Edwards, who built his first computer at 6 (yes, 6!) years old. He’s now a software architect for Enovation Controls. John likes to call himself the “biggest introvert at The Root,” but with how he participates in our community, we’re thinking he’s gotta be an extroverted introvert!

Member of the Month: Danny McClary, Waterfield Technologies
Picked up a thesaurus for myself to write about our new member of the month and resident linguist Danny McClary! You wouldn’t guess that the head of IT at Waterfield Technologies would also be the member with the biggest vocabulary, but hey! He reads a lot! Danny always meets us downstairs for Beer:30 and shares thoughts about his day. Wordle supreme champion and a lover of musicals, Danny is a big part of our community.

Focusing on Your Mental Health In The Workplace; A New Quarterly Series Hosted By Lilli Higgins With Together Just
We’ve started a new quarterly event at The Root Coworking: a collaboration with local mental health non-profit, Together Just! Their executive director and lead therapist, Lilli Higgins, CTRS/L, started her first event here with the topic of work/life balance. Hey, we know what you’re thinking. “Work/life balance? I hear about that all the time and know what it means.” Before Lilli presented—we thought we did, too. Turns out, we still had a lot to learn!
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