Lawn Care & Home Improvements

[legomom922]

Ok, so today I am working on my Home improvements file. So, from what I understand, is that we can deduct:

Home improvements that effect or help our daycare business?

Lawn care, cutting, fertilizing, grub & bug control, cost of grass seed, time spent mowing etc.

Would this also include hiring a company to come out to help our trees & shurbs with a bug & disease problem? They needed treatments (sprays) and also how about the cost of having our tree professionally trimed?

What about cost of paint & brushes, paint trays for redecorating rooms that DCK's walk through or are in? Kitchen? Bedrooms, livingroom, etc, bathroom repairs? (leaky ceiling) new bathroom fixtures (toilet seats, sink hardware, faucets, cost of cleaning oven supplies? etc

[TomCopeland]

Deduct it all

Deduct it all. It's all "ordinary and necessary" for your business. I'm assuming that the day care children use the bathrooms you are repairing. Of course, for those expenses that are used by your family and your business, apply your time-space %. That includes most everything you list.

[dEHmom]

non slip grip tape

My front door/steps are only used for daycare. Everyone else uses my side/back door.
The steps were really slippery and by the time we found that out, it was too late to repaint it with sand in the paint. And to sand the steps down, we would have to do so many many times a day as it would just fall through the cracks. So we purchased some non-slip grip tape (it's for skateboards) and decided to use that on the steps to make strips of grip. It was very expensive, but can I claim that 100% or would it have to be t/s because I can't prove we use it only for daycare?

[legomom922]

I would think you could claim them 100% AS LONG AS NO ONE ELSE USES THEM.

Ok, how about a jigsaw my DH had to buy to do improvements? He had to build a frame around our closets to add new closet doors. Where alot fo my dc supllies are kept of course and coats.

[dEHmom]

I would think you could claim them 100% AS LONG AS NO ONE ELSE USES THEM.

Maybe I'll claim them 90% so that I don't have to shoo the delivery guy off the steps with a broom.

I think you would have to use t/s because he will use it eventually for other projects no?

hows your son doing?

[TomCopeland]

home improvements

You can claim 100% of the cost of the front step tape as long as you never, ever used the front steps for personal purposes. Do neighborhood kids use these front steps on Halloween? If it's not 100% business then you could claim 90% or whatever the proper actual business use is. Or you can use the time-space percentage and there will be no question about it.

If a tool is used 100% for business in 2010 then you can deduct it all. If it's used for personal purposes in 2011 then it doesn't matter because you've already deducted it. If you bought the tool in 2011 for your business, wait until the end of the year to see if it was also used personally or not before deciding whether you can deduct all of it.

[legomom922]

It is not 100% business, as now that he has it, he's uses it on other stuff, like now he is remodeling our bathroom, but that one is in our BR, so no kids would ever use that one...hmmm or could they??? DCG naps in my room, she is potty training right now..I suppose I could train her in there like when she wakes up from her nap. I never had even thought of including that bathroom in my DC space %, but I suppose I could get creative, and put her potty chair there...then I probably could claim expenses for that remodel job too right? I wish I had thought of this before!! I think I threw out half of those reciepts, LOL

[TomCopeland]

home improvements

If a child sleeps in a room that room is regularly used for your business and you can deduct the t/s% of the costs of repairing it. A room could also be counted as a day care space if it's used for storage of day care items. However, throwing a potty chair in a bathroom and calling it a storage room won't fly. We have to be reasonable. Storing sleeping mats or many toys in a room that are used several times a week makes more sense.

[Unregistered]

I know I'm late to this site (if it is still up at all). Are we talking about all daycares for the home improvements or only licensed daycares. There is a difference according to tax laws.

[TomCopeland]

home improvements

I know I'm late to this site (if it is still up at all). Are we talking about all daycares for the home improvements or only licensed daycares. There is a difference according to tax laws.

All family child care providers can claim home improvements on Form 4562 even if they are not licensed.

[Jewels]

I'm re painting the primary daycare bathroom, this is also the bathroom, all guests and my husband and I use also, but I'm painting it 4 different colors, bright orange, purple, bright green and bright blue, I'm painting it for my daycare kids and business, I would obviously never paint it like that for myself, Can I deduct that paint 100%?

[TomCopeland]

Paint

I'm re painting the primary daycare bathroom, this is also the bathroom, all guests and my husband and I use also, but I'm painting it 4 different colors, bright orange, purple, bright green and bright blue, I'm painting it for my daycare kids and business, I would obviously never paint it like that for myself, Can I deduct that paint 100%?

Since you use the bathroom for personal purposes, you can't deduct 100% of the cost of the paint, even though it's painted for the children. Something is deductible based on how it's used, not why you are doing it.