I Need To Claim More

[lovemykidstoo]

I wonder what the average t/s is that everyone normally does.

[MyAngels]

I wonder what the average t/s is that everyone normally does.

I don't know that there really is an average. The best way to figure it out is to keep records for two months of the year of every hour that you spend in your home doing anything related to daycare, then use that figure to estimate for the rest of the year. You can claim any time you spend preparing for daycare (curriculum, activities, etc.), cleaning for daycare (anything over and above what you'd normally do), surfing the internet if it's daycare related, etc. When I do mine it normally comes out to between 38-43%.

[lovemykidstoo]

I don't know that there really is an average. The best way to figure it out is to keep records for two months of the year of every hour that you spend in your home doing anything related to daycare, then use that figure to estimate for the rest of the year. You can claim any time you spend preparing for daycare (curriculum, activities, etc.), cleaning for daycare (anything over and above what you'd normally do), surfing the internet if it's daycare related, etc. When I do mine it normally comes out to between 38-43%.

That helps thank you! She currently has me at 23%, which isn't even correct based on my attendance alone that I keep track of weekly. So first I need to get that figure right and then kinda take a look and average out what I spend doing all the things you mentioned. What about shopping for 100% daycare items, like if I go to the craft store. Does that count with travel time too?

[Sunchimes]

How do I keep records on that other than the attendance sheets? Thank you! You all have been lifesavers!

Tom's Tax Organizer has a blank page at the back to keep track of meals. When I scan and total my sign in sheets at the end of the week, it just takes a couple of minutes to check off the lines. You don't have to remember that Tommy wasn't here for breakfast Tuesday or left before afternoon snack on Friday. It's right there on your sign in sheet. Particularly helpful a few months into the year when you have slacked off a bit. 😄

[lovemykidstoo]

Tom's Tax Organizer has a blank page at the back to keep track of meals. When I scan and total my sign in sheets at the end of the week, it just takes a couple of minutes to check off the lines. You don't have to remember that Tommy wasn't here for breakfast Tuesday or left before afternoon snack on Friday. It's right there on your sign in sheet. Particularly helpful a few months into the year when you have slacked off a bit. 😄

I'm going to order Tom's book online today. I just called Barnes and Nobel and they don't have it in store, but I can order online. Can't I go by this statement from my food program for the end of the year that lists 1,296 snacks?

[Josiegirl]

That helps thank you! She currently has me at 23%, which isn't even correct based on my attendance alone that I keep track of weekly. So first I need to get that figure right and then kinda take a look and average out what I spend doing all the things you mentioned. What about shopping for 100% daycare items, like if I go to the craft store. Does that count with travel time too?

Only thing you can do with the shopping, whether it be groceries(as long as over 50% is dc related) or crafts, materials, etc. is count your miles. If you travel for conferences or trainings, log your miles.

[Josiegirl]

Yeh, 23% sounds awfully low. Mine runs anywhere from 28-32%, depending on how many hours I put in, in any given year.

[TomCopeland]

meal counts

How do I keep records on that other than the attendance sheets? Thank you! You all have been lifesavers!

Track meal counts on attendance sheets is all you need to do. Any other method that shows the name of the child and the type and number of meals and snacks served every day will work.

[TomCopeland]

telephone

Our last accountant did 100% on internet and cable. Hope I don't get in trouble for that. That's why I hired someone, I have no clue. This account did the t/s on it. I am writing off my landline, which is only about $50 a year since I use Magic Jack, but I think my husband may write off part of the cell phones since he has a carpet cleaning business. I'm assuming only 1 of us can write that off or can both of us?

You or your husband can't deduct any portion of the first phone line into your home. You can deduct part of a second line as can your husband.

[TomCopeland]

time-space%

I wonder what the average t/s is that everyone normally does.

The average number of hours providers care for children is 11 hours a day. That is equal to 33% of the year. The average number of hours providers conduct business activities in their home after children are gone is about 13 hours a week. That is equal to 8% of the year. That's an average time percent of 41%. I haven't seen studies on the average space percent. I'd guess that an average time-space % would be 30-35. However, I've seen them as high as 98%! Don't worry about averages. Instead, keep records and claim whatever it is for you.

[TomCopeland]

travel time

That helps thank you! She currently has me at 23%, which isn't even correct based on my attendance alone that I keep track of weekly. So first I need to get that figure right and then kinda take a look and average out what I spend doing all the things you mentioned. What about shopping for 100% daycare items, like if I go to the craft store. Does that count with travel time too?

You can't count time spent away from your home. So, shopping, going to the bank, grocery store, trainings, etc. don't count because you are not in your home.

[TomCopeland]

meal counts

I'm going to order Tom's book online today. I just called Barnes and Nobel and they don't have it in store, but I can order online. Can't I go by this statement from my food program for the end of the year that lists 1,296 snacks?

Yes, you can use this food program statement as proof of how many meals and snacks you served. But this only represents your reimbursed snacks, then you need to have your own records showing your unreimbursed snacks.

[lovemykidstoo]

Yeh, 23% sounds awfully low. Mine runs anywhere from 28-32%, depending on how many hours I put in, in any given year.

She totally figured it wrong. I gave her my book called forms facts and figures. Right in it it says the actual daycare hours I had kids was 2,428 hours, so that right there divided by 8,760 hours in a year is 28%. So now is it ok to go back and estimate how many hours I've done bookwork, training, shopping, cleaning, interviews etc? I'm not going to go crazy, but even a couple of percentages up would help alot. Is it ok to do that? I figured the t/s % right correct? 2,428/8760 is 28%?

[Josiegirl]

She totally figured it wrong. I gave her my book called forms facts and figures. Right in it it says the actual daycare hours I had kids was 2,428 hours, so that right there divided by 8,760 hours in a year is 28%. So now is it ok to go back and estimate how many hours I've done bookwork, training, shopping, cleaning, interviews etc? I'm not going to go crazy, but even a couple of percentages up would help alot. Is it ok to do that? I figured the t/s % right correct? 2,428/8760 is 28%?

Tom will know. But again, you won't be able to include the shopping or trainings in the TS% because they're not done in your home. UNless you do online trainings, or homework from regular classes, at home.

The way I do mileage for shopping is figure out how many miles to certain stores I regularly shop at, then count my receipts to that store. And as long as my purchases total more than 50% for dc I can count the trips.
Do you also count going to the dump or paying for trash pick-up in your deductions? I didn't notice if you had or not.

[lovemykidstoo]

Tom will know. But again, you won't be able to include the shopping or trainings in the TS% because they're not done in your home. UNless you do online trainings, or homework from regular classes, at home.

The way I do mileage for shopping is figure out how many miles to certain stores I regularly shop at, then count my receipts to that store. And as long as my purchases total more than 50% for dc I can count the trips.
Do you also count going to the dump or paying for trash pick-up in your deductions? I didn't notice if you had or not.

I do most, if not all of my trainings online, so I can do that? That makes complete sense about only things done in the home. Our trash pickup fee is in our taxes, which I'll take a % of. We don't get a separate bill for that. When I grocery shop, I would have to say at least 75% of the food I buy, the kids get too. We basically share all the food. Now, a few days ago I went to get things just for our dinner and I also had to get some white out, so I just paid for that separately, so I could claim the mileage. Is that wrong?

Bonus is I'm still doing paperwork for last year and I found the receipt for the new screen door that I had to put up because the kids kept breaking my other one. It was $341. Do I use the t/s on that?