Working at home, also known as telecommuting, is a way for people to perform their job at a place other than a central office.
Pros
Working from home can be beneficial to an employee. Without having to drive to work, a person can save money they would have spent on gas for their car. This also helps the environment by cutting down on pollution. Working from home is convenient for those with disabilities, as well as parents who have to take care of small children. Many people prefer to work from the comfort of their own home as opposed to a central office building.ETO: Telework (Telecommuting): the Benefits - and some Issues!
Cons
Working from home can also have drawbacks for both the employee and the employer. People that work from home may find that they are doing more work than they would at an office. They also must deal with distractions that would likely not be found in an office environment. Telecommuters can develop a sense of alienation due to the fact that they are not interacting with other employees. In addition, companies that hire telecommuters have limited supervision over them and may experience drops in productivity.ETO: Telework (Telecommuting): the Benefits - and some Issues!
Claiming Tax Deductions
If you use part of your home just for business on a regular bases, you can claim a business deduction. It could be a room or a table in the corner. The size of the space does not matter. The amount you can deduct depends on the percentage of the home used and maybe limited to the gross income from your business if less than your total business expenses.
There are some special rules for daycare providers and for storing business inventory or product samples.
If you are self-employed, use Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home to figure your home office deduction and report those deductions on line 30 of Form 1040 Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business.
If you are an employee different rules apply.
It does really matter what role the space holds in the running of your business as long as you use the space regularly.
For more information see IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home, available at IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
Work At Home Call Centers
In the past few years, virtual call centers have taken the lead when it comes to hiring at home workers. The work is basically customer service and support.
Calls are routed to your home phone where you take orders using your home PC. Some companies have software you must download and they may want to run a test on your computer but little than that is required to start the application process.
Some of the titles used are [[Call Center Agent], Live Operators or Customer Service Agents. Below is a list of great sites to get you started:
References
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