Deduct the costs of your home office and set up your study cheaply

Why you shouldn't cut corners on your home office

Working from home is becoming a permanent solution for most companies. According to an IFO study, 56% of all jobs can be moved to a home office at least partially, and currently, it's around 25%. Unfortunately, very few of us had time to prepare for working from home. The result is unfocused and ineffective work, leading to permanent health problems such as neck, shoulder, and back pain. Anyone who spends several hours a day in front of a computer or laptop knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Until recently, it was almost exclusively the employer who took care of things like comfortable seating, eye-friendly lighting, or technical equipment. Now, everyone affected by working from home is responsible for themselves.

Your health is most important

After just one day, a chair or desk unsuitable for a home office becomes noticeable, but what about after a month or even a year?

Spine and back diseases are responsible for a quarter of all sick days. 17.6% of all prescriptions for physiotherapy (physical therapy services) are due to back pain. As you can see, pain that seems harmless at first can, in the long run, become an enormous burden with far-reaching consequences for your health. If you save money on your workspace in the wrong place, your body will pay the price instead.

Certainly, these problems cannot be completely eliminated, but you can take preventive measures and minimize the risk of health consequences. Many tips on this can be found in other blogs on this site.

The employer's obligations

You are being moved to a home office, but you don't have the optimal equipment?

No problem, especially if you have to work from home, the employer is obligated to ensure the necessary measures for your safety and health. This responsibility is not in your hands. The goal is health prevention and meeting health standards. Examples include ergonomic equipment such as optimal seating or a height-adjustable desk.

The employer is obliged to provide this equipment even during home office work. (See Occupational Safety and Health Act)
Unfortunately, this fact is often neglected or completely disregarded. Just as it is the employer's duty to provide an office space, it is their duty to secure the basic requirements for your home office. Of course, only as far as the necessity for home office exists and the premises allow it.

In addition, existing measures must be reviewed and improved if they pose a health risk.

This includes considering the following questions:

1. Is your seating suitable for daily work?
2. Are eye-friendly measures in place?
3. Is your table suitable as a work surface?
4. Is an ergonomic sitting posture considered?
5. Are you sufficiently equipped with technical means?

Clarifying these and many other questions is the employer's responsibility, which leads to a significant financial relief for you.

Tax advantages

Prerequisites

As always, there are certain prerequisites for the tax deduction of your home office:

• The home office is ordered, not recommended

• You work at home in a separate room

• The entire workplace is used 90% for carrying out the activity

Which expenses can be tax-deductible?

• Advertising expenses and operating expenses
• Rent and utility costs
• Internet and electricity costs
• Renovation costs
• Furnishing costs, this includes all necessary measures for carrying out the activity, such as a desk, chair, lamp,
• Insurance policies that concern the home office. For example, home contents insurance
• A flat rate of €5 per working day (maximum €600)
• All other unavoidable expenses to enable your work

Please note:

If your work is largely carried out in your home office, you can deduct the costs in full; in other cases, there is a limit of €1250. All deductible factors relate exclusively to your home office. For an accurate calculation, compare your workspace to your living space.

Short example: How much money you can save

We assume average costs for all expenses. The workspace in our example is 15%

Individual costs for furnishing and renovation, which can also be deducted if necessary, were not considered.

Don't forget the employer's obligation to bear all costs for enabling the activity.

Conclusion

As you've seen from the example, it's not worth saving a few hundred euros on your home office furnishings and thus jeopardizing your health. Be smart and get your money back.