Home Business Resources

Writing Off Your Home Office on Your Income Taxes
With the proliferation of home offices, the IRS has been forced to establish strict guidelines for what constitutes a home office and which parts of a home office can be deducted from your income as legitimate expenses, and which ones can't. Starting in 1999, a home office only needs to be a place to administer a business in order to qualify for a deduction; a home office does not have to be the primary place where you meet clients or even the sole place from which you perform your day to day work functions. However, for a space within the home to qualify as a home office for tax purposes, that space must still be used exclusively for business purposes.

Answers to Your Home-Based Business Questions
Jim Blasingame, the self-proclaimed "small business advocate," offers advice on starting and maintaining a home-based business, on topics such as choosing an accountant, choosing a lawyer, checking out business opportunities, becoming an independent contractor, pricing, stress management, publicity, and your professional image.

Freelancers Union
This organization provides information about joining the freelance union is available, as are new health plans and good companies to freelance for. Information about work-at-home and freelance jobs is also posted with events and resources. This organization represents the needs and concerns of America's growing independent workforce through advocacy, information and service. Best companies to freelance for are also noted and listed.

Home Office Lighting Tips from Staples
Tips for home office lighting. Many home office workers spend a lot of their time working in front of their computers. If the area around your monitor is not well lit, there will be a contrast between the bright computer screen and the darkness of the room, which will certainly create eye strain after awhile. To avoid this situation, try "washing" the wall behind your computer with a recessed "wall washer", a light fixture that looks like a regular light that would project light down the wall, but, says Doreen Lee May Madden, a lighting consultant "the optics, or reflectors, inside are designed to kick light out of the side instead of having it shoot straight down." Variations in the color of lighting can also create an attractive effect. Different types of bulbs provide different shades and colors of light. "An incandescent lamp... has a lot of yellow in it and a halogen lamp has more bluish white to it. By mixing different types of bulbs you'll achieve an effect that is more pleasing to the eye," states Madden.