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Best answer by DivinaMercy_N

Hi there, @teamjim. I've come to provide information about your concern.

 

QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE) and QuickBooks Online (QBO) are two different software. Work from home deduction is only available if you're using QBSE. In QuickBooks Online (QBO), you can add an account for Work from home expenses. To do so, you can follow these steps:

  1. In your QBO account, go to the Gear icon.
  2. Next, select New.
  3. In the Account Type dropdown, choose an account type for the expense.
  4. Then, select the detail type that best fits the transactions you want to track in the Detail Type dropdown.
  5. Enter an account name. Example: Work from home expenses.
  6. When done, click Save and Close.

 

To get more information about the process, check out this article: Add an account to your chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online. It also provides instructions on how you can add parents and subaccounts. 

 

However, I'd highly suggest reaching out to your accountant before performing these steps. This is to ensure that you have an accurate record of your account and to further guide you in creating a Work from home expense option. If you don't have one, you can utilize our Find an Accountant tool to look for one near you.  

 

You may also want to visit our QuickBooks Help page to find articles and guides that can help you perform your QBO tasks. 

 

Please add a reply below if you have any other concerns about expense accounts in QBO. I'll be always here to assist you further. Have a good one. 

2 replies

DivinaMercy_N
February 20, 2022

Hi there, @teamjim. I've come to provide information about your concern.

 

QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE) and QuickBooks Online (QBO) are two different software. Work from home deduction is only available if you're using QBSE. In QuickBooks Online (QBO), you can add an account for Work from home expenses. To do so, you can follow these steps:

  1. In your QBO account, go to the Gear icon.
  2. Next, select New.
  3. In the Account Type dropdown, choose an account type for the expense.
  4. Then, select the detail type that best fits the transactions you want to track in the Detail Type dropdown.
  5. Enter an account name. Example: Work from home expenses.
  6. When done, click Save and Close.

 

To get more information about the process, check out this article: Add an account to your chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online. It also provides instructions on how you can add parents and subaccounts. 

 

However, I'd highly suggest reaching out to your accountant before performing these steps. This is to ensure that you have an accurate record of your account and to further guide you in creating a Work from home expense option. If you don't have one, you can utilize our Find an Accountant tool to look for one near you.  

 

You may also want to visit our QuickBooks Help page to find articles and guides that can help you perform your QBO tasks. 

 

Please add a reply below if you have any other concerns about expense accounts in QBO. I'll be always here to assist you further. Have a good one. 

teamjimAuthor
February 20, 2022

Sure, thanks. This would be the obvious work around. But when I add an expense it asks for a payee?? I guess that’s my energy provider….

Adrian_A
February 20, 2022

Thanks for getting back to us, teamjim.

 

You'll be asked for a payee when you create an expense transaction. Since you'll add a work from home expense account, you can do it either on the Chart of Accounts page. 

 

You can follow the steps shared by my colleague. I've also added these screenshots as your visual guide:

 

 

Also, you can visit our QuickBooks Help page to find articles and guides that can help you perform your QBO tasks. 

 

I'll be around whenever there's anything that I can help with managing your QuickBooks account. Have a good one!

March 5, 2024

where in self employed quick books does it show the "working from home" simplified amount. I have to reply to IR pro ratia  income but I cannot see the £317 pro rate for working from a home office?

March 5, 2024

Hi Colin, thanks for joining this thread. 

 

Information on the hours worked from home can be entered in the tax profile in QuickBooks Self-Employed. For further information on setting up your tax profile, see here

 

By providing this information, along with your total business income, spending and allowable expenses, QuickBooks can calculate your self-employment taxes (viewable from the Reports tab). If you have any further Q's, get back in touch!