Comments on: Can I legally claim work I do on home improvement on my taxes?

By: Judy

Judy — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:04:52 +0000

Uh….no you can’t. You couldn’t even claim your time if you were doing it for a charity, and certainly can’t claim it for work you do for yourself.

Can I claim the time I spend doing laundry or vacuuming? Think about it……

By: hometech02

hometech02 — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:25:05 +0000

so write a bill up for joeblow company and file it away with your other papers. I aint gonna tell. can they prove you didnt pay him in cash.. can they prove you didnt pay him labor and you bought material? cuz thats what you did…
not the answer you wanted to hear but it happens.

By: Brian G

Brian G — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:14:40 +0000

No. The work you pay for someone else to do would be added into the cost basis of the house when you sell it, reducing your taxes if you owe any on the sale. If you do it yourself, only the cost of materials are added to the cost basis. You are expected to maintain your own home.