Your "tax home" is generally defined as the general area of your main place of business, employment, or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family home. It is the location where you permanently or indefinitely work as an employee or self-employed individual. If you do not have a regular or main place of business due to the nature of your work, your tax home is considered to be the place where you regularly live. If you do not have a regular place of business or residence, you are considered an itinerant, and your tax home is wherever you work.
Determining Your Tax Home
- Main place of business or employment: Your tax home is the general area where you regularly work. This includes the entire city or general area in which your business or work is located.
- No main place of business: If your work does not have a fixed location, your tax home may be the place where you regularly live.
- Itinerant (transient): If you do not have a regular place of business or residence, you are considered an itinerant. In this case, your tax home is wherever you work, and you cannot claim travel expense deductions because you are never considered to be traveling away from home.
Special Cases and Exceptions
- Seafarers: If you are employed on a ship or seafaring vessel that is predominantly used in local and international waters (i.e., time spent in international waters and within 3 miles of the relevant territory exceeds time spent in U.S. or foreign territorial waters), you will not be considered to have a tax home outside the relevant territory solely due to your employment on the vessel.
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE): To qualify for FEIE, you must have a tax home in a foreign country. Your tax home is generally your principal place of business, employment, or post of duty in that foreign country.
- Bona Fide Residence Test: For purposes of determining bona fide residency in a U.S. territory (e.g., American Samoa, Guam), your tax home must be located in that territory for the entire tax year to satisfy the tax home test.
Tax Home vs. Family Home
Your tax home may differ from your family home. Travel expenses between your tax home and family home are generally not deductible. Additionally, meals and lodging while at your tax home are not deductible if you are not traveling away from home.
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Disclaimer: Always verify with current Federal or State Department of Revenue Forms and Instructions. This information is for general guidance and may not apply to your specific situation. For complex tax matters, consult a CPA or tax attorney.