2021 Tax Year Work from Home Expenses:
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has a simplified process for claiming home office expenses for Canadians working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employees who worked from home more than 50% of the time over a period of a least four consecutive weeks in 2021 due to COVID-19 will be eligible to claim the home office expenses deduction for 2021. A temporary flat rate method will allow eligible employees to claim a deduction of $2 for each day they worked at home in that period, plus any other days they worked from home in 2021 due to COVID-19 up to a maximum of $500. Under this method, employees will not have to get Form T2200 or Form T2200S completed and signed by their employer. Employees are encouraged to review the attached memo from the Canadian Payroll Association, as well as visit the CRA Website for full details.
At Trent, many employees have been working from home and there have been various processes in place to transition equipment and furniture to employees’ home offices. Below is a list of FAQ’s regarding Trent’s home office expenses.
Below is a list of FAQ’s regarding Trent’s home office expenses:
What happens if I paid for home office expenses and I was reimbursed fully by Trent?
Any home office expenses Trent fully paid for are the property of Trent and should be returned to Trent when the employee returns to working in-person. This does not include consumable expenses required to perform an employee’s job, such as pens, paper, ink etc. Items that are expected to be returned to Trent are not considered a taxable benefit.
What happens if I paid for home office expenses and I was reimbursed partially by Trent?
Any home office expenses Trent partially paid for that are not expected to be returned to Trent, would be considered a taxable benefit (excluding consumable items). If the amount of the taxable benefit exceeds $500, please email payroll@trentu.ca.
What happens if Trent paid for an expense that I cannot return?
Items that have been paid by Trent and are not returned are considered a taxable benefit (excluding consumable items). If the amount of individual expenses paid by Trent exceeds $500, please email payroll@trentu.ca.
What should I do if I purchased home office expenses and was not reimbursed by Trent?
Personal expenses are owned by the employee and are not considered Trent property and therefore are not a taxable benefit.
What happens if Trent allowed me to take home office equipment to work from home?
Trent owned equipment that has been taken home is still the property of Trent and would be returned when the employee returns to working in-person. This is not considered a taxable benefit.
What should I do if I want to use the detailed method to calculate my home office expenses?
If you worked from home in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were required to pay for some or all of your home office expenses yourself, and want to use the detailed method, please contact payroll@trentu.ca (for Staff) or your Dean’s Office (for Faculty) to request Form T2200S to be filled out.
If I use the temporary flat rate method, can I claim any other employment expenses (for example motor vehicle expenses).
The CRA website indicates that you can not claim any other employment expenses if the flat rate method has been used. Please review the CRA’s website for full details.
If Trent reimbursed me for some of my home office expenses, can I still use the temporary flat rate method?
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can still claim the temporary flat rate method, even if Trent reimbursed you for some of your home office expenses. We encourage all employees to visit the CRA’s website for full details.