Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare and Taxes>Lets Make A List For T/S %
legomom922 07:19 AM 02-25-2011
I thought it would be helpful if we all could add something to the "worked when no kids are here" list, because we dont always think of everything that someone else may.

1. Shoveling deck, porch, driveway
2. Salting deck porch driveway
3. Mowing grass, trimming, raking, gardening, pulling weeds, watering lawn & flowers, bushes, trees.
4. Cleaning house,
5.Unloading groceries
6. Making out a grocery list
7.Laundry, washing, drying, folding, putting away
8. Loading dishwasher, emptying dishwasher, putting stuff away
9. Cooking, preparing meals
10.Online research, training, reading daycare.com LOL
11. Painting, repairing, remodeling
12. Cleaning out & organizing garage
13. Cleaning toys, rotating toys, putting away & organizing toys
14. Cleaning out gutters
15.Duct cleaning
16.Painting a deck
17.Cleaning pool, adding chemicals
18.Washing & vaccuming car?????
19.Bookwork, MMK, working on taxes
20.Defrosting freezer, cleaning out refrigerator, cleaning oven
21. Cleaning windows
22. Baby/Child proofing
23. Sealing driveway, sweeping driveway
Reply
dEHmom 07:33 AM 02-25-2011
craft supplies? like the time to get the crafts prepared for kids

-interviews
-yoga lol
-coupon clipping
-
Reply
legomom922 08:59 AM 02-25-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
craft supplies? like the time to get the crafts prepared for kids

-interviews
-yoga lol
-coupon clipping
-
Yoga??? How do we get away with one?

I have more:

Hose down & clean PNPs, strollers
Office work, filing, writing up term letters
Baking cakes for parents
Cleaning the finger prints off my sliding glass door & windows, and front door
Fall prep: Cleaning all windows, and putting in storm windows, doors
Reply
daycare 09:05 AM 02-25-2011
what about phone interviews and tours?
interviews
time spent on PHB or contracts?
building website
placing ads on craigs list and etc
sanitizing toys (ok since I cant write that word; cleaning of the daycare toys..) (admin: I fixed it)
steem clean carpets/ polish hardwood floors
food program paper work
I know I have more but I am thinking lmao this could be awhile.

thats a great list thanks for sharing
Reply
MARSTELAC 10:22 AM 02-25-2011
Daycare Association Meetings....
Reply
lucky 10:45 AM 02-25-2011
Can we claim training or meetings done away from our home? I always thought the rule was no, but there is a heading under other time spent in mmk for meetings or trainings. If we can I've been missing out on alot of hours!
Reply
TSDaycare 10:51 AM 02-25-2011
wow yes I hadn't thought of all those.....but what are the requirements for being able to show all the time spent doing this?
Reply
daycare 10:52 AM 02-25-2011
Originally Posted by TSDaycare:
wow yes I hadn't thought of all those.....but what are the requirements for being able to show all the time spent doing this?
keeping a log of the time spent on each activity...
Reply
legomom922 12:15 PM 02-25-2011
Originally Posted by daycare:
keeping a log of the time spent on each activity...
MMK is a log!!
Reply
busymomof2 12:49 PM 02-25-2011
1. writting weekly receipts
2. inputting into MM
3. photo copying
4. record keeping
5. writting/creating newsletters & menus
6. Updating webpage blo
7. replying to emails
8. Tom's webinar
9. on-line training
10. reading Tom's books
11. researching picture books online library catalog & requesting
12. any prep of curriculum & crafts (cutting, gathering, etc.)
13. Decorating playroom for themes, spcial days
14. wrapping dc gifts
15. filling soap dispensers, toilet paper & paper towels
16. sharping pencils & organizing supplies
17, putting together daycare scrapbook
Reply
TomCopeland 12:50 PM 02-25-2011
Tracking these hours that everyone is listing is probably the single most important record keeping task you can perform that will reduce your taxes the most!

However, you can't count hours that you would be spending on activities that you would do if you weren't in business, such as hours spent mowing lawn/gardening. Don't count hours on general cleaning activities: duct cleaning, cleaning out garage, painting a deck, cleaning out gutters, cleaning the pool, washing the car, etc. If this cleaning is for areas that are used by the business (deck, pool, garage) you can count some of the time, but not all of the time.

You can't count time spent away from your home. If you have meetings in your home or do online training in your home, this counts.
Reply
legomom922 02:25 PM 02-25-2011
Originally Posted by TomCopeland:
However, you can't count hours that you would be spending on activities that you would do if you weren't in business, such as hours spent mowing lawn/gardening. Don't count hours on general cleaning activities: duct cleaning, cleaning out garage, painting a deck, cleaning out gutters, cleaning the pool, washing the car, etc. If this cleaning is for areas that are used by the business (deck, pool, garage) you can count some of the time, but not all of the time.
Ok, so Tom I have a question for you. If I am in business, shouldnt the upkeep of a home count as work? Such as lawn mowing, cleaning out gutters, pulling weeds, etc? I was told that professional lawn care can be written off, so why not mowing our grass?

Now for the the duct work..Doesn't that provide cleaner air for kids to breathe?

Cleaning out the garage..I would clean/organize my garage 1x a month just because of all the toys that were in there. Now the times I was in there sweeping, or cleaning up the tool bench, no I would count that.

Painting a deck..Isnt that a home improvement and since the deck is used in the summer, why wouldnt that count? I had greatly improved our deck because of daycare. It looked horrid! I didnt want anyone to see it, so we fixed some broken boards, painted it, put up a screen house, bought a new grill, and we spent alot of time out there. Kids would eat out there, play out there, and I even had one of my PNPs in the screen house for the infants. Are you saying I could not write off any of this?

Our house and water spicket was in the garage, why I have no clue it was the most inconveinant place to be, so I had my hubby rerun the plumbling, and moved the spicket and the hose to the outside of the garage, where it was more accessable to the kids to play with water. Would this expense work count?

Pool...I claimed all my chemicals and cholrine for the summer, and I had to clean the pool daily, and since I'm not licensed, I was able to use my pool with my DCK's with a signed permission slip from the parents. So in this case, can I count all the supplies and work?

We are giving you alot of idea here on this forum, you can write another book! LOL
Reply
legomom922 02:27 PM 02-25-2011
Originally Posted by busymomof2:
1. writting weekly receipts
2. inputting into MM
3. photo copying
4. record keeping
5. writting/creating newsletters & menus
6. Updating webpage blo
7. replying to emails
8. Tom's webinar
9. on-line training
10. reading Tom's books
11. researching picture books online library catalog & requesting
12. any prep of curriculum & crafts (cutting, gathering, etc.)
13. Decorating playroom for themes, spcial days
14. wrapping dc gifts
15. filling soap dispensers, toilet paper & paper towels
16. sharping pencils & organizing supplies
17, putting together daycare scrapbook
WOW! Thats good!
Reply
TomCopeland 01:22 PM 02-27-2011
Originally Posted by legomom922:
Ok, so Tom I have a question for you. If I am in business, shouldnt the upkeep of a home count as work? Such as lawn mowing, cleaning out gutters, pulling weeds, etc? I was told that professional lawn care can be written off, so why not mowing our grass?

Now for the the duct work..Doesn't that provide cleaner air for kids to breathe?

Cleaning out the garage..I would clean/organize my garage 1x a month just because of all the toys that were in there. Now the times I was in there sweeping, or cleaning up the tool bench, no I would count that.

Painting a deck..Isnt that a home improvement and since the deck is used in the summer, why wouldnt that count? I had greatly improved our deck because of daycare. It looked horrid! I didnt want anyone to see it, so we fixed some broken boards, painted it, put up a screen house, bought a new grill, and we spent alot of time out there. Kids would eat out there, play out there, and I even had one of my PNPs in the screen house for the infants. Are you saying I could not write off any of this?

Our house and water spicket was in the garage, why I have no clue it was the most inconveinant place to be, so I had my hubby rerun the plumbling, and moved the spicket and the hose to the outside of the garage, where it was more accessable to the kids to play with water. Would this expense work count?

Pool...I claimed all my chemicals and cholrine for the summer, and I had to clean the pool daily, and since I'm not licensed, I was able to use my pool with my DCK's with a signed permission slip from the parents. So in this case, can I count all the supplies and work?

We are giving you alot of idea here on this forum, you can write another book! LOL
Hours spent on general upkeep on the home doesn't count because they don't represent additional work for you once your business began. If you paid someone to mow your lawn you can deduct part of the cost - but not the hours spent on this activity.

You could only count the additional time cleaning the duct work that was caused by your business. in other words, if you normally spent 5 hours a year cleaning duct work before you went into business and now spent 6 hours cleaning, you can count 1 hour as business cleaning.

Time spent cleaning out the garage that is related to your business (toys) does count, but not general sweeping, etc.

You can deduct the business portion of the cost of painting and fixing the deck, but now were are talking about time. You would deduct the cost in one year because it's a repair, not an improvement. Can you count any of the time? I'd be conservative and say no because the business didn't create more work for you. Maybe you can argue that you wouldn't have done the work if it wasn't for your business, but this is a stretch, in my opinion.

You can deduct the business portion of the cost of rerunning the plumbing out of your garage. If you can say that you wouldn't have rerun it except for the fact that you had a business, then count the time. Otherwise, don't.

Again, you can count the business portion of the cost of the pool supplies since your business uses the pool. However, don't count any time cleaning it unless you are cleaning it more because of your business. I can see how you might be cleaning it more in your case. So, if you normally spend 50 hours a year cleaning the pool, maybe only count half of the hours as business.


Join me this Monday for my webinar "How to Reduce Your Taxes for 2010 and 2011" sponsored by daycare.com. For further info: https://www.daycare.com/news/taxes/t...d-webinar.html
Reply
legomom922 05:17 AM 02-28-2011
Originally Posted by TomCopeland:
Hours spent on general upkeep on the home doesn't count because they don't represent additional work for you once your business began. If you paid someone to mow your lawn you can deduct part of the cost - but not the hours spent on this activity.

You could only count the additional time cleaning the duct work that was caused by your business. in other words, if you normally spent 5 hours a year cleaning duct work before you went into business and now spent 6 hours cleaning, you can count 1 hour as business cleaning.

Time spent cleaning out the garage that is related to your business (toys) does count, but not general sweeping, etc.

You can deduct the business portion of the cost of painting and fixing the deck, but now were are talking about time. You would deduct the cost in one year because it's a repair, not an improvement. Can you count any of the time? I'd be conservative and say no because the business didn't create more work for you. Maybe you can argue that you wouldn't have done the work if it wasn't for your business, but this is a stretch, in my opinion.

You can deduct the business portion of the cost of rerunning the plumbing out of your garage. If you can say that you wouldn't have rerun it except for the fact that you had a business, then count the time. Otherwise, don't.

Again, you can count the business portion of the cost of the pool supplies since your business uses the pool. However, don't count any time cleaning it unless you are cleaning it more because of your business. I can see how you might be cleaning it more in your case. So, if you normally spend 50 hours a year cleaning the pool, maybe only count half of the hours as business.


Join me this Monday for my webinar "How to Reduce Your Taxes for 2010 and 2011" sponsored by daycare.com. For further info: https://www.daycare.com/news/taxes/t...d-webinar.html
So if I understand you correctly, the only "time in the home" we can count as "work" is if it is above and beyond what we normally would do? What I dont understand again, is if our lawn needs mowing, and has to be done anyway, if in business or not, why then are we able to write off a portion of paying someone else to do it instead of ourselves? Can I pay my husband or son to do it? And would we be able to claim it only if because of our buisness we are mowing it more than we normally would?

And yes, that was the only reason why we went through the trouble of rerunning the plumbing..too many loose hoses going wild in the garage, water balloons, etc, LOL.

When I was asking about having the duct work cleaned, I meant if we pay a company to come in and do it professionaly (I would never do that myself)can we write it off as t/s?
Reply
TomCopeland 09:11 AM 02-28-2011
"So if I understand you correctly, the only "time in the home" we can count as "work" is if it is above and beyond what we normally would do?"

That is correct.

There's a difference between paying someone to do work and counting time you spend on the activity. When you pay someone to mow your lawn you can deduct a portion of this as a business expense because it's "ordinary and necessary" to do so for your business. When you mow the lawn you can't count your time because your business didn't create this work. If you said you mowed your lawn twice a week because you are in business, and only mowed it once a week before you were in business, then you could count the time spent mowing once a week. But, I don't know of providers who mow their lawn more because they are in business.

I wouldn't hire your son or husband to mow your lawn. The IRS says that when self-employed people hire family members to do work, the work cannot be for household chores and I think mowing the lawn falls into this category.

Paying someone to clean the ducts in your home would be partially a business expense. Don't count the time.
Reply
Punkin.Butts 07:34 AM 12-27-2013
Originally Posted by TomCopeland:
Tracking these hours that everyone is listing is probably the single most important record keeping task you can perform that will reduce your taxes the most!

However, you can't count hours that you would be spending on activities that you would do if you weren't in business, such as hours spent mowing lawn/gardening. Don't count hours on general cleaning activities: duct cleaning, cleaning out garage, painting a deck, cleaning out gutters, cleaning the pool, washing the car, etc. If this cleaning is for areas that are used by the business (deck, pool, garage) you can count some of the time, but not all of the time.

You can't count time spent away from your home. If you have meetings in your home or do online training in your home, this counts.

So I have only been counting the time on daycare specific items. usually I count about 30 - 45 min a days worth of all this stuff for "after hours" becasue I do a lot of it during daycare hours which I know you can't double count. however, I have only been keeps a weekly total of time for each activity... so one week I may spend 2.5 hours on this stuff.. but other weeks i may spend 4 or 5 hours especially since I sanitize/clean/soak all the toys every other friday. wash all washable items every friday, I even treat my couch and beds for lice every friday etc.. Is a grouped number for the week ok or do I need it broken down my the day?
Reply
MarinaVanessa 09:28 AM 12-27-2013
Don't forget, time spent on this forum counts towards your time/space.
Reply
Childminder 11:32 AM 12-27-2013
Also remember that you can't count the time doing any of this stuff if you have daycare kids present.
Reply
TomCopeland 11:46 AM 12-27-2013
Originally Posted by lucky:
Can we claim training or meetings done away from our home? I always thought the rule was no, but there is a heading under other time spent in mmk for meetings or trainings. If we can I've been missing out on alot of hours!
You can't count time spent away from your home, even if you were doing a business activity.
Reply
TomCopeland 11:50 AM 12-27-2013
Originally Posted by Punkin.Butts:
So I have only been counting the time on daycare specific items. usually I count about 30 - 45 min a days worth of all this stuff for "after hours" becasue I do a lot of it during daycare hours which I know you can't double count. however, I have only been keeps a weekly total of time for each activity... so one week I may spend 2.5 hours on this stuff.. but other weeks i may spend 4 or 5 hours especially since I sanitize/clean/soak all the toys every other friday. wash all washable items every friday, I even treat my couch and beds for lice every friday etc.. Is a grouped number for the week ok or do I need it broken down my the day?
The best way to keep track of the hours you are working in your home when children are not present it to keep careful records for at least two months and use the average for these two months for the rest of the year. I've written about this here: http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2013/...-software.html
Reply
Sunchimes 02:12 PM 03-09-2014
Never mind, it ended up in the wrong place.
Reply
M&Mgal 01:29 PM 10-21-2015
I'm having my daycare room carpets professionally cleaned this weekend. This room is used 100% for business. Can I claim the time they spend giving me a quote (going over different packages & measuring) and the time they spend cleaning the carpets?
Reply
Blackcat31 01:39 PM 10-21-2015
Originally Posted by M&Mgal:
I'm having my daycare room carpets professionally cleaned this weekend. This room is used 100% for business. Can I claim the time they spend giving me a quote (going over different packages & measuring) and the time they spend cleaning the carpets?
T/S is time YOU spend doing something for daycare not the amount of time others spend doing something for you/your daycare.
Reply
M&Mgal 02:17 PM 10-21-2015
Tom says that time your husband spends doing daycare related things can be counted (https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...highlight=time), as long as it's not at the same time as you. I'm pretty sure I've seen that things like a repair main coming in during non-daycare hours is also countable, but I can't find that article or it on here anywhere. Hoping Tom will give me an answer
Reply
M&Mgal 02:26 PM 10-21-2015
Tom: Also, I think I remember reading that time my own children (12 & 15 yrs old) spend doing daycare things, (like cleaning up the daycare toys after the daycare kids leave) is also countable. Just as long as I'm not trying to count my time at the same time. Is that correct or wrong?
Reply
TomCopeland 10:11 AM 10-22-2015
Originally Posted by M&Mgal:
I'm having my daycare room carpets professionally cleaned this weekend. This room is used 100% for business. Can I claim the time they spend giving me a quote (going over different packages & measuring) and the time they spend cleaning the carpets?
Yes, you can count the time they spent in your home when children were not present.
Reply
TomCopeland 10:13 AM 10-22-2015
Originally Posted by M&Mgal:
Tom says that time your husband spends doing daycare related things can be counted (https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...highlight=time), as long as it's not at the same time as you. I'm pretty sure I've seen that things like a repair main coming in during non-daycare hours is also countable, but I can't find that article or it on here anywhere. Hoping Tom will give me an answer
Yes, anyone doing work associated with your business in your home when children were not present can be counted towards your time-space %.
Reply
TomCopeland 10:15 AM 10-22-2015
Originally Posted by M&Mgal:
Tom: Also, I think I remember reading that time my own children (12 & 15 yrs old) spend doing daycare things, (like cleaning up the daycare toys after the daycare kids leave) is also countable. Just as long as I'm not trying to count my time at the same time. Is that correct or wrong?
You are correct.
Reply
Blackcat31 10:30 AM 10-22-2015
Originally Posted by TomCopeland:
Yes, you can count the time they spent in your home when children were not present.
Originally Posted by TomCopeland:
Yes, anyone doing work associated with your business in your home when children were not present can be counted towards your time-space %.
Originally Posted by TomCopeland:
You are correct.
Originally Posted by M&Mgal:
Tom says that time your husband spends doing daycare related things can be counted (https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...highlight=time), as long as it's not at the same time as you. I'm pretty sure I've seen that things like a repair main coming in during non-daycare hours is also countable, but I can't find that article or it on here anywhere. Hoping Tom will give me an answer
It's true...you learn something new every day!

Good info!

I don't do any T/S % at all so I was definitely mis-informed about what it actually means/entails.
Reply
M&Mgal 01:45 PM 10-22-2015
Yay! My time spent is what pushes up my T/S%, so I take advantage as much as I can
Reply
Tags:deductions, deductions - list, expense categories, time space percentage, tom copeland
Reply Up