The tax code gives you the ability to rent your house to your corporation for 14 days or less per year and get large tax deductions for doing it.

 In general, this strategy works, and the IRS has even said so in a private letter ruling. 

However, do not let the corporation rent your house to entertain. There is one exception to this rule: the disallowance of entertainment facility rules doesn’t apply to the annual employee holidays party or summer picnic.

Also, make sure that you can substantiate the value that you are charging for the rental of your residence.  Airbnb is a great resource for this.

Example of how it works

In the following example, my corporation could be charged $1,000 per day for rent. This is how much I would pay to rent my home, just as if I was renting an event space for employee training.  I do this for 14 days over the course of the year. This allows the corporation to deduct $14,000 from its taxable income for the year.

On the personal side, I would take no tax deductions for the rental of the property. Also, I don’t include rental income on the personal tax return.  If you are an S corporation, this strategy allows you to claim a net $14,000 in tax deductions when they are passed through to you.

 If you would like to discuss this or any other areas where we can help your small business we will be happy to help.