Refund for business startup expenses with no income?
In 2008, I did not generate any income at all, either from an employer or from my own business start up. I incurred expenses (paid from savings) from efforts to get this business off the ground. If I take deductions for these expenses, my AGI is negative. Does that mean I am entitled to a refund?
Also, is rent for a location considered deductible? What if this location was overseas?
Rent for the business is deductible. Rent for your home is not.
A negative AGI does not automatically result in a refund. A negative AGI does result in no income tax liability. (In some cases, but not yours, self-employment tax might still apply. Various other taxes, such as the 10% penalty for premature IRA withdrawals might apply.) In any case, you qualify for a refund ONLY if (a) you had income tax withheld from your income (not the case because you had no income), (b) you had sufficient "qualifying income" to receive the "rebate recovery credit" (not the case because you had no income), or (c) you qualify for certain other credits that also generally apply only to persons with income and/or children.
October 24th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Nope – your AGI can’t be negative – it can be zero. The best you can do is pay zero taxes.
You need to do Schedule C and account for all your business expenses. Rent is a business expense.
Doing business overseas complicates things – see the appropriate IRS publication.
References :
October 24th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Rent for the business is deductible. Rent for your home is not.
A negative AGI does not automatically result in a refund. A negative AGI does result in no income tax liability. (In some cases, but not yours, self-employment tax might still apply. Various other taxes, such as the 10% penalty for premature IRA withdrawals might apply.) In any case, you qualify for a refund ONLY if (a) you had income tax withheld from your income (not the case because you had no income), (b) you had sufficient "qualifying income" to receive the "rebate recovery credit" (not the case because you had no income), or (c) you qualify for certain other credits that also generally apply only to persons with income and/or children.
References :