If you get a professional to help you with some work in the garden or around the house, you can deduct certain costs from your taxes.
Many people look forward to redesigning the garden in spring, beautifying the terrace or doing some spring work around the house. This is often associated with high costs, not least if you have a professional help you with some work in the garden or on the property. What should owners know about taxes? The United Wage Tax Assistance (VLH) gives tips that gardeners and homeowners should think about in the spring with a view to later tax returns.
1. Deduct one-off gardening work as tradesman services
You often have to rely on the help of a professional and, for example, hire a gardener, paver or garden and landscape builder. If it involves professional excavation and earthwork, planting work, paving work or extensive landscaping or garden maintenance work, owners can declare the costs in their tax return as a tradesman's service. The VLH informed about this in a statement. Up to 20 percent of the wage costs can be deducted from taxes for such work, “at least up to the maximum limit of 1,200 euros per year”. According to the tax experts, it doesn't matter whether a new garden is created or an existing garden is simply redesigned. However, two conditions must be met for tax advantages to be granted for craftsman services:
The house belonging to the property is lived in by the owner himself and is not a new building built in the same year, according to the VLH.
The invoice or invoices must be paid “non-cash”, including proof of payment – for example as a bank transfer with a corresponding bank statement. In addition, only labor costs are deductible, not material costs.
Good to know: “Craftsman costs can also be deducted for holiday homes or allotment arbors that are not inhabited all year round,” the VLH also reports here.
2. Deduct regular gardening work as household-related services
If you hire a gardener to do regular gardening work, such as mowing the lawn, pulling weeds or trimming hedges, the costs for these can possibly be deducted as household-related services, according to the VLH council, according to an earlier communication. Here too, the tax office contributes 20 percent. The difference to tradesman services with regard to tax: For household-related services, “up to 4,000 euros per year” could be claimed for tax purposes.
3. Deduct spring cleaning as household-related services
In spring there is often a need for major window cleaning. Or the curtains need to be washed or the carpets need to be cleaned. Some hire a professional service provider to do the cleaning and maintenance work, for example. “Since these activities occur regularly in the household and could also be carried out by a household member, the expenses for the professional can be deducted as household-related services,” explained the VHL about the background.
From a tax perspective, the following applies: “20 percent of the travel, labor and machine costs incurred can be claimed, namely a total of up to 4,000 euros per year,” according to the VLH. Consumables such as the cleaning supplies that the cleaner needs are also tax deductible.
Otherwise, as the VLH explains with regard to various types of work: material costs are not taken into account, so the different types of costs should be shown separately in the invoice. In addition, you should always transfer the invoice amount here, as the tax office does not accept cash payments.