# Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 62, Home Office — Simplified vs Actual Method

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/finance-exam-prep-7658413/enrolled-agent-exam-part-2-62-home-office-simplified-vs-actual-method
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/finance-exam-prep-7658413/enrolled-agent-exam-part-2-62-home-office-simplified-vs-actual-method.md
Podcast: [Finance Exam Prep](https://stenobird.com/podcast/finance-exam-prep-7658413)
Published: 2026-06-28T22:41:20+00:00
Episode link: https://open-exam-prep.com/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/2197c892-f5e9-4401-9da9-b5fa9cef88e8.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/finance-exam-prep-7658413/episodes/enrolled-agent-exam-part-2-62-home-office-simplified-vs-actual-method
Duration seconds: 231

## Resource

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The simplified home office deduction is calculated at $5 per square foot, with a maximum of 300 square feet, capping the deduction at $1,500. - The actual method requires calculating the business-use percentage of the home to deduct a pro-rata share of indirect expenses like mortgage interest, utilities, and depreciation. - A taxpayer can choose between the simplified and actual methods each year, as it is an annual election. - Unused home office deductions due to income limitations can only be carried forward to future years under the actual method; there is no carryover with the simplified method. - A key exam topic is depreciation recapture upon the sale of the home, which only applies when the actual method was used, as the simplified method does not involve a depreciation deduction. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/finance-exam-prep-7658413/episodes/enrolled-agent-exam-part-2-62-home-office-simplified-vs-actual-method/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/finance-exam-prep-7658413/enrolled-agent-exam-part-2-62-home-office-simplified-vs-actual-method.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.