A growing number of workers are choosing the lifestyle and convenience of working in SoHo.

The changing structure of the workforce and far-reaching improvements in technology mean that working from home is easier than ever.

It will not surprise readers that half of all Australians use technology to work away from home part-time, full-time, or outside work hours, according to the McGrath Report 2015, in which John McGrath analyses Australian property trends.

The report also states that one-in-12 employees spend more time working from home than any other location. 

Demographer, Bernard Salt describes a new Australian dream, where work fits around lifestyle, explains the report.

Having a home office means you can claim some of your operating costs as business expenses.

Vishwa Narayan, CPA at Pan Accounting and Tax, explains that you may claim some of the running costs of the home office as a tax deduction.

For example, say you put aside one room of your six rooms for work, you can claim one-sixth of related expenses, such as heating or electricity, cleaning, and maintenance of home office equipment.

But he adds a warning, “If your home is a place of business and you claim a percentage of occupancy costs, you have to be mindful of the fact that if you happen to sell the property you will also be subject to capital gains tax on a proportional basis."