I work for a small business with one location and a cramped office. I do both creative and IT work for them. I love this job but the PCs are shared and frequently needed at the same time by different employees. They are also lacking in the power and software ideally needed for the work I do. This makes it very difficult for me to complete my work within the time I want and at the level of quality I want.
A great solution would be for me to have a quality laptop with quality software that I can easily use in or outside the main office. However; this is not something that is in their current budget.
I’ve considered just buying it and taking the deductions. It would be fairly easy as I also do independent contractor work for the same company and already deduct expenses related to that work.
I would like to know if I can negotiate some kind of allowance or stipend to be paid in addition to my regular wages for the use of my own laptop (yet to be purchased). And if so, how is such a payment calculated? Are there sources on the web for this? [Is there terminology used for this other than “allowance” or “stipend?”]
I’m not looking for a total reimbursement, but if I spend $3,000 on a laptop & software that I will be using 35 to 45 hours a week just for them I feel I should receive some kind of additional compensation or financial assistance. The company would benefit greatly in that they would not have to spend the money on it and in that it would free up their PC’s for use by others.
I could be wrong (I’m certainly no tax expert) but I’m fairly certain a company can pay a stipend as an expense reimbursement. This stipend is not considered income, so it it not taxable as income. However I’m not sure how to go about asking for it. Previously, when I worked for a major manufacturer we would give new sales reps an allowance to help counter computer expenses. That’s the kind of thing I’d like to ask for.
Then again, I’m getting so stressed trying to use their crappy PCs it won’t be long before I go ahead and just get the laptop for my own piece of mind! 😉
Anyone currently working or employing people in such a scenario that can fill me in on how to propose this? Thanks.
