If you work from a dedicated space in your home as a virtual assistant, you can deduct a portion of your home expenses — but only for the part of your home used regularly and exclusively for work. The IRS offers two ways to calculate the home office deduction. The simplified method gives you $5 per square foot of office space, up to 300 square feet (a maximum of $1,500). The regular method has you calculate the actual percentage of your home used for business, then apply that