Hamacher v. Commissioner

94 T.C. No. 21, 94 T.C. 348, 1990 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 21
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 12, 1990
DocketDocket No. 13052-88
StatusPublished
Cited by60 cases

This text of 94 T.C. No. 21 (Hamacher v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamacher v. Commissioner, 94 T.C. No. 21, 94 T.C. 348, 1990 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 21 (tax 1990).

Opinion

GERBER, Judge:

Respondent, in a statutory notice of deficiency dated March 11, 1988, determined deficiencies in petitioners’ 1983 and 1984 Federal income tax in the respective amounts of $863.44 and $838. The deficiencies resulted from the disallowance of home office and automobile expense deductions related to petitioner Alfred W. Hamacher’s activities involving theater and acting. After concessions, the issues presented for our consideration are: (1) Whether petitioners are entitled to deductions for home office expenses under section 280A;1 and (2) whether petitioners are entitled to deductions for automobile expenses in excess of those allowed by respondent. Petitioners concede that because the additional automobile expenses were incurred in commuting to and from the home office, those expenses are deductible only if we find that their use of the home office qualified under section 280A(c)(l).

FINDINGS OF FACT

The parties’ stipulation of facts together with the attached exhibits are incorporated by this reference. Petitioners are Alfred W. Hamacher and Mary M. Hamacher, husband and wife, who resided in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time their petition was filed. References to “petitioner” in the singular refer to Alfred W. Hamacher.

Petitioner earns his livelihood as a professional actor. He was awarded a bachelor of arts degree in theater and acting from Southeast Missouri State University. In 1972, under an acting fellowship from Wayne State University, petitioner earned an M.F.A. degree in acting. In 1976, petitioner and his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was hired to act by the Harlequin Dinner Theatre. He began performing in 1977 at the Alliance Theatre and numerous other major Atlanta theaters. Since then, he has performed over 40 different legitimate theater roles.

In addition to stage acting, petitioner has performed in 5 major motion pictures, 10 television commercials, and 25 radio commercials. He has worked with such well-known people as Richard Dreyfuss, Tennessee Williams, Jane Alexander, Giorgio Totsi, Ann Miller, and Gene Barry. He is a member of all three professional actors’ unions: The AFTRA, related to television and radio; the Actors’ Equity, related to the stage; and the Screen Actors’ Guild, related to motion pictures.

During the years at issue here, 1983 and 1984, petitioner was employed by the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, as an independent contract actor to perform in plays on its main stage and studio stage. Petitioner was interviewed for the plays by representatives of the Alliance Theatre. Petitioner auditioned for and performed his roles at the Alliance Theatre. Although most of petitioner’s contract employment during 1983 and 1984 was through the Alliance Theatre, petitioner also worked as an actor doing radio and television commercials. This acting work was separate and independent from the Alliance Theatre.

In 1979, in addition to performing, petitioner began to teach acting at Alliance Theatre’s acting school, and in 1980 petitioner became the administrator of the school. He held this position during 1983 and 1984. He taught acting at the school; directed the school and its internal program; and was responsible for choosing the curriculum for all classes, selecting and directing plays and shows for the theater, and handling many of the administrative matters associated with those duties.

During 1983 and 1984, petitioner received a salary of approximately $18,000 per year in his capacity as administrator of the acting school. As a contract actor at the Alliance Theatre, petitioner received additional compensation of approximately $9,000 for 1983 and $14,000 for 1984. Petitioner’s salary and nonsalary income for each year was combined and reported by Alliance on a single Form W-2. In addition to his income from Alliance, petitioner received income from other unrelated acting sources in the approximate amounts of $600 in 1983 and $1,000 in 1984.

Petitioner utilized two offices in connection with his acting and administrative activities. One was provided by the Alliance Theatre from which petitioner performed his duties as administrator of the acting school. The other office was at his home. Petitioner’s theater office had a telephone, typewriter, and office furniture. However, due to space and equipment limitations at the theater, this office was not used by petitioner exclusively. During periods when petitioner was not using his office, other theater employees used petitioner’s office to telephone students of the acting school regarding enrollment, to do various paperwork related to the theater, and to use his typewriter. The office hours at the theater were 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Petitioner had access to the office during nonbusiness hours. Petitioner would generally leave the theater office at 4:30 p.m.

Petitioner’s home office was in one of the 6 rooms in his apartment and measured approximately 10 by 15 feet. Petitioner’s home office contained a desk, files, office supplies, a bulletin board, scripts, theater memorabilia, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, acting and research books, and wardrobe, all of which were used in connection with his acting and administrative work. During 1983 and 1984, approximately half of petitioner’s time rehearsing and developing his contract stage roles was spent in his home office and the remainder was spent at the Alliance Theatre rehearsal hall. Petitioner also used his home office to receive calls regarding acting roles, prepare for auditions, and rehearse parts for commercials. Because he was regularly interrupted at his theater office by telephone calls and employees with questions, petitioner used his home office to do whatever “creative thinking” was needed to direct the theater school. Petitioner also used his home office to develop the school’s curriculum, select plays for the theater, and otherwise perform some of his duties as administrator of the Alliance Theatre acting school. The Alliance Theatre did not require that petitioner have a home office.

Petitioner spent the largest portion or percentage of his working hours at the theater office, not his home office. Based upon petitioner’s estimates, he spent 20 percent of his time in his home office, 40 percent at his theater office and the remaining 40 percent acting on stage. Generally, petitioner used his home office on Saturdays and Sundays for approximately 4 hours per day, and on Mondays through Fridays for approximately 2 hours in the morning before going to work at the theater and 2 hours in the evening after coming home from working at the theater. In addition to working on school matters, petitioner would prepare for his own auditions, rehearsals, and performances during these periods. The home office was used exclusively by petitioner for purposes related to his employment as an actor and administrator of the acting school.

Petitioners, on their 1983 and 1984 income tax returns, claimed deductions in the respective amounts of $1,018 and $1,024 for what they identified as “workshop/storage” expenses. These expenses related to petitioner’s home office and represented one-sixth of petitioners’ rental expenses for their apartment. Petitioners also claimed $2,209 in automobile expenses for 1983 and $2,019 for 1984.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 T.C. No. 21, 94 T.C. 348, 1990 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamacher-v-commissioner-tax-1990.