Can I deduct the cost of a cleaning lady?

Yes. If she only cleans areas used exclusively for your business you can deduct 100% of the cost. If she cleans areas also used by your family, deduct the time-space % of the cost. The cleaning lady should be reporting this as income on her taxes. But, even if she doesn’t you can still deduct it. Keep a written record of when and how much you paid her.

If she is cleaning when children are not in your home, you can count part or all of the time she spends cleaning in your time-space % calculation.