Business Expence?- paying teaching assistants

[ProfDull]

Go ahead.  Laugh.  I laugh too.  I'm Professor Dull at Belmont University in Nashville, TN.  You can call me Terry.

I'm full time at Belmont, but at the rank of lecturer, my contract is semester to semester.  I have some benefits.

I teach a lab class in beginning video editing and I need a teach assistant for each class to keep the class from stopping to pick up students that are behind.  Last year, Belmont would not pay for TAs, so I paid them myself.

I bought TurboTax Home and Business to issue them 1099s. 

But now comes the question, where does that go in TurboTax.  Do I create a business with no income (since my income from Belmont is W-2 income) and the 1099 as expences, or is there some other place this should show up?

Thanks for the help!

t

[ColeenD3 · Accepted solution]

No. You can't just create a business to write off your employee expenses. You did not have a business, you did not have any business income.

You have an employee business expense. Unfortunately, this deduction is now repealed.

[Bsch4477]

I can’t see how that expense is deductible since you are an employee. 

[ProfDull]

So the IRS isn't looking at my return for any result from creating the 1099s?

[Bsch4477 · Accepted solution]

The IRS will see that the assistant has income and look for that income to be taxed. 

[VolvoGirl · Accepted solution]

No, sorry.  Can you ask them to pay you as a independent contractor with a 1099NEC instead of a W2 employee?   Then you can deduct all your expenses.  But you will have to pay both parts of the payroll self employment tax.

[ProfDull]

OK - best answers to everyone and Thanks so Much!

t