Did you receive a W-2 for the amount you were paid as a clerical assistant? If so, no, you cannot deduct anything on a federal tax return.
--W-2 employees cannot deduct job-related expenses on a federal return. Job-related expenses were eliminated as a federal deduction for W-2 employees by the tax laws that changed for 2018 and beyond. Your state tax laws might be different in AL, AR, CA, HI, MN, NY or PA.
If you live in a state that lets you deduct job-related expenses, the information will flow from your federal return to the state return, so enter it in Federal>Deductions and Credits>Employment Expenses>Job-Related Expenses
If you worked as an independent contractor and were paid in cash or if you received a 1099NEC, then you report your self-employment income using online Self-Employed or any version of the CD/download, and you will prepare a Schedule C for your business expenses; you will also pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
