Yes, you will be able to claim job-related expenses as an employee if your per diem was included as taxable income.
However, as a employee, job-related expenses are considered deductible
miscellaneous expenses that are subject to a 2% AGI limitation and are only
deductible if you itemize.
To enter your job-related expenses in TurboTax
Online or Desktop (for TurboTax Online sign-in, click Here), please follow these steps:
- Once you are in your tax
return, click on the “Federal Taxes” tab
- Next click on “Deductions and
credits”
- Next click on "check for more tax breaks" then “see all tax breaks”
- Scroll down the screen until
to come to the section “Employment Expenses”
- Choose "show more",
then Job-related expenses and follow the onscreen instructions
- Say "yes" to
question "Did you have any of these expenses in 2017 for your W-2
income?" under the screen titled "Employment Expenses Related to
a W-2".
- after about 6 to 10
question screens, you will get to a screen titled "Any Other
Expenses" you can put this information here.
Please note that if you are claiming a foreign earned income exclusion for your foreign sourced earned income, you will not be able to claim any expenses against excluded income.
