DianeW777
Expert Alumni

Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Definitely only the business use portion (percentage) can be expensed.  The personal use portion of any equipment which would include a laptop is not deductible.  The key point is whether you are an employee or an independent contractor or a statutory employee (box 13 of W-2).  

 

As an employee, with the exception of statutory employee, no job related expenses are deductible as stated by @ToddL99.

 

If you must file a Schedule C as a sole proprietor or a statutory employee, then you can use the expenses for your job.  

 

Statutory Employee:

Statutory employees have been declared employees under federal tax laws, but are independent contractors under common law. These workers are usually working salespeople or have commission-based jobs. The information from the W-2 has to link with your Schedule C.

  1. In TurboTax Self-Employed Online, > Wages & Income and enter your W-2.
  2. Ensure that Box 13 "statutory employee" is checked. 
  3. Answer the questions on the subsequent screens until you get to expenses (unless you select 'None of these describe what I do':
  4. "Any Related Business Expenses?" Click "Yes". 
  5. Go through the interview questions. 
  6. Your W-2 Income is now linked to Schedule C. See the image below.

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