That makes sense, and that is what I thought, however, it raises two questions:
1. Why is there an option to select Transportation Worker in TurboTax 2018 if it has no effect on my return?
2. Why is this section in the 2018 IRS Publication 463 page 6?
Special rate for transportation workers.
You can use a special standard meal allowance if you work in the transportation industry. You are in the transportation industry if your work:
• Directly involves moving people or goods by airplane, barge, bus, ship, train, or truck; and
• Regularly requires you to travel away from home and, during any single trip, usually involves travel to areas eligible for different standard meal allowance rates.
If this applies, you can claim a standard meal al- lowance of $63 a day ($68 for travel outside the
continental United States) for travel between January 1, 2018, and September 30, 2018. You can claim a standard meal allowance of $66 a day ($71 for travel outside the continental Uni- ted States) for travel between October 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018.
Using the special rate for transportation workers eliminates the need for you to deter- mine the standard meal allowance for every area where you stop for sleep or rest. If you choose to use the special rate for any trip, you must use the special rate (and not use the regu- lar standard meal allowance rates) for all trips you take that year.
