DS30
New Member

Deductions & credits

Yes, you can include these business lodging and travel expenses if you are not reimbursed by your employer.

If you have to pay lodging and meal expenses while you are away for home as an employee and if you are not being reimbursed by your employer, you can deduct these as job-related expenses (only 50% of travel meals is allowed). Just remember that for you to include this as a job-related travel expense, a travel expense has to be necessary for your job and typical in your line of work, and it must come with proof like a receipt. If this was a business meeting related to your employment, then your travel expenses would be related to your employment.

Just remember that job-related expenses that you report as an employee are subject to a 2% AGI limitation and you will only get the benefit if you are taking an itemized deduction on your tax return.

To enter your lodging (and the 50% allowance for meals) expenses as a job-related travel expense in TurboTax Online (for TurboTax Online sign-in, click Here , then select "Take Me to My Return") or Desktop, please follow these steps:

  1. Once you are in your tax return, click on the “Federal Taxes” tab
  2. Next click on “Deductions & Credits”
  3. Next click on "jump to full list" or “I’ll choose what I work on”
  4. Scroll down the screen until to come to the section “Employment Expenses”
  5. Choose "show more", then Job-related expenses and follow the onscreen instructions          

  • Say "yes" to question "Did you have any of these expenses in 2015 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 under travel expenses (see screenshot)

To deduct business lodgings and meals if self-employed in TurboTax Online or Desktop, please follow these steps:

  1. Once you are in your tax return, click on the “Business"” tab
  2. Next click on “I’ll choose what I work on” (jump to full list)
  3. Scroll down the screen until to come to the section “Business Income and Expense”
  4. Choose “Profit or Loss from Business ” and select start/revisit/update.
  5. If your business is already listed, choose to "edit"
  6. You will get to a screen titled "Your () Business"
  7. Under Business Expenses, choose "Other Common Business Expenses
  8. You will report your lodgings under "Business Travel" and your meals under "Meals and Entertainment"