topic Property Adjuster Deductions in Deductions & credits

Property Adjuster Deductions

Hannahj228 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 17:45:42 GMT

I travel to different states throughout the year. I pull a camper (purchased camper just for the job) and find a campground to stay at during deployment(not military). While deployed I work 7 days a week traveling to different locations everyday and back to my camper (which is my office) were I work on claims. I am responsible for paying for my own expenses while working a storm which includes: living expenses, transportation, tools and equipment, and licenses for each state. So my question is can I claim/deduct these expenses on my taxes?

Re: Property Adjuster Deductions

Critter-3 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:03:53 GMT

The FEDERAL job-related expenses deduction is only available to people who work in one of these specific professions or situations:

Armed Forces reservist
Qualified performing artist
Fee-basis state or local government official
You're disabled and have impairment-related expenses

Sorry, Deductions for job expenses have been suspended with the new tax act. See Deductions that have been suspended for 2018-2025

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4482873-which-federal-tax-deductions-have-been-suspended-by-tax-re...

Re: Property Adjuster Deductions

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:08:34 GMT

do you get a w-2 (employee) or 1099-MISC (independent contractor)? if you get a w-2, unfortunately, current tax law bars the deduction for employee expenses. on the other hand, if you get a 1099-MISC your tax home must be determined. the following is from IRS PUB 463 https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf

To determine whether you are traveling away from home, you must first determine the location of your tax home. Generally, your tax home is your regular place of business or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family home. It includes the entire city or general area in which your business or work is located. If you have more than one regular place of business, your tax home is your main place of
business. See Main place of business or work, later. If you don’t have a regular or a main place of
business because of the nature of your work, then your tax home may be the place where you
regularly live. See No main place of business or work, later.

it would seem your tax home is your camper. your tax home is wherever you work and you
can’t deduct travel expenses.

your situation seems to match up pretty well with an example for the outside salesperson in the PUB (page 3.)

Example 2. You are an outside salesperson with a sales territory covering several states. Your employer's main office is in Newark, but you don’t conduct any business there. Your work assignments are temporary, and you
have no way of knowing where your future assignments will be located. You have a room in your married sister's house in Dayton. You stay there for one or two weekends a year, but you do no work in the area. You don’t pay your sister for the use of the room. You are an itinerant and have no tax home.

Re: Property Adjuster Deductions

Hannahj228 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:32:08 GMT

My company gives me a w2 for every state that I work.

Once a deployment is over I return to my house (the deployment could be a week, a month, or a couple of months long). When it ends I am then laid off (no income) until another deployment which could be weeks to months before the next one.

(Not military or government)

Could I claim these expenses on state?

Thanks for your help in advance

Re: Property Adjuster Deductions

xmasbaby0 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:36:43 GMT

A few states allow itemized deductions for job-related expenses. Not sure what state you are in since you did not say. This may help you with whether to even look for it on your state return:

The following states allow you to itemize deductions on just the state return: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin,

Re: Property Adjuster Deductions

Hannahj228 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 19:16:17 GMT

My house is located in MS. Will I be able to all the states that I work in even if they are not on the list since I live in MS? Or only w2s that come from MS?

Thanks again for your help.