topic Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses? in Deductions & credits

Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses?

Jessica1981 — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:23:50 GMT

Re: Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses?

xmasbaby0 — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 05:25:30 GMT

Sorry, but there is no tax deduction for doing a favor for someone. And if you are a W-2 employee then job-related expenses are not deductible on your tax return. If you believe or expect that you should be reimbursed for driving your employer to appointments then you need to have a discussion about that with your employer.

Re: Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses?

Mike9241 — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 05:27:11 GMT

to be the deductible as a medical expense your employer must be your spouse or dependent - qualifying child or qualifying relative. otherwise, they are not deductible at all.

A qualifying child is a child who:
1. Is your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, half sister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild, niece, or nephew);
2. Was:
a. Under age 19 at the end of the tax year and younger than you (or your spouse if filing jointly),
b. Under age 24 at the end of the tax year, a full-time student, and younger than you (or your spouse if filing
jointly), or
c. Any age and permanently and totally disabled;
3. Lived with you for more than half of the tax year;
4. Didn't provide over half of his or her own support for the tax tear; and
5. Didn't file a joint return, other than to claim a refund.

it is extremely unlikely that your employer would meet the above however

A qualifying relative is a person:
1. Who is your:
a. Son, daughter, stepchild, or foster child, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild),
b. Brother, sister, half brother, half sister, or a son or daughter of any of them,
c. Father, mother, or an ancestor or sibling of either of them (for example, your grandmother, grandfather,
aunt, or uncle),
d. Stepbrother, stepsister, stepfather, stepmother, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, or
e. Any other person (other than your spouse) who lived with you all year as a member of your household
if your relationship didn't violate local law,
2. Who wasn't a qualifying child
3. For whom you provided over half of the support in the tax year.

it would be doubtful that item 3 could be met if the person is your employer

why not ask your employer to reimburse you?

Re: Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses?

Jessica1981 — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 06:07:37 GMT

I worked as homehealth employee. I got pd thru the state but listed as my employer was the woman I took care of. I had to carry insurance in my name on her car & transport her. I pd out of pocket when I did. Which I should not have had too but did.

Re: Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses?

Critter-3 — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 23:27:02 GMT

Are you a W-2 employee ? If so no expenses can be deducted.

Re: Can I deduct the food,gas & motel expenses I paid out of pocket transporting my employer to Dr visits? Can I get reimbursed for those expenses?

Opus 17 — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 18:20:09 GMT

@Jessica1981 wrote:

I worked as homehealth employee. I got pd thru the state but listed as my employer was the woman I took care of. I had to carry insurance in my name on her car & transport her. I pd out of pocket when I did. Which I should not have had too but did.

No. If you are a W-2 employee of anyone, work-related expenses are not tax deductible at least through 2025. (The law may change after that.) If you are an independent contractor (you receive gross wages without deductions and are responsible for paying your own employment taxes on a schedule C) you can deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses for the type of business you perform.

Your employer can reimburse you tax-free using the standard mileage rate if they are willing, and if you substantiate the business purpose of the mileage, usually by means of a logbook or mileage diary. The standard mileage rate includes allowances for fuel, maintenance and insurance, the only thing you can add extra is parking and tolls. Your employer can reimburse you for the actual cost of food and lodging if you travel out of town for business, if they want to.

However, your employer is not required to reimburse you for work-related car and travel unless it is part of your employment arrangement or contract.

In some states, if you have unreimbursed expenses that decrease your net wages to below minimum wage, the state labor board may require the employer to make it up to you. (For example, if a pizza delivery driver gets paid minimum wage but has to use their own car and buy their own gas, this is a violation of wage and hour laws in some states.) However, this might not apply if you incurred these expenses without authorization.