I Pay union dues, use my phone for work and have to purchase safety gear. can I right this off?

mschaaf72 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:46:33 GMT

Technically yes. Practically, no. You are allowed to dedu...

Hal_Al — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:46:35 GMT

Technically yes. Practically, no.

You are allowed to deduct your job expenses, subtracting what you were reimbursed (do not subtract your reimbursement if it was included on your W-2 as taxable income). TurboTax completes form 2106, which then carries to Misc itemized deductions on Schedule A. The problem with this is that you only get to deduct that portion of your misc deductions that exceed 2% of your AGI. and then only if your total itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction. (2% rule explained: https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2902781-what-is-the-2-rule)

The costs of a cell phone may be a business expense, but only the additional costs in using a cell phone for business are deductible. If you pay a flat rate on a phone used for business and personal calls, the tax court has held that the flat rate is for your personal phone and you incurred no additional charges for business use. You have no deduction. (TC Memo 2007-151).

In TurboTax, enter at:

Federal Taxes Tab

Deductions & Credits

-Scroll down to:

-Employment Expenses
-- Job related expenses

topic I Pay union dues, use my phone for work and have to purchase safety gear. can I right this off? in Deductions & credits

I Pay union dues, use my phone for work and have to purchase safety gear. can I right this off?

Technically yes. Practically, no. You are allowed to dedu...