topic Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? I didn't drive to drill, I bought commercial tickets. in Business & farm

Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? I didn't drive to drill, I bought commercial tickets.

kevinburel — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 00:32:39 GMT

Re: Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? ...

DawnC — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 02:26:09 GMT

Armed Forces reservists can deduct travel expenses for their reserve duties if they traveled more than 100 miles from their home to perform these duties. The amount of expenses you can deduct is limited to the regular federal per diem rate (for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses) and the standard mileage rate (for car expenses), plus any parking fees, ferry fees, and tolls.

[Edited 02/03/20 | 6:25 PST]

Re: Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? ...

kevinburel — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 01:46:31 GMT

Thank you so much, @DawnC! My job-related expenses section looks different. I followed the instructions you gave me, and answered NO to the question "Did Kevin drive a vehicle for their reservist duties while they traveled?". After I click no, my screen looks different than yours...

And that's all there is. Airfare, rental car, other expenses, and so on... they're not Parking, Ferry, or Toll Fees, they're not Lodging, and they're not Meals and incidental expenses. But they do add up to thousands of dollars. Is it operator error? What am I doing wrong? Thanks for your time!

Re: Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? ...

DawnC — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 02:37:14 GMT

I edited my answer above. Apparently, my version of TurboTax was not fully updated so I was seeing an old screen. Now that it is updated, my screen looks exactly like your does. According the IRS's instructions for Form 2106, page 4, If you qualify, complete Form 2106 and include the part of the line 10 amount attributable to the expenses for travel more than 100 miles away from home in connection with your performance of services as a member of the reserves on Schedule 1 (Form 1040 or 1040-SR), line 11, and attach Form 2106 to your return.

The amount of expenses you can deduct on Schedule 1 (Form 1040 or 1040-SR), line 11, is limited to the regular federal per diem rate (for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses) and the standard mileage rate (for car expenses), plus any parking fees, ferry fees, and tolls.

Re: Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? ...

kevinburel — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 14:28:17 GMT

Thanks!

After looking at the most current version of IRS form 2106, the interview questions in TurboTax do not match the lines in Form 2106 (frustrating). Eventually, through trial and error, I figured out how to manipulate the inputs in the TurboTax interview screen in order to populate on the proper places on IRS form 2106.

"Manipulating inputs" and "trial and error" don't rise to the standards I expect from TurboTax. Intuit missed the mark on this feature / form, but @DawnC I so appreciate your time and help with working through it. Thanks and have a great day!

Re: Where in Turbotax can Armed Forces Reservists record their airfare expenses to get to drill? ...

DawnC — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:42:06 GMT

You are very welcome and thank you for the feedback - I do appreciate it and will get this sent off to the right hands!