I participated in a study tour abroad through a professional development institute in my field. Can I deduct the fee for participating?

[JohnW15]

It depends -- you may be able to.

If this is a business-related expense and you're an employee -- that is, you receive a W-2 with wages for your work -- then nothing would be deductible, since employees can no longer deduct work-related expenses in tax years 2018 through 2025 due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that Congress signed into law on December 22, 2017.

Now, if you're not an employee, but self-employed…then, whether you can claim a deduction, and how much, depends on the nature of the travel, itself -- basically, the business versus personal nature of the trip.

Please see "Travel Outside the United States" beginning on page 7 of IRS Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses, to see what you might be able to deduct, based on your travel.

[Edited 4|6|2019 8:40 a.m.]

[JohnW15]

Edited to add self-employment reference.