You may be able to deduct your travel expenses. Members of the National Guard and Reserve are eligible to deduct mileage and other travel expenses if they live more than 100 miles from their base. To be eligible to claim these expenses, you must be a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard Reserve; the Army National Guard of the United States; the Air National Guard of the United States or the Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service. These deductions for travel-related expenses are not available for active-duty service members.
All travel expenses must be incurred for the sole purpose of serving on official duty in the Guard or reserves. If your travel is not for the sole purpose of official duty, then you cannot deduct it. If you traveled more than 100 miles to your duty location, you can deduct your travel expenses to include mileage, lodging, parking, tolls and half the cost of meals.
According to the IRS: ...deductible travel expenses while away from home include, but are not limited to, the costs of:
- Travel by airplane, train, bus or car between your home and your business destination. If you are provided with a ticket or you are riding free as a result of a frequent traveler or similar program, your cost is zero.
- Using your car while at your business destination. You can deduct actual expenses or the standard mileage rate, as well as business-related tolls and parking fees. If you rent a car, you can deduct only the business-use portion for the expenses.
- Fares for taxis or other types of transportation between the airport or train station and your hotel, the hotel and the work location, and from one customer to another, or from one place of business to another.
- Meals and lodging.
- Tips you pay for services related to any of these expenses.
- Dry cleaning and laundry.
- Business calls while on your business trip. (This includes business communications by fax machine or other communication devices.)
- Other similar ordinary and necessary expenses related to your business travel. (These expenses might include transportation to and from a business meal, public stenographer’s fees, computer rental fees and operating and maintaining a house trailer.)
- Shipping of baggage, sample or display material between your regular and temporary work locations.
You cannot deduct expenses that were reimbursed.
You will report your expenses on Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses.
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