Claiming a phone as expense

[sfw-wilson]

Can I deduct the entire phone bill or just a portion of it. I am required to have it for work and the only place that has the number is my work.

[ThomasM · Accepted solution]

If you use the phone exclusively for work, then you can take a deduction for the entire amount.  If your use of the phone is also personal, then you'll need to allocate business and personal use percentages and then take a deduction for the business use amount (calculate one total figure for the year).  You won't be able to deduct any portion that you were reimbursed for.

If you're a W-2 employee, then you'll enter the business amount by selecting Federal Taxes, then Deductions and Credits, then scroll down to Employment Expenses, and select Job Expenses for W-2 Income.

Follow the prompts and TurboTax will ask you questions about various types of expenses.  You'll continue past a screen for "Any Other Expenses" and you'll arrive at the input screen for Job-Related Expenses, where you'll write in your phone and the business use amount.