Deduct rental car, W2 earner - Hello, My Wife and I only have 1 car. I'm working for a company 400 miles away. I rented a car for travel there. Can I deduct the expenses?

[s-bouillon]

Relocated to Irvine, CA. Wife and I only have 1 car so I was traveling to the Bay Area every other week via rental car. Can I write off the expenses associated with traveling or just the car? I was staying with my parents when I was working in the Bay Area. The rental cars were getting expensive though.

I'm at W2 earner, not self employed, commission only, mortgage sales

[MargaretL]

You cannot deduct the car, unfortunately. Neither the rental or the travel expenses qualify as your job-related expenses. It is considered commuting at this point, no matter how far you had to travel.

[s-bouillon]

Basically I originate mortgage loans all over the state. What if I needed to use the car to meet clients? Would that count towards 2106 expenses or any other schedule?

[MargaretL]

Yes, that would count... if you travel from one job location to another, that IS your work-related expense; just not the distance from home to 1st job location and then back home.