NOTE: The new tax law eliminates all miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% of AGI limitation, including employee job expenses, for 2018 through 2025. The below answer applies only to tax years before 2018.
If you are a W-2 employee, you are allowed to deduct your mileage (54 cents for 2016) and other job expenses, subtracting what you were reimbursed (do not subtract your reimbursement if it was included on your W-2 as taxable income). TurboTax completes form 2106, which then carries to Misc itemized deductions on Schedule A. The problem with this is that you only get to deduct that portion of your misc deductions that exceed 2% of your AGI. and then only if your total itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction. (2% rule explained: https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2902781-what-is-the-2-rule)
In TurboTax, enter at:
Federal Taxes Tab
Deductions & Credits
I'll choose what I work on
-Scroll down to:
-Employment Expenses
-- Job related expenses
If you drive from your place of work (office, hospital etc), to the patients home then all your business use is deductible. If, however, you drive from your home to the patient's home, then the mileage to the 1st patient's home and the mileage from the last patient's home back to your home are not deductible. Any trips in-between are deductible. An exception is allowed for out-of-town trips. For example you leave home drive 5 miles to the 1st job then drive 10 miles to the 2nd site. At the end of the day you drive 15 miles home. Only the 10 miles between jobs is deductible. The first trip in the morning, from home and the last trip at night back home are considered commuting and are not deductible.
