Do I get a tax break for automotive mechanic for the tools I buy like teachers get?

[fratfella]

I pay every week for tools I need to be an automotive technician. Teachers get breaks for buying markers, crayons, paper etc. Can I claim any of the $700 a month tool expense? The shop is not required to buy tools for me to work. I am

[MinhT1]

If you are an employee, this expense is a job-related expense and isn't deductible.

Up to tax year 2017, job-related expenses were deductible as an itemized deduction subject to the 2% of AGI floor.

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the itemized deductions for job-related expenses subject to the 2% of AGI floor are suspended for expenses incurred after December 31, 2017 through 2025.

If you are self-employed, then this expense is deductible as a business expense.

[DoninGA]

If you are a wage employee who receives a W-2 then your employee business expenses are not deductible on a federal tax return due to the tax code changes in effect for tax years 2018 thru 2025

[xmasbaby0]

Are you a W-2 employee?

W-2 employees cannot deduct job-related expenses on a federal return.  Job-related expenses were eliminated as a federal deduction for W-2 employees by the tax laws that changed for 2018 and beyond.  Your state tax laws might be different in AL, AR, CA, HI, MN, NY or PA.

If you live in a state that lets you deduct job-related expenses, the information will flow from your federal return  to the state return, so enter it in Federal>Deductions and Credits>Employment Expenses>Job-Related Expenses