ezpass toll deduction

[dimi1927]

dear community,

live in nj, work in nyc. drive into work each morning, mon-fri, through the lincoln tunnel. use ezpass. all year long. is there a way for me to get a deduction for the amount that i spend on the tolls, and if so, does the deduction apply to the federal taxes, ny state taxes, and/or nj state taxes? thank you so kindly for your help, time, and attention.

[TomK2023]

No.  Commuting expenses incurred between your home and your main place of work, no matter how far are not an allowable tax deduction. Costs of driving a car from home to work and back again are personal commuting expenses.

[dimi1927]

I understand, thank you so much for the information and advice.  although i don't this passed, but have you seen this bill

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S1453/bill-text?f=S1500&n=1453_I1

your thoughts?

thank you again

[DawnC]

That bill was introduced in 2022 and was not passed by the Senate or the Assembly, so it never became law.   There is another version of it introduced this year, see  S1453.

If you are a w-2 employee, job expenses are not an allowable deduction for tax years 2018-2025 on your federal or NJ tax returns.   Job-related employee expenses

[dimi1927]

thank you so much for the links. completely understand.

i've also heard about something called paychex

https://www.paychex.com/articles/employee-benefits/commuter-benefits

do you know how this works and how i can get access to this ?

thank you so much once again

[Opus 17]

@dimi1927 

That would also not apply in your situation.

An employer is allowed to offer as a fringe benefit, coverage for "qualified transportation expenses".  Fringe benefits must be made available to all employees under the same terms and conditions, just like medical insurance, so it would be a significant undertaking for any employer to add this to their benefit package. 

Then, qualified transportation expenses include mass transit and parking, but not tolls for personal vehicles. Mass transit includes transit passes for buses, trains, or the subway, or travel in a "highway commuter vehicle" — a commuter vehicle is a vehicle that seats at least six passengers, not including the driver.  These qualified transportation expenses can either be reimbursed tax-free by the employer if the employee provides proof of expenses, or they can be excluded from the employee’s income on a pre-tax basis and placed into a flexible spending account for commuting expenses, similar to a medical expense or dependent care FSA. The maximum tax-free reimbursement or the maximum pretax exclusion is $315 per month for commuting and $315 per month for parking.

But even if your employer offered such a benefit plan, it would not cover tolls in your personal vehicle.

[dimi1927]

wow thank you so much, super super useful and helpful information and intel. very very grateful