If you are an employee then you cannot deduct business-related expenses. This deduction has been eliminated under the new tax law unless you work in one of these specific professions or situations:
- Armed Forces reservist
- Qualified performing artist
- Fee-basis state or local government official
- You're disabled and have impairment-related expenses
They may, however, be deductible on your state return.
If you were in one of the professions listed above, follow the directions below to enter your job-related expenses.
- Open (continue) your return in TurboTax if it's not already open.
- In TurboTax, search for 2106 and then select the "Jump to" link in the search results.
- At the Tell us about the occupation you have expenses for screen, enter your occupation, then select Continue.
- If you land on the Job-Related Expenses Summary screen, you can select Add Another Occupation (to add another 2106), Edit (for an existing 2106), or Delete.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your employee expenses.
If you were self-employed during 2018, your business-related expenses are deductible on Schedule C. However, you will need TurboTax Self-Employed to do so.
To enter your business-related expenses related to Schedule C, you must first enter your self-employment income. Then, TurboTax will prompt you to enter your expenses.
