If my work has a mobile unit as a place of business and I choose to follow that unit can I deduct that mileage or is that my place of business?

[discover98]

Or is the mobile unit my place of work for the day no matter where it goes?  I am not required to use my own car.

[xmasbaby0]

Please explain.  Are you a W-2 employee?  Or do you work as an independent contractor?

-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.  

[discover98]

W2. The IRS still allows for a deduction for work miles driven.  Not commute miles however.  This year for me a new wrinkle has been added.  We also have a mobile office that will move from location to location.  Sometime I ride on the unit sometimes I follow the unit.   When I follow the unit, is that considered work miles that I can deduct or is the mobile unit " my office location"?

Does this make it any clearer?

[xmasbaby0]

No.  There is no federal deduction for "work mileage"  for W-2 employees.   W-2 employees do not get any federal deductions for job-related expenses. 

 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

[discover98]

Thank you.  I guess I have been doing this all wrong.  I was following IRS publication 463 but I guess that is not what I should be doing.