Yes, you can include these business lodging and travel expenses if you are not reimbursed by your employer.
If you have to pay lodging and meal
expenses while you are away for home as an employee and if you are not being
reimbursed by your employer, you can deduct these as job-related expenses (only
50% of travel meals is allowed). Just remember that for you to include this as
a job-related travel expense, a travel expense has to be necessary for your job
and typical in your line of work, and it must come with proof like a receipt.
If this was a business meeting related to your employment, then your travel expenses
would be related to your employment.
Just remember that job-related expenses that you
report as an employee are subject to a 2% AGI limitation and you will only get
the benefit if you are taking an itemized deduction on your tax return.
To enter your
lodging (and the 50% allowance for meals) expenses as a job-related travel
expense in TurboTax Online (for TurboTax Online sign-in, click Here , then select "Take Me to My
Return") or Desktop, please follow these steps:
- Once you are in your tax
return, click on the “Federal Taxes” tab
- Next click on “Deductions
& Credits”
- Next click on "jump to
full list" or “I’ll choose what I work on”
- Scroll down the screen until
to come to the section “Employment Expenses”
- Choose "show more",
then Job-related expenses and follow the onscreen instructions
- Say "yes" to
question "Did you have any of these expenses in 2015 for your W-2
income?" under the screen titled "Employment Expenses Related to
a W-2".
- after about 6 to 10
question screens, you will get to a screen titled "Any Other
Expenses?" you can put this information here under travel expenses
(see screenshot)
To deduct business lodgings and meals if
self-employed in TurboTax Online or Desktop, please follow these steps:
- Once you are in your tax
return, click on the “Business"” tab
- Next click on “I’ll choose
what I work on” (jump to full list)
- Scroll down the screen until
to come to the section “Business Income and Expense”
- Choose “Profit or Loss from
Business ” and select start/revisit/update.
- If your business is already
listed, choose to "edit"
- You will get to a screen
titled "Your () Business"
- Under Business Expenses,
choose "Other Common Business Expenses
- You will report your lodgings
under "Business Travel" and your meals under "Meals and
Entertainment"
