My job sent me to another state to complete a job. I stayed there for 1 week. Where do I claim my expenses on the app?

[Bsch4477]

Are you self employed or an employee?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

If you are a W-2 employee, you cannot deduct job-related expenses on a federal tax return.   And further----if you are a W-2 employee, your employer should be covering your out of town travel and expenses or reimbursing you via an expense account, etc.

 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

If you are an independent contractor, then your business expenses including the travel expenses, go on your Schedule C when you enter your self-employment income.

[Hal_Al]

Your next question might be:

Q. Do I have to pay state income tax to that other state, for the week I worked there?

A. Yes, but "nobody" does. See http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/28/pf/taxes/business-traveler-tax-threat/  If you live in a state without an income tax (e.g. FL or TX), it’s more likely you should file in the work states. You can't use the "it all comes out even" rationale for not filing.