New tax law for truck drivers

[Kamil Mubarak]

Apparently I was told that company drivers that are over the road and gone all week are not entitled to per diem any more. This is causing me to pay around 7000 more in taxes a year. I would like to know if there is anyway around this due to the fact that I still have to live out on the road for my job!

[Carl]

If you are a W-2 employee then work related expenses are no longer deductible.

If you are self-employed, then employment related expenses are still deductible on the SCH C.

[Jaluaa]

What about for 2019? Employee truck drivers meal deductible?

[ThomasM125]

You can only deduct your work expenses on your federal tax return if you are an independent contractor, in other words your income is reported to you on a form 1099-MISC, as opposed to a W-2 form. However, if your W-2 form has box 13 checked for "Statutory Employee" then you could deduct your work related expenses.

Some states do allow you to continue to deduct your work expenses, however, so you should enter them in TurboTax if that applies in your state.

The new rules went into affect in 2018 and are set to expire in 2025.