Professional growth Travel expenses deductions

[jon higuchi]

I am a 1099NEC contract teacher that took an out of country trip tour that was targeted research to help improve my teaching acumen related to my specified subject matter. What travel expense tax deductions can I take?

[Vanessa A]

Since you are self-employed, you would be able to claim the travel expenses that were directly related to teaching and considered necessary and ordinary.

Depending on what you did on the trip, would determine how likely you would pass a test to claim the travel deduction.  Say you are a German teacher and you went to Germany to visit a college and take classes to improve your German.  That is the only thing you really did while there.  The classes, and the trip would be fully deductible. 

If you however, just went to tour Germany, and it was mostly pleasure but only slightly related,, it wouldn't be a good idea to claim the trip.

Basically, if it is a Bonafede business purpose, you can claim it.  If not, then it is not a good idea even if you can make it seem like it is.  

See page 10 of pub 463.