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Temporary job travel & meal expenses.

I live and work in my home state, but my employer had me going to another state work site multiple times (usually about 2-3 weeks at a time) for about 6 months.  Can I deduct the mileage to get to & from the other state?
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Phillip1
New Member

Temporary job travel & meal expenses.

Yes.

You can deduct travel and meal expenses for a temporary worksite as long as the assignment to the assignment was temporary:

See the following from IRS Publication 463:

Temporary Assignment or Job

You may regularly work at your tax home and also work at another location. It may not be practical to return to your tax home from this other location at the end of each work day.

Temporary assignment vs. indefinite assignment.   If your assignment or job away from your main place of work is temporary, your tax home doesn’t change. You are considered to be away from home for the whole period you are away from your main place of work. You can deduct your travel expenses if they otherwise qualify for deduction. Generally, a temporary assignment in a single location is one that is realistically expected to last (and does in fact last) for 1 year or less.

   However, if your assignment or job is indefinite, the location of the assignment or job becomes your new tax home and you can’t deduct your travel expenses while there. An assignment or job in a single location is considered indefinite if it is realistically expected to last for more than 1 year, whether or not it actually lasts for more than 1 year.

  If your assignment is indefinite, you must include in your income any amounts you receive from your employer for living expenses, even if they are called travel allowances and you account to your employer for them. You may be able to deduct the cost of relocating to your new tax home as a moving expense. See Pub. 521 for more information.


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