Air travel is deductible. If you are a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States and you travel more than 100 miles away from home in connection with your performance of services as a member of the reserves, you can deduct some of your travel expenses as an adjustment to gross income rather than as a miscellaneous itemized deduction. The amount of expenses you can deduct as an adjustment to gross income is limited to the regular federal per diem rate (for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses) and the standard mileage rate (for car expenses) plus any parking fees, ferry fees, and tolls. The balance, if any, is reported on Schedule A.
To claim unreimbursed travel expenses, reservists must be stationed away from the general area of their job or business and return to their regular jobs once released. Expenses are deductible only if the reservists pay for meals and lodging at their official military post and only to the extent the expenses exceed Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS). This includes any reimbursement reported under Code L in Box 12 of Form W-2.
To enter in TurboTax, since there is no specific place to enter airfare, you can list it under Parking, ferry and toll fees.
As you reach the end of the employee business expenses section, you will arrive at a page titled, "Any Special Situation?" Answer Yes.
On the page titled, "Did Your Job Related Expenses Fall Into These Categories?", enter your expenses into the Military reservist travel expenses box.
Deductible travel expenses also include:
- Airline, train, or bus tickets
- Automobile mileage
- Hotel or Motel expenses
- Meals and incidental expenses
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