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    conjrc48's Avatar
    conjrc48 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Jun 2, 2010, 09:33 AM
    Railroad tax deductions
    What are my deductions can I claim uniforms, shoes, tranportation, food , lodging, away from home cell phone , medical bills , union dues , gas miledge , what's the amount per mile , 401k anyone please help
    ebaines's Avatar
    ebaines Posts: 12,131, Reputation: 1307
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    Jun 2, 2010, 11:39 AM

    See http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p529.pdf and http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf for information on deductions. But in general, unreimbursed business expenses are deductible as miscellaneous deductions to the extent they exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income, and medical expenses to the extent they exceed 7.5% of AGI:

    Uniforms - yes, but only if the uniform is required by your employer and is not suitable for everyday use.

    Shoes - same answer.

    Transportation expense - yes, for unreimbursed expenses while traveling away from home for your employer. This does not include commuting from home to your regular place of employment.

    Food - same answer, if incurred while on a business trip and not reimbursed. You deduct either a standard daily food allowance ($39/day or $46/day, depending on when the travel occurred) or you deduct 50% of the actual cost. Details are in IRS Pub 463.

    Lodging - yes, if reqiured for work and not reimbursed, but must be temporary lodging (the work assignment away from home is expected to last less than 1 year).

    Away from home cell phone - same answer, if you are on a business trip. I'd go easy on this one - given that most cell phone plans include a certain amount of minutes it may be difficult to document specific expenses incured for business purposes versus personal.

    Medical bills - only to the exytent that the amount paid exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income

    Union dues - yes

    Gas mileage - see above answer on transportation expense. The standard mileage rate is $0.55 per mile, which you can take in lieu of actual gas costs and other vehicle expenses (repairs, depreciation, etc).

    401(k) - is typically deducted from pay as a pre-tax amount, so is automatically tax-defered. The amount you contribute to your 401(k) is not included in the "wages" reported on your W2, so there is nothing you need to deduct on your tax return.

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