courses which will likely run an excess of 2000 dollars this year. I had
read in a previous post that there is a ceiling of some sort to the deduction
as an employee which is 2% of AGI.
So if I want to take a few of these CE courses which my employer will
not pay for. How should I go about documentation/setting things up to
write off if possible? One of the courses would require being out of
state for a few days, an airplane trip and of course the course itself. I
know being an IC in this case would be best but what can one do otherwise?
employer won’t pay for it, do you mean they won’t pay for it in addition to
your wages? If that’s the case, will they pay for it and reduce your wages by
the amount they pay? If they do that it’s a win/win for both of you as they’ll
save payroll taxes as well. If they won’t do that, then:
Total all of your unreimbursed employee business expenses including the cost of
this CE and you may be able to deduct the amount that exceeds 2% of your AGI – IF
you are able to itemize deductions on your tax return.
All related expenses in taking the course will likely be deductible such as
travel, meals, taxis, tips, lodging, etc.
Try to get your employer to pay it though in lieu of wages, that’s your best
bet.
How do you document costs for taxi, meals, tips etc. Newbie here – Just
hold on the direct receipts I guess? What if you drive yourself to
another state – save the gas receipt?
best and simply log the miles. If you can’t get a receipt for a cash expense,
note it on a sheet of paper where you’re summarizing the trip and its purpose
and it should suffice under audit as long as it’s a reasonable amount.