Standard Deduction and Itemized Deductions

After you have figured your adjusted gross income, you are ready to subtract the deductions used to figure taxable income. You can subtract either the standard deduction or itemized deductions. Itemized deductions are deductions for certain expenses that are listed on Schedule A (Form 1040). The 10 chapters in this part discuss the standard deduction, each itemized deduction, and a limit on some of your itemized deductions if your adjusted gross income is more than a certain amount. See chapter 20 for the factors to consider when deciding whether to take the standard deduction or itemized deductions.

20. Standard Deduction

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Standard deduction increased. The standard deduction for taxpayers who don’t itemize their deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040) is higher for 2017 than it was for 2016. The amount depends on your filing status. You can use the 2017 Standard Deduction Tables in this chapter to figure your standard deduction.In addition to the annual increase due to inflation adjustments, your 2017 standard deduction is increased by any net disaster loss due to Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria. To claim the increased standard deduction, you must file Form 1040. See Pub. 976 for more information.

Introduction

This chapter discusses the following topics.

How to figure the amount of your standard deduction.
The standard deduction for dependents.
Who should itemize deductions.

Most taxpayers have a choice of either taking a standard deduction or itemizing their deductions. If you have a choice, you can use the method that gives you the lower tax.

The standard deduction is a dollar amount that reduces your taxable income. It is a benefit that eliminates the need for many taxpayers to itemize actual deductions, such as medical expenses, charitable contributions, and taxes, on Schedule A (Form 1040). The standard deduction is higher for taxpayers who:

Are 65 or older, or
Are blind.

You benefit from the standard deduction if your standard deduction is more than the total of your allowable itemized deductions.

Persons not eligible for the standard deduction.

Your standard deduction is zero and you should itemize any deductions you have if:

Your filing status is married filing separately, and your spouse itemizes deductions on his or her return;
You are filing a tax return for a short tax year because of a change in your annual accounting period; or
You are a nonresident or dual-status alien during the year. You are considered a dual-status alien if you were both a nonresident and resident alien during the year.

If you are a nonresident alien who is married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien at the end of the year, you can choose to be treated as a U.S. resident. (See Pub. 519.) If you make this choice, you can take the standard deduction.

If an exemption for you can be claimed on another person’s return (such as your parents’ return), your standard deduction may be limited. See Standard Deduction for Dependents, later.

Standard Deduction Amount

The standard deduction amount depends on your filing status, whether you are 65 or older or blind, and whether another taxpayer can claim an exemption for you. Generally, the standard deduction amounts are adjusted each year for inflation. The standard deduction amounts for most people are shown in Table 20-1.

Decedent’s final return.

The standard deduction for a decedent’s final tax return is the same as it would have been had the decedent continued to live. However, if the decedent wasn’t 65 or older at the time of death, the higher standard deduction for age can’t be claimed.

Higher Standard Deduction for Age (65 or Older)

If you are age 65 or older on the last day of the year and don’t itemize deductions, you are entitled to a higher standard deduction. You are considered 65 on the day before your 65th birthday. Therefore, you can take a higher standard deduction for 2017 if you were born before January 2, 1953.

Use Table 20-2 to figure the standard deduction amount.

Death of a taxpayer.

If you are preparing a return for someone who died in 2017, see Death of taxpayer in Pub. 501 before using Table 20-2 or Table 20-3.

Higher Standard Deduction for Blindness

If you are blind on the last day of the year and you don’t itemize deductions, you are entitled to a higher standard deduction.

Not totally blind.

If you aren’t totally blind, you must get a certified statement from an eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) that:

You can’t see better than 20/200 in the better eye with glasses or contact lenses, or
Your field of vision is 20 degrees or less.

If your eye condition isn’t likely to improve beyond these limits, the statement should include this fact. Keep the statement in your records.

If your vision can be corrected beyond these limits only by contact lenses that you can wear only briefly because of pain, infection, or ulcers, you can take the higher standard deduction for blindness if you otherwise qualify.

Spouse 65 or Older or Blind

You can take the higher standard deduction if your spouse is age 65 or older or blind and:

You file a joint return, or
You file a separate return and can claim an exemption for your spouse because your spouse had no gross income and can’t be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer.

Death of a spouse.

If your spouse died in 2017 before reaching age 65, you can’t take a higher standard deduction because of your spouse. Even if your spouse was born before January 2, 1953, he or she isn’t considered 65 or older at the end of 2017 unless he or she was 65 or older at the time of death.

A person is considered to reach age 65 on the day before his or her 65th birthday.

Example.

Your spouse was born on February 14, 1952, and died on February 13, 2017. Your spouse is considered age 65 at the time of death. However, if your spouse died on February 12, 2017, your spouse isn’t considered age 65 at the time of death and isn’t 65 or older at the end of 2017.

You can’t claim the higher standard deduction for an individual other than yourself and your spouse.

Higher Standard Deduction for Net Disaster Loss

Your standard deduction is increased by any net disaster loss due to Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria.

See Pub. 976 for more information on how to figure your increased standard deduction and how to report it on Form 1040.

Examples

The following examples illustrate how to determine your standard deduction using Tables 20-1 and 20-2.

Example 1.

Larry, 46, and Donna, 33, are filing a joint return for 2017. Neither is blind, and neither can be claimed as a dependent. They decide not to itemize their deductions. They use Table 20-1. Their standard deduction is $12,700.

Example 2.

The facts are the same as in Example 1 except that Larry is blind at the end of 2017. Larry and Donna use Table 20-2. Their standard deduction is $13,950.

Example 3.

Bill and Lisa are filing a joint return for 2017. Both are over age 65. Neither is blind, and neither can be claimed as a dependent. If they don’t itemize deductions, they use Table 20-2. Their standard deduction is $15,200.

Standard Deduction for Dependents

The standard deduction for an individual who can be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return is generally limited to the greater of:

$1,050, or
The individual’s earned income for the year plus $350 (but not more than the regular standard deduction amount, generally $6,350).

However, if the individual is 65 or older or blind, the standard deduction may be higher.

If you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return, use Table 20-3 to determine your standard deduction.

Earned income defined.

Earned income is salaries, wages, tips, professional fees, and other amounts received as pay for work you actually perform.

For purposes of the standard deduction, earned income also includes any part of a taxable scholarship or fellowship grant. See Scholarships and fellowships in chapter 12 for more information on what qualifies as a scholarship or fellowship grant.

Example 1.

Michael is 16 years old and single. His parents can claim an exemption for him on their 2017 tax return. He has interest income of $780 and wages of $150. He has no itemized deductions. Michael uses Table 20-3 to find his standard deduction. He enters $150 (his earned income) on line 1, $500 ($150 + $350) on line 3, $1,050 (the larger of $500 and $1,050) on line 5, and $6,350 on line 6. His standard deduction, on line 7a, is $1,050 (the smaller of $1,050 and $6,350).

Example 2.

Joe, a 22-year-old full-time college student, can be claimed as a dependent on his parents’ 2017 tax return. Joe is married and files a separate return. His wife doesn’t itemize deductions on her separate return. Joe has $1,500 in interest income and wages of $3,800. He has no itemized deductions. Joe finds his standard deduction by using Table 20-3. He enters his earned income, $3,800, on line 1. He adds lines 1 and 2 and enters $4,150 on line 3. On line 5, he enters $4,150, the larger of lines 3 and 4. Because Joe is married filing a separate return, he enters $6,350 on line 6. On line 7a, he enters $4,150 as his standard deduction because it is smaller than $6,350, the amount on line 6.

Example 3.

Amy, who is single, can be claimed as a dependent on her parents’ 2017 tax return. She is 18 years old and blind. She has interest income of $1,300 and wages of $2,900. She has no itemized deductions. Amy uses Table 20-3 to find her standard deduction. She enters her wages of $2,900 on line 1. She adds lines 1 and 2 and enters $3,250 ($2,900 + $350) on line 3. On line 5, she enters $3,250, the larger of lines 3 and 4. Because she is single, Amy enters $6,350 on line 6. She enters $3,250 on line 7a. This is the smaller of the amounts on lines 5 and 6. Because she checked the box in the top part of the worksheet, indicating she is blind, she enters $1,550 on line 7b. She then adds the amounts on lines 7a and 7b and enters her standard deduction of $4,800 on line 7c.

Example 4.

Ed is 18 years old and single. His parents can claim an exemption for him on their 2017 tax return. He has wages of $7,000, interest income of $500, and a business loss of $3,000. He has no itemized deductions. Ed uses Table 20-3 to figure his standard deduction. He enters $4,000 ($7,000 – $3,000) on line 1. He adds lines 1 and 2 and enters $4,350 on line 3. On line 5, he enters $4,350, the larger of lines 3 and 4. Because he is single, Ed enters $6,350 on line 6. On line 7a, he enters $4,350 as his standard deduction because it is smaller than $6,350, the amount on line 6.

Who Should Itemize

You should itemize deductions if your total deductions are more than the standard deduction amount. Also, you should itemize if you don’t qualify for the standard deduction, as discussed earlier under Persons not eligible for the standard deduction .

You should first figure your itemized deductions and compare that amount to your standard deduction to make sure you are using the method that gives you the greater benefit.

You may be subject to a limit on some of your itemized deductions if your adjusted gross income is more than $261,500 if single; $287,650 if head of household; $313,800 if married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er); or $156,900 if married filing separately. See chapter 29 or the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040) for more information on figuring the correct amount of your itemized deductions.

When to itemize.

You may benefit from itemizing your deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040) if you:

Don’t qualify for the standard deduction, or the amount you can claim is limited;
Had large uninsured medical and dental expenses during the year;
Paid interest and taxes on your home;
Had large unreimbursed employee business expenses or other miscellaneous deductions;
Had large uninsured casualty or theft losses;
Made large contributions to qualified charities; or
Have total itemized deductions that are more than the standard deduction to which you otherwise are entitled.

These deductions are explained in chapters 21–28.

If you decide to itemize your deductions, complete Schedule A and attach it to your Form 1040. Enter the amount from Schedule A, line 29, on Form 1040, line 40.

Electing to itemize for state tax or other purposes.

Even if your itemized deductions are less than your standard deduction, you can elect to itemize deductions on your federal return rather than take the standard deduction. You may want to do this if, for example, the tax benefit of itemizing your deductions on your state tax return is greater than the tax benefit you lose on your federal return by not taking the standard deduction. To make this election, you must check the box on line 30 of Schedule A.

Changing your mind.

If you don’t itemize your deductions and later find that you should have itemized—or if you itemize your deductions and later find you shouldn’t have—you can change your return by filing Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. See Amended Returns and Claims for Refund in chapter 1 for more information on amended returns.

Married persons who filed separate returns.

You can change methods of taking deductions only if you and your spouse both make the same changes. Both of you must file a consent to assessment for any additional tax either one may owe as a result of the change.

You and your spouse can use the method that gives you the lower total tax, even though one of you may pay more tax than you would have paid by using the other method. You both must use the same method of claiming deductions. If one itemizes deductions, the other should itemize because he or she won’t qualify for the standard deduction. See Persons not eligible for the standard deduction , earlier.

2017 Standard Deduction Tables

If you are married filing a separate return and your spouse itemizes deductions, or if you are a dual-status alien, you can’t take the standard deduction even if you were born before January 2, 1953, or are blind.

Table 20-1.Standard Deduction Chart for Most People*

IF your filing status is…	THEN your standard deduction is…
Single or Married filing separately	$ 6,350
Married filing jointly or Qualifying widow(er)	12,700
Head of household	9,350
*Don’t use this chart if you were born before January 2, 1953, are blind, or if someone else can claim you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) as a dependent. Use Table 20-2 or 20-3 instead.

Table 20-2.Standard Deduction Chart for People Born Before January 2, 1953, or Who Are Blind*

Check the correct number of boxes below. Then go to the chart.
You :	Born before January 2, 1953 □		Blind □
Your spouse , if claiming spouse’s exemption:	Born before January 2, 1953 □		Blind □
Total number of boxes checked
IF your filing status is…		AND the number in the box above is…	THEN your standard deduction is…
Single		1	$ 7,900
		2	9,450
Married filing jointly		1	$13,950
or Qualifying		2	15,200
widow(er)		3	16,450
		4	17,700
Married filing		1	$ 7,600
separately		2	8,850
		3	10,100
		4	11,350
Head of household		1	$10,900
		2	12,450
*If someone else can claim you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) as a dependent, use Table 20-3 instead.

Table 20-3.Standard Deduction Worksheet for Dependents Use this worksheet only if someone else can claim you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) as a dependent.

Check the correct number of boxes below. Then go to the worksheet.
You :			Born before January 2, 1953 □		Blind □
Your spouse , if claiming spouse’s exemption:			Born before January 2, 1953 □		Blind □
Total number of boxes checked
1.	Enter your earned income (defined below). If none, enter -0-.			1.
2.	Additional amount.			2.	$350
3.	Add lines 1 and 2.			3.
4.	Minimum standard deduction.			4.	$1,050
5.	Enter the larger of line 3 or line 4.			5.
6.	Enter the amount shown below for your filing status. · Single or Married filing separately—$6,350 · Married filing jointly—$12,700 · Head of household—$9,350			6.
7.	Standard deduction.
	a.	Enter the smaller of line 5 or line 6. If born after January 1, 1953, and not blind, stop here. This is your standard deduction. Otherwise, go on to line 7b.		7a.
	b.	If born before January 2, 1953, or blind, multiply $1,550 ($1,250 if married) by the number in the box above.		7b.
	c.	Add lines 7a and 7b. This is your standard deduction for 2017.		7c.
Earned income includes wages, salaries, tips, professional fees, and other compensation received for personal services you performed. It also includes any taxable scholarship or fellowship grant.

21. Medical and Dental Expenses

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Medical and dental expenses. Beginning January 1, 2017, you can deduct only the part of your medical and dental expenses that exceeds 10% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). The 7.5% rate available for certain taxpayers has expired, however, at the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would extend the 7.5% rate. To see if this legislation was enacted, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Standard mileage rate. The standard mileage rate allowed for operating expenses for a car when you use it for medical reasons is 17 cents per mile. See Transportation under What Medical Expenses Are Includible.

Introduction

This chapter will help you determine the following.

What medical expenses are.
What expenses you can include this year.
How much of the expenses you can deduct.
Whose medical expenses you can include.
What medical expenses are includible.
How to treat reimbursements.
How to report the deduction on your tax return.
How to report impairment-related work expenses.
How to report health insurance costs if you are self-employed.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

502 Medical and Dental Expenses
969 Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans

Form (and Instructions)

1040S. Individual Tax Return
Schedule A (Form 1040) Itemized Deductions
8885Health Coverage Tax Credit
8962Premium Tax Credit (PTC)

What Are Medical Expenses?

Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body. These expenses include payments for legal medical services rendered by physicians, surgeons, dentists, and other medical practitioners. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes.

Medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental disability or illness. They don’t include expenses that are merely beneficial to general health, such as vitamins or a vacation.

Medical expenses include the premiums you pay for insurance that covers the expenses of medical care, and the amounts you pay for transportation to get medical care. Medical expenses also include amounts paid for qualified long-term care services and limited amounts paid for any qualified long-term care insurance contract.

What Expenses Can You Include This Year?

You can include only the medical and dental expenses you paid this year, regardless of when the services were provided. If you pay medical expenses by check, the day you mail or deliver the check generally is the date of payment. If you use a “pay-by-phone” or “online” account to pay your medical expenses, the date reported on the statement of the financial institution showing when payment was made is the date of payment. If you use a credit card, include medical expenses you charge to your credit card in the year the charge is made, not when you actually pay the amount charged.

Separate returns.

If you and your spouse live in a noncommunity property state and file separate returns, each of you can include only the medical expenses each actually paid. Any medical expenses paid out of a joint checking account in which you and your spouse have the same interest are considered to have been paid equally by each of you, unless you can show otherwise.

Community property states.

If you and your spouse live in a community property state and file separate returns, or are registered domestic partners in Nevada, Washington, or California, any medical expenses paid out of community funds are divided equally. Each of you should include half the expenses. If medical expenses are paid out of the separate funds of one individual, only the individual who paid the medical expenses can include them. If you live in a community property state, and aren’t filing a joint return, see Pub. 555.

How Much of the Expenses Can You Deduct?

Generally, you can deduct on Schedule A (Form 1040) only the amount of your medical and dental expenses that is more than 10% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on Form 1040, line 38.

The 7.5% adjusted gross income (AGI) threshold for deducting medical and dental expenses has expired, however, at the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would permit certain individuals to deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of their AGI. To see if this legislation was enacted, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Whose Medical Expenses Can You Include?

You can generally include medical expenses you pay for yourself, as well as those you pay for someone who was your spouse or your dependent either when the services were provided or when you paid for them. There are different rules for decedents and for individuals who are the subject of multiple support agreements. See Support claimed under a multiple support agreement , later.

Spouse

You can include medical expenses you paid for your spouse. To include these expenses, you must have been married either at the time your spouse received the medical services or at the time you paid the medical expenses.

Example 1.

Mary received medical treatment before she married Bill. Bill paid for the treatment after they married. Bill can include these expenses in figuring his medical expense deduction even if Bill and Mary file separate returns.

If Mary had paid the expenses, Bill couldn’t include Mary’s expenses in his separate return. Mary would include the amounts she paid during the year in her separate return. If they filed a joint return, the medical expenses both paid during the year would be used to figure their medical expense deduction.

Example 2.

This year, John paid medical expenses for his wife Louise, who died last year. John married Belle this year and they file a joint return. Because John was married to Louise when she received the medical services, he can include those expenses in figuring his medical expense deduction for this year.

Dependent

You can include medical expenses you paid for your dependent. For you to include these expenses, the person must have been your dependent either at the time the medical services were provided or at the time you paid the expenses. A person generally qualifies as your dependent for purposes of the medical expense deduction if both of the following requirements are met.

The person was a qualifying child (defined later) or a qualifying relative (defined later); and
The person was a U.S. citizen or national, or a resident of the United States, Canada, or Mexico. If your qualifying child was adopted, see Exception for adopted child

You can include medical expenses you paid for an individual that would have been your dependent except that:

He or she received gross income of $4,050 or more in 2017;
He or she filed a joint return for 2017; or
You, or your spouse if filing jointly, could be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2017 return.

Exception for adopted child.

If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national and your adopted child lived with you as a member of your household for 2017, that child doesn’t have to be a U.S. citizen or national or a resident of the United States, Canada, or Mexico.

Qualifying Child

A qualifying child is a child who:

Is your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, half sister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild, niece, or nephew);
Was:
1. Under age 19 at the end of 2017 and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly);
2. Under age 24 at the end of 2017, a full-time student, and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly); or
3. Any age and permanently and totally disabled;
Lived with you for more than half of 2017;
Didn’t provide over half of his or her own support for 2017; and
Didn’t file a joint return, or, if he or she did, it was only to claim a refund.

Adopted child.

A legally adopted child is treated as your own child. This includes a child lawfully placed with you for legal adoption.

You can include medical expenses that you paid for a child before adoption if the child qualified as your dependent when the medical services were provided or when the expenses were paid.

If you pay back an adoption agency or other persons for medical expenses they paid under an agreement with you, you are treated as having paid those expenses provided you clearly substantiate that the payment is directly attributable to the medical care of the child.

But if you pay the agency or other person for medical care that was provided and paid for before adoption negotiations began, you can’t include them as medical expenses.

You may be able to take an adoption credit for other expenses related to an adoption. See the Instructions for Form 8839, Qualified Adoption Expenses, for more information.

Child of divorced or separated parents.

For purposes of the medical and dental expenses deduction, a child of divorced or separated parents can be treated as a dependent of both parents. Each parent can include the medical expenses he or she pays for the child, even if the other parent claims the child’s dependency exemption, if:

The child is in the custody of one or both parents for more than half the year,
The child receives over half of his or her support during the year from his or her parents, and
The child’s parents:
1. Are divorced or legally separated under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance,
2. Are separated under a written separation agreement, or
3. Live apart at all times during the last 6 months of the year.

This doesn’t apply if the child’s exemption is being claimed under a multiple support agreement (discussed later).

Qualifying Relative

A qualifying relative is a person:

Who is your:
1. Son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild);
2. Brother, sister, half brother, half sister, or a son or daughter of any of them;
3. Father, mother, or an ancestor or sibling of either of them (for example, your grandmother, grandfather, aunt, or uncle);
4. Stepbrother, stepsister, stepfather, stepmother, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; or
5. Any other person (other than your spouse) who lived with you all year as a member of your household if your relationship didn’t violate local law;
Who wasn’t a qualifying child (see Qualifying Child, earlier) of any other person for 2017; and
For whom you provided over half of the support in 2017. But see Child of divorced or separated parents, earlier, and Support claimed under a multiple support agreement

Support claimed under a multiple support agreement.

If you are considered to have provided more than half of a qualifying relative’s support under a multiple support agreement, you can include medical expenses you pay for that person. A multiple support agreement is used when two or more people provide more than half of a person’s support, but no one alone provides more than half.

Any medical expenses paid by others who joined you in the agreement can’t be included as medical expenses by anyone. However, you can include the entire unreimbursed amount you paid for medical expenses.

Example.

You and your three brothers each provide one-fourth of your mother’s total support. Under a multiple support agreement, you treat your mother as your dependent. You paid all of her medical expenses. Your brothers repaid you for three-fourths of these expenses. In figuring your medical expense deduction, you can include only one-fourth of your mother’s medical expenses. Your brothers can’t include any part of the expenses. However, if you and your brothers share the nonmedical support items and you separately pay all of your mother’s medical expenses, you can include the unreimbursed amount you paid for her medical expenses in your medical expenses.

Decedent

Medical expenses paid before death by the decedent are included in figuring any deduction for medical and dental expenses on the decedent’s final income tax return. This includes expenses for the decedent’s spouse and dependents as well as for the decedent.

The survivor or personal representative of a decedent can choose to treat certain expenses paid by the decedent’s estate for the decedent’s medical care as paid by the decedent at the time the medical services were provided. The expenses must be paid within the 1-year period beginning with the day after the date of death. If you are the survivor or personal representative making this choice, you must attach a statement to the decedent’s Form 1040 (or the decedent’s amended return, Form 1040X) saying that the expenses haven’t been and won’t be claimed on the estate tax return.

Qualified medical expenses paid before death by the decedent aren’t deductible if paid with a tax-free distribution from any Archer MSA, Medicare Advantage MSA, or health savings account.

Amended returns and claims for refund are discussed in chapter 1.

What if you pay medical expenses of a deceased spouse or dependent?

If you paid medical expenses for your deceased spouse or dependent, include them as medical expenses on your Schedule A (Form 1040) in the year paid, whether they are paid before or after the decedent’s death. The expenses can be included if the person was your spouse or dependent either at the time the medical services were provided or at the time you paid the expenses.

What Medical Expenses Are Includible?

Use Table 21-1, later, as a guide to determine which medical and dental expenses you can include on Schedule A (Form 1040).

This table doesn’t include all possible medical expenses. To determine if an expense not listed can be included in figuring your medical expense deduction, see What Are Medical Expenses , earlier.

Insurance Premiums

You can include in medical expenses insurance premiums you pay for policies that cover medical care. Medical care policies can provide payment for treatment that includes:

Hospitalization, surgical services, X-rays;
Prescription drugs and insulin;
Dental care;
Replacement of lost or damaged contact lenses; and
Long-term care (subject to additional limitations). See Qualified Long-Term Care Insurance Contractsin Pub. 502.

If you have a policy that provides payments for other than medical care, you can include the premiums for the medical care part of the policy if the charge for the medical part is reasonable. The cost of the medical part must be separately stated in the insurance contract or given to you in a separate statement.

Premium tax credit.

When figuring the amount of insurance premiums you can deduct on Schedule A, don’t include the amount of net premium tax credit you are claiming on Form 1040.

If advance payments of the premium tax credit were made, or you think you may be eligible to claim a premium tax credit, fill out Form 8962 before filling out Schedule A. See Pub. 502 for more information on how to figure your deduction.

Health coverage tax credit.

If, during 2017, you were an eligible trade adjustment assistance (TAA) recipient, an alternative TAA (ATAA) recipient, reemployment TAA (RTAA) recipient, or Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) payee, you must complete Form 8885 before completing Schedule A, line 1. When figuring the amount of insurance premiums you can deduct on Schedule A, do not include any of the following.

Any amounts you included on Form 8885, line 4, or on Form 14095, The Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Reimbursement Request Form, to receive a reimbursement of the HCTC during the year.
Any qualified health insurance coverage premiums you paid to “U.S. Treasury—HCTC” for eligible coverage months for which you received the benefit of the advance monthly payment program.
Any advance monthly payments from your health plan administrator received from the IRS, as shown on Form 1099-H, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Advance Payments.

Employer-sponsored health insurance plan.

Don’t include in your medical and dental expenses any insurance premiums paid by an employer-sponsored health insurance plan unless the premiums are included on your Form W-2. Also, don’t include any other medical and dental expenses paid by the plan unless the amount paid is included on your Form W-2.

Example.

You are a federal employee participating in the premium conversion plan of the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Your share of the FEHB premium is paid by making a pre-tax reduction in your salary. Because you are an employee whose insurance premiums are paid with money that is never included in your gross income, you can’t deduct the premiums paid with that money.

Long-term care services.

Contributions made by your employer to provide coverage for qualified long-term care services under a flexible spending or similar arrangement must be included in your income. This amount will be reported as wages on your Form W-2.

Retired public safety officers.

If you are a retired public safety officer, don’t include as medical expenses any health or long-term care premiums that you elected to have paid with tax-free distributions from your retirement plan. This applies only to distributions that would otherwise be included in income.

Health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

If you have medical expenses that are reimbursed by a health reimbursement arrangement, you can’t include those expenses in your medical expenses. This is because an HRA is funded solely by the employer.

Medicare A.

If you are covered under social security (or if you are a government employee who paid Medicare tax), you are enrolled in Medicare A. The payroll tax paid for Medicare A isn’t a medical expense.

If you aren’t covered under social security (or weren’t a government employee who paid Medicare tax), you can voluntarily enroll in Medicare A. In this situation, you can include the premiums you paid for Medicare A as a medical expense.

Medicare B.

Medicare B is supplemental medical insurance. Premiums you pay for Medicare B are a medical expense. Check the information you received from the Social Security Administration to find out your premium.

Medicare D.

Medicare D is a voluntary prescription drug insurance program for persons with Medicare A or B. You can include as a medical expense premiums you pay for Medicare D.

Prepaid insurance premiums.

Premiums you pay before you are age 65 for insurance for medical care for yourself, your spouse, or your dependents after you reach age 65 are medical care expenses in the year paid if they are:

Payable in equal yearly installments, or more often; and
Payable for at least 10 years, or until you reach age 65 (but not for less than 5 years).

Unused sick leave used to pay premiums.

You must include in gross income cash payments you receive at the time of retirement for unused sick leave. You also must include in gross income the value of unused sick leave that, at your option, your employer applies to the cost of your continuing participation in your employer’s health plan after you retire. You can include this cost of continuing participation in the health plan as a medical expense.

If you participate in a health plan where your employer automatically applies the value of unused sick leave to the cost of your continuing participation in the health plan (and you don’t have the option to receive cash), don’t include the value of the unused sick leave in gross income. You can’t include this cost of continuing participation in that health plan as a medical expense.

Table 21-1. Medical and Dental Expenses Checklist. See Pub. 502 for more information about these and other expenses.

You can include:

You can’t include:

· Bandages

· Birth control pills prescribed by your doctor

· Body scan

· Braille books

· Breast pump and supplies

· Capital expenses for equipment or improvements to your home needed for medical care (see Worksheet A, Capital Expense Worksheet, in Pub. 502)

· Diagnostic devices

· Expenses of an organ donor

· Eye surgery (to promote the correct function of the eye)

· Fertility enhancement, certain procedures

· Guide dogs or other animals aiding the blind, deaf, and disabled

· Hospital services fees (lab work, therapy, nursing services, surgery, etc.)

· Lead-based paint removal

· Legal abortion

· Legal operation to prevent having children such as a vasectomy or tubal ligation

· Long-term care contracts, qualified

· Meals and lodging provided by a hospital during medical treatment

· Medical services fees (from doctors, dentists, surgeons, specialists, and other medical practitioners)

· Medicare Part D premiums

· Medical and hospital insurance premiums

· Nursing services

· Oxygen equipment and oxygen

· Part of life-care fee paid to retirement home designated for medical care

· Physical examination

· Pregnancy test kit

· Prescription medicines (prescribed by a doctor) and insulin

· Psychiatric and psychological treatment

· Social security tax, Medicare tax, FUTA, and state employment tax for worker providing medical care (see Wages for nursing services below)

· Special items (artificial limbs, false teeth, eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, crutches, wheelchair, etc.)

· Special education for mentally or physically disabled persons

· Stop-smoking programs

· Transportation for needed medical care

· Treatment at a drug or alcohol center (includes meals and lodging provided by the center)

· Wages for nursing services

· Weight loss, certain expenses for obesity

· Baby sitting and childcare

· Bottled water

· Contributions to Archer MSAs (see Pub. 969)

· Diaper service

· Expenses for your general health (even if following your doctor’s advice) such as—
—Health club dues
—Household help (even if recommended by a doctor)
—Social activities, such as dancing or swimming lessons
—Trip for general health improvement

· Flexible spending account reimbursements for medical expenses (if contributions were on a pre-tax basis)

· Funeral, burial, or cremation expenses

· Health savings account payments for medical expenses

· Operation, treatment, or medicine that is illegal under federal or state law

· Life insurance or income protection policies, or policies providing payment for loss of life, limb, sight, etc.

· Maternity clothes

· Medical insurance included in a car insurance policy covering all persons injured in or by your car

· Medicine you buy without a prescription

· Nursing care for a healthy baby

· Prescription drugs you brought in (or ordered shipped) from another country, in most cases

· Nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements, “natural medicines,” etc., unless recommended by a medical practitioner as a treatment for a specific medical condition diagnosed by a physician

· Surgery for purely cosmetic reasons

· Toothpaste, toiletries, cosmetics, etc.

· Teeth whitening

· Weight-loss expenses not for the treatment of obesity or other disease

Meals and Lodging

You can include in medical expenses the cost of meals and lodging at a hospital or similar institution if a principal reason for being there is to get medical care. See Nursing home , later.

You may be able to include in medical expenses the cost of lodging not provided in a hospital or similar institution. You can include the cost of such lodging while away from home if all of the following requirements are met.

The lodging is primarily for and essential to medical care.
The medical care is provided by a doctor in a licensed hospital or in a medical care facility related to, or the equivalent of, a licensed hospital.
The lodging isn’t lavish or extravagant under the circumstances.
There is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel away from home.

The amount you include in medical expenses for lodging can’t be more than $50 for each night for each person. You can include lodging for a person traveling with the person receiving the medical care. For example, if a parent is traveling with a sick child, up to $100 per night can be included as a medical expense for lodging. Meals aren’t included.

Nursing home.

You can include in medical expenses the cost of medical care in a nursing home, home for the aged, or similar institution, for yourself, your spouse, or your dependents. This includes the cost of meals and lodging in the home if a principal reason for being there is to get medical care.

Don’t include the cost of meals and lodging if the reason for being in the home is personal. You can, however, include in medical expenses the part of the cost that is for medical or nursing care.

Transportation

Include in medical expenses amounts paid for transportation primarily for, and essential to, medical care. You can include:

Bus, taxi, train, or plane fares, or ambulance service;
Transportation expenses of a parent who must go with a child who needs medical care;
Transportation expenses of a nurse or other person who can give injections, medications, or other treatment required by a patient who is traveling to get medical care and is unable to travel alone; and
Transportation expenses for regular visits to see a mentally ill dependent, if these visits are recommended as a part of treatment.

Car expenses.

You can include out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of gas and oil, when you use your car for medical reasons. You can’t include depreciation, insurance, general repair, or maintenance expenses.

If you don’t want to use your actual expenses for 2017, you can use the standard medical mileage rate of 17 cents per mile.

You can also include parking fees and tolls. You can add these fees and tolls to your medical expenses whether you use actual expenses or use the standard mileage rate.

Example.

In 2017, Bill Jones drove 2,800 miles for medical reasons. He spent $400 for gas, $30 for oil, and $100 for tolls and parking. He wants to figure the amount he can include in medical expenses both ways to see which gives him the greater deduction.

He figures the actual expenses first. He adds the $400 for gas, the $30 for oil, and the $100 for tolls and parking for a total of $530.

He then figures the standard mileage amount. He multiplies 2,800 miles by 17 cents per mile for a total of $476. He then adds the $100 tolls and parking for a total of $576.

Bill includes the $576 of car expenses with his other medical expenses for the year because the $576 is more than the $530 he figured using actual expenses.

Transportation expenses you can’t include.

You can’t include in medical expenses the cost of transportation in the following situations.

Going to and from work, even if your condition requires an unusual means of transportation.
Travel for purely personal reasons to another city for an operation or other medical care.
Travel that is merely for the general improvement of one’s health.
The costs of operating a specially equipped car for other than medical reasons.

Disabled Dependent Care Expenses

Some disabled dependent care expenses may qualify as either:

Medical expenses, or
Work-related expenses for purposes of taking a credit for dependent care. (See chapter 32 and Pub. 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.)

You can choose to apply them either way as long as you don’t use the same expenses to claim both a credit and a medical expense deduction.

How Do You Treat Reimbursements?

You can include in medical expenses only those amounts paid during the taxable year for which you received no insurance or other reimbursement.

Insurance Reimbursement

You must reduce your total medical expenses for the year by all reimbursements for medical expenses that you receive from insurance or other sources during the year. This includes payments from Medicare.

Even if a policy provides reimbursement for only certain specific medical expenses, you must use amounts you receive from that policy to reduce your total medical expenses, including those it doesn’t reimburse.

Example.

You have insurance policies that cover your hospital and doctors’ bills but not your nursing bills. The insurance you receive for the hospital and doctors’ bills is more than their charges. In figuring your medical deduction, you must reduce the total amount you spent for medical care by the total amount of insurance you received, even if the policies don’t cover some of your medical expenses.

Health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

A health reimbursement arrangement is an employer-funded plan that reimburses employees for medical care expenses and allows unused amounts to be carried forward. An HRA is funded solely by the employer and the reimbursements for medical expenses, up to a maximum dollar amount for a coverage period, aren’t included in your income.

Other reimbursements.

Generally, you don’t reduce medical expenses by payments you receive for:

Permanent loss or loss of use of a member or function of the body (loss of limb, sight, hearing, etc.) or disfigurement to the extent the payment is based on the nature of the injury without regard to the amount of time lost from work; or
Loss of earnings.

You must, however, reduce your medical expenses by any part of these payments that is designated for medical costs. See How Do You Figure and Report the Deduction on Your Tax Return , later.

For how to treat damages received for personal injury or sickness, see Damages for Personal Injuries , later.

You don’t have a medical deduction if you are reimbursed for all of your medical expenses for the year.

Excess reimbursement.

If you are reimbursed more than your medical expenses, you may have to include the excess in income. You may want to use Figure 21-A to help you decide if any of your reimbursement is taxable.

Premiums paid by you.

If you pay either the entire premium for your medical insurance or all of the costs of a plan similar to medical insurance and your insurance payments or other reimbursements are more than your total medical expenses for the year, you have an excess reimbursement. Generally, you don’t include the excess reimbursement in your gross income.

Premiums paid by you and your employer.

If both you and your employer contribute to your medical insurance plan and your employer’s contributions aren’t included in your gross income, you must include in your gross income the part of your excess reimbursement that is from your employer’s contribution.

See Pub. 502 to figure the amount of the excess reimbursement you must include in gross income.

Reimbursement in a later year.

If you are reimbursed in a later year for medical expenses you deducted in an earlier year, you generally must report the reimbursement as income up to the amount you previously deducted as medical expenses.

However, don’t report as income the amount of reimbursement you received up to the amount of your medical deductions that didn’t reduce your tax for the earlier year. For more information about the recovery of an amount that you claimed as an itemized deduction in an earlier year, see Itemized Deduction Recoveries in chapter 12.

Figure 21-A. Is Your Excess Medical Reimbursement Taxable?

Please click here for the text description of the image.

Medical expenses not deducted.

If you didn’t deduct a medical expense in the year you paid it because your medical expenses weren’t more than 10% of your AGI, or because you didn’t itemize deductions, don’t include the reimbursement up to the amount of the expense in income. However, if the reimbursement is more than the expense, see Excess reimbursement , earlier.

Example.

In 2017, you had $500 of medical expenses. You can’t deduct the $500 because it is less than 10% of your AGI. If, in a later year, you are reimbursed for any of the $500 in medical expenses, you don’t include the amount reimbursed in your gross income.

Damages for Personal Injuries

If you receive an amount in settlement of a personal injury suit, part of that award may be for medical expenses that you deducted in an earlier year. If it is, you must include that part in your income in the year you receive it to the extent it reduced your taxable income in the earlier year. See Reimbursement in a Later Year , discussed under How Do You Treat Reimbursements, earlier.

Future medical expenses.

If you receive an amount in settlement of a damage suit for personal injuries, part of that award may be for future medical expenses. If it is, you must reduce any future medical expenses for these injuries until the amount you received has been completely used.

How Do You Figure and Report the Deduction on Your Tax Return?

Once you have determined which medical expenses you can include, you figure and report the deduction on your tax return.

What Tax Form Do You Use?

You report your medical expense deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040). You can’t claim medical expenses on Form 1040A or Form 1040EZ. If you need more information on itemized deductions or you aren’t sure if you can itemize, see chapter 20.

Impairment-Related Work Expenses

If you are a person with a disability, you can take a business deduction for expenses that are necessary for you to be able to work. If you take a business deduction for impairment-related work expenses, they aren’t subject to the 10% limit that applies to medical expenses.

You have a disability if you have:

A physical or mental disability (for example, blindness or deafness) that functionally limits your being employed; or

A physical or mental impairment (for example, a sight or hearing impairment) that substantially limits one or more of your major life activities, such as performing manual tasks, walking, speaking, breathing, learning, or working.

Impairment-related expenses defined.

Impairment-related expenses are those ordinary and necessary business expenses that are:

Necessary for you to do your work satisfactorily;
For goods and services not required or used, other than incidentally, in your personal activities; and
Not specifically covered under other income tax laws.

Where to report.

If you are self-employed, deduct the business expenses on the appropriate form (Schedule C, C-EZ, E, or F) used to report your business income and expenses.

If you are an employee, complete Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses; or Form 2106-EZ, Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses. Enter on Schedule A (Form 1040) that part of the amount on Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ that is related to your impairment. Also, enter on Schedule A (Form 1040) the amount that is unrelated to your impairment. Your impairment-related work expenses aren’t subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit that applies to other employee business expenses.

Example.

You are blind. You must use a reader to do your work. You use the reader both during your regular working hours at your place of work and outside your regular working hours away from your place of work. The reader’s services are only for your work. You can deduct your expenses for the reader as business expenses.

Health Insurance Costs for Self-Employed Persons

If you were self-employed and had a net profit for the year, you may be able to deduct, as an adjustment to income, amounts paid for medical and qualified long-term care insurance on behalf of yourself, your spouse, your dependents, and your children who were under age 27 at the end of 2017. For this purpose, you were self-employed if you were a general partner (or a limited partner receiving guaranteed payments) or you received wages from an S corporation in which you were more than a 2% shareholder. The insurance plan must be established under your trade or business and the deduction can’t be more than your earned income from that trade or business.

You can’t deduct payments for medical insurance for any month in which you were eligible to participate in a health plan subsidized by your employer, your spouse’s employer, or an employer of your dependent or your child under age 27 at the end of 2017. You can’t deduct payments for a qualified long-term care insurance contract for any month in which you were eligible to participate in a long-term care insurance plan subsidized by your employer or your spouse’s employer.

If you qualify to take the deduction, use the Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction Worksheet in the Instructions for Form 1040 to figure the amount you can deduct. But if any of the following applies, don’t use that worksheet. Instead, use the worksheet in Pub. 535, Business Expenses, to figure your deduction.

You had more than one source of income subject to self-employment tax.
You file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income, or Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.
You are using amounts paid for qualified long-term care insurance to figure the deduction.

Use Pub. 974 instead of the worksheet in the Instructions for Form 1040 if you, your spouse, or a dependent enrolled in health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace and you are claiming the premium tax credit.

Note.

If, during 2017, you are completing the Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction Worksheet in your tax return instructions and you were an eligible trade adjustment assistance (TAA) recipient, alternative TAA (ATAA) recipient, reemployment TAA (RTAA) recipient, or Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) payee, you must complete Form 8885 before completing that worksheet. When figuring the amount to enter on line 1 of the worksheet, do not include any of the following.

Any amounts you included on Form 8885, line 4, or on Form 14095, The Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Reimbursement Request Form, to receive a reimbursement of the HCTC during the year.
Any qualified health insurance coverage premiums you paid to “U.S. Treasury—HCTC” for eligible coverage months for which you received the benefit of the advance monthly payment program.
Any advance monthly payments your health plan administrator received from the IRS, as shown on Form 1099-H, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Advance Payments.

Don’t include amounts paid for health insurance coverage with retirement plan distributions that were tax free because you are a retired public safety officer.

Where to report.

You take this deduction on Form 1040. If you itemize your deductions and don’t claim 100% of your self-employed health insurance on Form 1040, you can generally include any remaining premiums with all other medical expenses on Schedule A (Form 1040), subject to the 10% limit. See Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction in Pub. 535 and Medical and Dental Expenses in the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040), for more information.

22. Taxes

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Introduction

This chapter discusses which taxes you can deduct if you itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). It also explains which taxes you can deduct on other schedules or forms and which taxes you cannot deduct.

This chapter covers the following topics.

Income taxes (federal, state, local, and foreign).
General sales taxes (state and local).
Real estate taxes (state, local, and foreign).
Personal property taxes (state and local).
Taxes and fees you cannot deduct.

Use Table 22-1 as a guide to determine which taxes you can deduct.

The end of the chapter contains a section that explains which forms you use to deduct different types of taxes.

Business taxes.

You can deduct certain taxes only if they are ordinary and necessary expenses of your trade or business or of producing income. For information on these taxes, see Pub. 535, Business Expenses.

State or local taxes.

These are taxes imposed by the 50 states, U.S. possessions, or any of their political subdivisions (such as a county or city), or by the District of Columbia.

Indian tribal government.

An Indian tribal government recognized by the Secretary of the Treasury as performing substantial government functions will be treated as a state for purposes of claiming a deduction for taxes. Income taxes, real estate taxes, and personal property taxes imposed by that Indian tribal government (or by any of its subdivisions that are treated as political subdivisions of a state) are deductible.

General sales taxes.

These are taxes imposed at one rate on retail sales of a broad range of classes of items.

Foreign taxes.

These are taxes imposed by a foreign country or any of its political subdivisions.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

514 Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals
530 Tax Information for Homeowners

Form (and Instructions)

Schedule A (Form 1040) Itemized Deductions
Schedule E (Form 1040) Supplemental Income and Loss
1116 Foreign Tax Credit

Tests To Deduct Any Tax

The following two tests must be met for you to deduct any tax.

The tax must be imposed on you.
You must pay the tax during your tax year.

The tax must be imposed on you.

In general, you can deduct only taxes imposed on you.

Generally, you can deduct property taxes only if you are an owner of the property. If your spouse owns the property and pays the real estate taxes, the taxes are deductible on your spouse’s separate return or on your joint return.

You must pay the tax during your tax year.

If you are a cash basis taxpayer, you can deduct only those taxes you actually paid during your tax year. If you pay your taxes by check and the check is honored by your financial institution, the day you mail or deliver the check is the date of payment. If you use a pay-by-phone account (such as a credit card or electronic funds withdrawal), the date reported on the statement of the financial institution showing when payment was made is the date of payment. If you contest a tax liability and are a cash basis taxpayer, you can deduct the tax only in the year you actually pay it (or transfer money or other property to provide for satisfaction of the contested liability). See Pub. 538, Accounting Periods and Methods, for details.

If you use an accrual method of accounting, see Pub. 538 for more information.

Income Taxes

This section discusses the deductibility of state and local income taxes (including employee contributions to state benefit funds) and foreign income taxes.

State and Local Income Taxes

You can deduct state and local income taxes.

Exception.

You can’t deduct state and local income taxes you pay on income that is exempt from federal income tax, unless the exempt income is interest income. For example, you can’t deduct the part of a state’s income tax that is on a cost-of-living allowance exempt from federal income tax.

What To Deduct

Your deduction may be for withheld taxes, estimated tax payments, or other tax payments as follows.

Withheld taxes.

You can deduct state and local income taxes withheld from your salary in the year they are withheld. Your Form(s) W-2 will show these amounts. Forms W-2G, 1099-G, 1099-R, and 1099-MISC may also show state and local income taxes withheld.

Estimated tax payments.

You can deduct estimated tax payments you made during the year to a state or local government. However, you must have a reasonable basis for making the estimated tax payments. Any estimated state or local tax payments that aren’t made in good faith at the time of payment aren’t deductible.

Example.

You made an estimated state income tax payment. However, the estimate of your state tax liability shows that you will get a refund of the full amount of your estimated payment. You had no reasonable basis to believe you had any additional liability for state income taxes and you can’t deduct the estimated tax payment.

Refund applied to taxes.

You can deduct any part of a refund of prior-year state or local income taxes that you chose to have credited to your 2017 estimated state or local income taxes.

Don’t reduce your deduction by either of the following items.

Any state or local income tax refund (or credit) you expect to receive for 2017.
Any refund of (or credit for) prior-year state and local income taxes you actually received in 2017.

However, part or all of this refund (or credit) may be taxable. See Refund (or credit) of state or local income taxes , later.

Separate federal returns.

If you and your spouse file separate state, local, and federal income tax returns, each of you can deduct on your federal return only the amount of your own state and local income tax that you paid during the tax year.

Joint state and local returns.

If you and your spouse file joint state and local returns and separate federal returns, each of you can deduct on your separate federal return a part of the total state and local income taxes paid during the tax year. You can deduct only the amount of the total taxes that is proportionate to your gross income compared to the combined gross income of you and your spouse. However, you can’t deduct more than the amount you actually paid during the year. You can avoid this calculation if you and your spouse are jointly and individually liable for the full amount of the state and local income taxes. If so, you and your spouse can deduct on your separate federal returns the amount you each actually paid.

Joint federal return.

If you file a joint federal return, you can deduct the total of the state and local income taxes both of you paid.

Contributions to state benefit funds.

As an employee, you can deduct mandatory contributions to state benefit funds withheld from your wages that provide protection against loss of wages. For example, certain states require employees to make contributions to state funds providing disability or unemployment insurance benefits. Mandatory payments made to the following state benefit funds are deductible as state income taxes on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5.

Alaska Unemployment Compensation Fund.

California Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund.

New Jersey Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund.

New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Fund.

New York Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund.

Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Fund.

Rhode Island Temporary Disability Benefit Fund.

Washington State Supplemental Workmen’s Compensation Fund.

Employee contributions to private or voluntary disability plans aren’t deductible.

Refund (or credit) of state or local income taxes.

If you receive a refund of (or credit for) state or local income taxes in a year after the year in which you paid them, you may have to include the refund in income on Form 1040, line 10, in the year you receive it. This includes refunds resulting from taxes that were overwithheld, applied from a prior year return, not figured correctly, or figured again because of an amended return. If you didn’t itemize your deductions in the previous year, don’t include the refund in income. If you deducted the taxes in the previous year, include all or part of the refund on Form 1040, line 10, in the year you receive the refund. For a discussion of how much to include, see Recoveries in chapter 12.

Foreign Income Taxes

Generally, you can take either a deduction or a credit for income taxes imposed on you by a foreign country or a U.S. possession. However, you can’t take a deduction or credit for foreign income taxes paid on income that is exempt from U.S. tax under the foreign earned income exclusion or the foreign housing exclusion. For information on these exclusions, see Pub. 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad. For information on the foreign tax credit, see Pub. 514.

State and Local General Sales Taxes

You can elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes, instead of state and local income taxes, as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5b. You can use either your actual expenses or the state and local sales tax tables to figure your sales tax deduction.

Actual expenses.

Generally, you can deduct the actual state and local general sales taxes (including compensating use taxes) if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate.

Food, clothing, and medical supplies.

Sales taxes on food, clothing, and medical supplies are deductible as a general sales tax even if the tax rate was less than the general sales tax rate.

Motor vehicles.

Sales taxes on motor vehicles are deductible as a general sales tax even if the tax rate was less than the general sales tax rate. However, if you paid sales tax on a motor vehicle at a rate higher than the general sales tax, you can deduct only the amount of the tax that you would have paid at the general sales tax rate on that vehicle. Include any state and local general sales taxes paid for a leased motor vehicle. For purposes of this section, motor vehicles include cars, motorcycles, motor homes, recreational vehicles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, and off-road vehicles.

If you use the actual expenses method, you must have receipts to show the general sales taxes paid.

Trade or business items.

Don’t include sales taxes paid on items used in your trade or business on Schedule A (Form 1040). Instead, go to the instructions for the form you are using to report business income and expenses to see if you can deduct these taxes.

Optional sales tax tables.

Instead of using your actual expenses, you can figure your state and local general sales tax deduction using the state and local sales tax tables in the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040). You may also be able to add the state and local general sales taxes paid on certain specified items.

Your applicable table amount is based on the state where you live, your income, and the number of exemptions claimed on your tax return. Your income is your adjusted gross income plus any nontaxable items such as the following.

Tax-exempt interest.
Veterans’ benefits.
Nontaxable combat pay.
Workers’ compensation.
Nontaxable part of social security and railroad retirement benefits.
Nontaxable part of IRA, pension, or annuity distributions, excluding rollovers.
Public assistance payments.

If you lived in different states during the same tax year, you must prorate your applicable table amount for each state based on the days you lived in each state. See the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5, for details.

Real Estate Taxes

Deductible real estate taxes are any state, local, or foreign taxes on real property levied for the general public welfare. You can deduct these taxes only if they are assessed uniformly against all property under the jurisdiction of the taxing authority. The proceeds must be for general community or governmental purposes and not be a payment for a special privilege granted or service rendered to you.

Deductible real estate taxes generally don’t include taxes charged for local benefits and improvements that increase the value of the property. They also don’t include itemized charges for services (such as trash collection) assessed against specific property or certain people, even if the charge is paid to the taxing authority. For more information about taxes and charges that aren’t deductible, see Real Estate-Related Items You Can’t Deduct , later.

Tenant-shareholders in a cooperative housing corporation.

Generally, if you are a tenant-stockholder in a cooperative housing corporation, you can deduct the amount paid to the corporation that represents your share of the real estate taxes the corporation paid or incurred for your dwelling unit. The corporation should provide you with a statement showing your share of the taxes. For more information, see Special Rules for Cooperatives in Pub. 530.

Division of real estate taxes between buyers and sellers.

If you bought or sold real estate during the year, the real estate taxes must be divided between the buyer and the seller.

The buyer and the seller must divide the real estate taxes according to the number of days in the real property tax year (the period to which the tax is imposed relates) that each owned the property. The seller is treated as paying the taxes up to, but not including, the date of sale. The buyer is treated as paying the taxes beginning with the date of sale. This applies regardless of the lien dates under local law. Generally, this information is included on the settlement statement provided at the closing.

If you (the seller) can’t deduct taxes until they are paid because you use the cash method of accounting, and the buyer of your property is personally liable for the tax, you are considered to have paid your part of the tax at the time of the sale. This lets you deduct the part of the tax to the date of sale even though you didn’t actually pay it. However, you must also include the amount of that tax in the selling price of the property. The buyer must include the same amount in his or her cost of the property.

You figure your deduction for taxes on each property bought or sold during the real property tax year as follows.

Worksheet 22-1. Figuring Your Real Estate Tax Deduction

1.	Enter the total real estate taxes for the real property tax year
2.	Enter the number of days in the real property tax year that you owned the property
3.	Divide line 2 by 365 (for leap years, divide line 2 by 366)	.
4.	Multiply line 1 by line 3. This is your deduction. Enter it on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 6
Note. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for each property you bought or sold during the real property tax year. Your total deduction is the sum of the line 4 amounts for all of the properties.

Real estate taxes for prior years.

Don’t divide delinquent taxes between the buyer and seller if the taxes are for any real property tax year before the one in which the property is sold. Even if the buyer agrees to pay the delinquent taxes, the buyer can’t deduct them. The buyer must add them to the cost of the property. The seller can deduct these taxes paid by the buyer. However, the seller must include them in the selling price.

Examples.

The following examples illustrate how real estate taxes are divided between buyer and seller.

Example 1.

Dennis and Beth White’s real property tax year for both their old home and their new home is the calendar year, with payment due August 1. The tax on their old home, sold on May 7, was $620. The tax on their new home, bought on May 3, was $732. Dennis and Beth are considered to have paid a proportionate share of the real estate taxes on the old home even though they didn’t actually pay them to the taxing authority. On the other hand, they can claim only a proportionate share of the taxes they paid on their new property even though they paid the entire amount.

Dennis and Beth owned their old home during the real property tax year for 126 days (January 1 to May 6, the day before the sale). They figure their deduction for taxes on their old home as follows.

Worksheet 22-1. Figuring Your Real Estate Tax Deduction — Taxes on Old Home

1.	Enter the total real estate taxes for the real property tax year	$620
2.	Enter the number of days in the real property tax year that you owned the property	126
3.	Divide line 2 by 365 (for leap years, divide line 2 by 366)	.3452
4.	Multiply line 1 by line 3. This is your deduction. Enter it on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 6	$214

Since the buyers of their old home paid all of the taxes, Dennis and Beth also include the $214 in the selling price of the old home. (The buyers add the $214 to their cost of the home.)

Dennis and Beth owned their new home during the real property tax year for 243 days (May 3 to December 31, including their date of purchase). They figure their deduction for taxes on their new home as follows.

Worksheet 22-1. Figuring Your Real Estate Tax Deduction — Taxes on New Home

1.	Enter the total real estate taxes for the real property tax year	$732
2.	Enter the number of days in the real property tax year that you owned the property	243
3.	Divide line 2 by 365 (for leap years, divide line 2 by 366)	.6658
4.	Multiply line 1 by line 3. This is your deduction. Enter it on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 6	$487

Since Dennis and Beth paid all of the taxes on the new home, they add $245 ($732 paid less $487 deduction) to their cost of the new home. (The sellers add this $245 to their selling price and deduct the $245 as a real estate tax.)

Dennis and Beth’s real estate tax deduction for their old and new homes is the sum of $214 and $487, or $701. They will enter this amount on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 6.

Example 2.

George and Helen Brown bought a new home on May 3, 2017. Their real property tax year for the new home is the calendar year. Real estate taxes for 2016 were assessed in their state on January 1, 2017. The taxes became due on May 31, 2017, and October 31, 2017.

The Browns agreed to pay all taxes due after the date of purchase. Real estate taxes for 2016 were $680. They paid $340 on May 31, 2017, and $340 on October 31, 2017. These taxes were for the 2016 real property tax year. The Browns cannot deduct them since they didn’t own the property until 2017. Instead, they must add $680 to the cost of their new home.

In January 2018, the Browns receive their 2017 property tax statement for $752, which they will pay in 2018. The Browns owned their new home during the 2017 real property tax year for 243 days (May 3 to December 31). They will figure their 2018 deduction for taxes as follows.

Worksheet 22-1. Figuring Your Real Estate Tax Deduction — Taxes on New Home

1.	Enter the total real estate taxes for the real property tax year	$752
2.	Enter the number of days in the real property tax year that you owned the property	243
3.	Divide line 2 by 365 (for leap years, divide line 2 by 366)	.6658
4.	Multiply line 1 by line 3. This is your deduction. Claim it on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 6	$501

The remaining $251 ($752 paid less $501 deduction) of taxes paid in 2018, along with the $680 paid in 2017, is added to the cost of their new home.

Because the taxes up to the date of sale are considered paid by the seller on the date of sale, the seller is entitled to a 2017 tax deduction of $931. This is the sum of the $680 for 2016 and the $251 for the 122 days the seller owned the home in 2017. The seller must also include the $931 in the selling price when he or she figures the gain or loss on the sale. The seller should contact the Browns in January 2018 to find out how much real estate tax is due for 2017.

Form 1099-S.

For certain sales or exchanges of real estate, the person responsible for closing the sale (generally the settlement agent) prepares Form 1099-S, Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions, to report certain information to the IRS and to the seller of the property. Box 2 of Form 1099-S is for the gross proceeds from the sale and should include the portion of the seller’s real estate tax liability that the buyer will pay after the date of sale. The buyer includes these taxes in the cost basis of the property, and the seller both deducts this amount as a tax paid and includes it in the sales price of the property.

For a real estate transaction that involves a home, any real estate tax the seller paid in advance but that is the liability of the buyer appears on Form 1099-S, box 6. The buyer deducts this amount as a real estate tax, and the seller reduces his or her real estate tax deduction (or includes it in income) by the same amount. See Refund (or rebate) , later.

Taxes placed in escrow.

If your monthly mortgage payment includes an amount placed in escrow (put in the care of a third party) for real estate taxes, you may not be able to deduct the total amount placed in escrow. You can deduct only the real estate tax that the third party actually paid to the taxing authority. If the third party doesn’t notify you of the amount of real estate tax that was paid for you, contact the third party or the taxing authority to find the proper amount to show on your return.

Tenants by the entirety.

If you and your spouse held property as tenants by the entirety and you file separate federal returns, each of you can deduct only the taxes each of you paid on the property.

Divorced individuals.

If your divorce or separation agreement states that you must pay the real estate taxes for a home owned by you and your spouse, part of your payments may be deductible as alimony and part as real estate taxes. See Taxes and insurance in chapter 18 for more information.

Ministers’ and military housing allowances.

If you are a minister or a member of the uniformed services and receive a housing allowance that you can exclude from income, you still can deduct all of the real estate taxes you pay on your home.

Refund (or rebate).

If you received a refund or rebate in 2017 of real estate taxes you paid in 2017, you must reduce your deduction by the amount refunded to you. If you received a refund or rebate in 2017 of real estate taxes you deducted in an earlier year, you generally must include the refund or rebate in income in the year you receive it. However, the amount you include in income is limited to the amount of the deduction that reduced your tax in the earlier year. For more information, see Recoveries in chapter 12.

Table 22-1. Which Taxes Can You Deduct?

Type of Tax	You Can Deduct	You Can’t Deduct
Fees and Charges	Fees and charges that are expenses of your trade or business or of producing income.	Fees and charges that aren’t expenses of your trade or business or of producing income, such as fees for driver’s licenses, car inspections, parking, or charges for water bills (see Taxes and Fees You Can’t Deduct ).
		Fines and penalties.
Income Taxes	State and local income taxes.	Federal income taxes.
	Foreign income taxes.
	Employee contributions to state funds listed under Contributions to state benefit funds .	Employee contributions to private or voluntary disability plans.
		State and local general sales taxes if you choose to deduct state and local income taxes.
General Sales Taxes	State and local general sales taxes, including compensating use taxes.	State and local income taxes if you choose to deduct state and local general sales taxes.
Other Taxes	Taxes that are expenses of your trade or business.	Federal excise taxes, such as tax on gasoline, that aren’t expenses of your trade or business or of producing income.
	Taxes on property producing rent or royalty income.	Per capita taxes.
	Occupational taxes. See chapter 28.
	One-half of self-employment tax paid.
Personal Property Taxes	State and local personal property taxes.	Customs duties that aren’t expenses of your trade or business or of producing income.
Real Estate Taxes	State and local real estate taxes.	Real estate taxes that are treated as imposed on someone else (see Division of real estate taxes between buyers and sellers ).
	Foreign real estate taxes.	Taxes for local benefits (with exceptions). See Real Estate-Related Items You Can’t Deduct .
	Tenant’s share of real estate taxes paid by cooperative housing corporation.	Trash and garbage pickup fees (with exceptions). See Real Estate-Related Items You Can’t Deduct .
		Rent increase due to higher real estate taxes.
		Homeowners’ association charges.

Real Estate-Related Items You Can’t Deduct

Payments for the following items generally aren’t deductible as real estate taxes.

Taxes for local benefits.
Itemized charges for services (such as trash and garbage pickup fees).
Transfer taxes (or stamp taxes).
Rent increases due to higher real estate taxes.
Homeowners’ association charges.

Taxes for local benefits.

Deductible real estate taxes generally don’t include taxes charged for local benefits and improvements tending to increase the value of your property. These include assessments for streets, sidewalks, water mains, sewer lines, public parking facilities, and similar improvements. You should increase the basis of your property by the amount of the assessment.

Local benefit taxes are deductible only if they are for maintenance, repair, or interest charges related to those benefits. If only a part of the taxes is for maintenance, repair, or interest, you must be able to show the amount of that part to claim the deduction. If you can’t determine what part of the tax is for maintenance, repair, or interest, none of it is deductible.

Taxes for local benefits may be included in your real estate tax bill. If your taxing authority (or mortgage lender) doesn’t furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it. You should use the rules above to determine if the local benefit tax is deductible. Contact the taxing authority if you need additional information about a specific charge on your real estate tax bill.

Itemized charges for services.

An itemized charge for services assessed against specific property or certain people isn’t a tax, even if the charge is paid to the taxing authority. For example, you can’t deduct the charge as a real estate tax if it is:

A unit fee for the delivery of a service (such as a $5 fee charged for every 1,000 gallons of water you use),
A periodic charge for a residential service (such as a $20 per month or $240 annual fee charged to each homeowner for trash collection), or
A flat fee charged for a single service provided by your government (such as a $30 charge for mowing your lawn because it was allowed to grow higher than permitted under your local ordinance).

You must look at your real estate tax bill to determine if any nondeductible itemized charges, such as those listed above, are included in the bill. If your taxing authority (or mortgage lender) doesn’t furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it.

Exception.

Service charges used to maintain or improve services (such as trash collection or police and fire protection) are deductible as real estate taxes if:

The fees or charges are imposed at a like rate against all property in the taxing jurisdiction;
The funds collected are not earmarked; instead, they are commingled with general revenue funds; and
Funds used to maintain or improve services are not limited to or determined by the amount of these fees or charges collected.

Transfer taxes (or stamp taxes).

Transfer taxes and similar taxes and charges on the sale of a personal home aren’t deductible. If they are paid by the seller, they are expenses of the sale and reduce the amount realized on the sale. If paid by the buyer, they are included in the cost basis of the property.

Rent increase due to higher real estate taxes.

If your landlord increases your rent in the form of a tax surcharge because of increased real estate taxes, you can’t deduct the increase as taxes.

Homeowners’ association charges.

These charges aren’t deductible because they are imposed by the homeowners’ association, rather than the state or local government.

Personal Property Taxes

Personal property tax is deductible if it is a state or local tax that is:

Charged on personal property;
Based only on the value of the personal property; and
Charged on a yearly basis, even if it is collected more or less than once a year.

A tax that meets the above requirements can be considered charged on personal property even if it is for the exercise of a privilege. For example, a yearly tax based on value qualifies as a personal property tax even if it is called a registration fee and is for the privilege of registering motor vehicles or using them on the highways.

If the tax is partly based on value and partly based on other criteria, it may qualify in part.

Example.

Your state charges a yearly motor vehicle registration tax of 1% of value plus 50 cents per hundredweight. You paid $32 based on the value ($1,500) and weight (3,400 lbs.) of your car. You can deduct $15 (1% × $1,500) as a personal property tax because it is based on the value. The remaining $17 ($.50 × 34), based on the weight, isn’t deductible.

Taxes and Fees You Can’t Deduct

Many federal, state, and local government taxes aren’t deductible because they don’t fall within the categories discussed earlier. Other taxes and fees, such as federal income taxes, aren’t deductible because the tax law specifically prohibits a deduction for them. See Table 22-1.

Taxes and fees that are generally not deductible include the following items.

Employment taxes. This includes social security, Medicare, and railroad retirement taxes withheld from your pay. However, one-half of self-employment tax you pay is deductible. In addition, the social security and other employment taxes you pay on the wages of a household worker may be included in medical expenses that you can deduct, or child care expenses that allow you to claim the child and dependent care credit. For more information, see chapters 21 and 32.

Estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes. However, you can deduct the estate tax attributable to income in respect of a decedent if you, as a beneficiary, must include that income in your gross income. In that case, deduct the estate tax as a miscellaneous deduction that isn’t subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit. For more information, see Pub. 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators.

Federal income taxes. This includes income taxes withheld from your pay.

Fines and penalties. You can’t deduct fines and penalties paid to a government for violation of any law, including related amounts forfeited as collateral deposits.

Gift taxes.

License fees. You can’t deduct license fees for personal purposes (such as marriage, driver’s, and pet license fees).

Per capita taxes.You can’t deduct state or local per capita taxes.

Many taxes and fees other than those listed above are also nondeductible, unless they are ordinary and necessary expenses of a business or income producing activity. For other nondeductible items, see Real Estate-Related Items You Can’t Deduct , earlier.

Where To Deduct

You deduct taxes on the following schedules.

State and local income taxes.

These taxes are deducted on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5, even if your only source of income is from business, rents, or royalties. Check box a on line 5.

General sales taxes.

Sales taxes are deducted on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5. You must check box b on line 5. If you elect to deduct sales taxes, you can’t deduct state and local income taxes on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5, box a.

Foreign income taxes.

Generally, income taxes you pay to a foreign country or U.S. possession can be claimed as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 8, or as a credit against your U.S. income tax on Form 1040, line 48. To claim the credit, you may have to complete and attach Form 1116. For more information, see chapter 38, the Form 1040 instructions, or Pub. 514.

Real estate taxes and personal property taxes.

Real estate and personal property taxes are deducted on Schedule A (Form 1040), lines 6 and 7, respectively, unless they are paid on property used in your business, in which case they are deducted on Schedule C, Schedule C-EZ, or Schedule F (Form 1040). Taxes on property that produces rent or royalty income are deducted on Schedule E (Form 1040).

Self-employment tax.

Deduct one-half of your self-employment tax on Form 1040, line 27.

Other taxes.

All other deductible taxes are deducted on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 8.

23. Interest Expense

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return, including the itemized deduction for mortgage insurance premiums.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To find out whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Mortgage insurance premiums. The itemized deduction for mortgage insurance premiums has expired.

Introduction

This chapter discusses what interest expenses you can deduct. Interest is the amount you pay for the use of borrowed money.

The following are types of interest you can deduct as itemized deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).

Home mortgage interest, including certain points.
Investment interest.

This chapter explains these deductions. It also explains where to deduct other types of interest and lists some types of interest you can’t deduct.

Use Table 23-1 to find out where to get more information on various types of interest, including investment interest.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

936 Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
550 Investment Income and Expenses

Home Mortgage Interest

Generally, home mortgage interest is any interest you pay on a loan secured by your home (main home or a second home). The loan may be a mortgage to buy your home, a second mortgage, a line of credit, or a home equity loan.

You can deduct home mortgage interest if all the following conditions are met.

You file Form 1040 and itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).

The mortgage is a secured debt on a qualified home in which you have an ownership interest. (Generally, your mortgage is a secured debt if you put your home up as collateral to protect the interest of the lender. The term “qualified home” means your main home or second home. For details, see Pub. 936.)

Both you and the lender must intend that the loan be repaid.

Amount Deductible

In most cases, you can deduct all of your home mortgage interest. How much you can deduct depends on the date of the mortgage, the amount of the mortgage, and how you use the mortgage proceeds.

Fully deductible interest.

If all of your mortgages fit into one or more of the following three categories at all times during the year, you can deduct all of the interest on those mortgages. (If any one mortgage fits into more than one category, add the debt that fits in each category to your other debt in the same category.)

The three categories are as follows.

Mortgages you took out on or before October 13, 1987 (called grandfathered debt).
Mortgages you (or your spouse if married filing a joint return) took out after October 13, 1987, to buy, build, or improve your home (called home acquisition debt), but only if throughout 2017 these mortgages plus any grandfathered debt totaled $1 million or less ($500,000 or less if married filing separately).
Mortgages you (or your spouse if married filing a joint return) took out after October 13, 1987, that are home equity debt but that aren’t home acquisition debt, but only if throughout 2017 these mortgages totaled $100,000 or less ($50,000 or less if married filing separately) and totaled no more than the fair market value of your home reduced by (1) and (2).

The dollar limits for the second and third categories apply to the combined mortgages on your main home and second home.

See Part II of Pub. 936 for more detailed definitions of grandfathered, home acquisition, and home equity debt.

You can use Figure 23-A to check whether your home mortgage interest is fully deductible.

Figure 23-A. Is My Home Mortgage Interest Fully Deductible?

Figure 23-A. Is My Interest Fully Deductible?

Please click here for the text description of the image.

Limits on deduction.

You can’t fully deduct interest on a mortgage that doesn’t fit into any of the three categories listed earlier. If this applies to you, see Part II of Pub. 936 to figure the amount of interest you can deduct.

Special Situations

This section describes certain items that can be included as home mortgage interest and others that can’t. It also describes certain special situations that may affect your deduction.

Late payment charge on mortgage payment.

You can deduct as home mortgage interest a late payment charge if it wasn’t for a specific service performed in connection with your mortgage loan.

Mortgage prepayment penalty.

If you pay off your home mortgage early, you may have to pay a penalty. You can deduct that penalty as home mortgage interest provided the penalty isn’t for a specific service performed or cost incurred in connection with your mortgage loan.

Sale of home.

If you sell your home, you can deduct your home mortgage interest (subject to any limits that apply) paid up to, but not including, the date of sale.

Example.

John and Peggy Harris sold their home on May 7. Through April 30, they made home mortgage interest payments of $1,220. The settlement sheet for the sale of the home showed $50 interest for the 6-day period in May up to, but not including, the date of sale. Their mortgage interest deduction is $1,270 ($1,220 + $50).

Prepaid interest.

If you pay interest in advance for a period that goes beyond the end of the tax year, you must spread this interest over the tax years to which it applies. You can deduct in each year only the interest that qualifies as home mortgage interest for that year. However, there is an exception that applies to points, discussed later.

Mortgage interest credit.

You may be able to claim a mortgage interest credit if you were issued a mortgage credit certificate (MCC) by a state or local government. Figure the credit on Form 8396, Mortgage Interest Credit. If you take this credit, you must reduce your mortgage interest deduction by the amount of the credit.

For more information on the credit, see chapter 38.

Ministers’ and military housing allowance.

If you are a minister or a member of the uniformed services and receive a housing allowance that isn’t taxable, you can still deduct your home mortgage interest.

Hardest Hit Fund and Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Programs.

You can use a special method to figure your deduction for mortgage interest and real estate taxes on your main home if you meet the following two conditions.

You received assistance under:
1. A State Housing Finance Agency (State HFA) Hardest Hit Fund program in which program payments could be used to pay mortgage interest, or
2. An Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or a state.
You meet the rules to deduct all of the mortgage interest on your loan and all of the real estate taxes on your main home.

If you meet these conditions, then you can deduct all of the payments you actually made during the year to your mortgage servicer, the State HFA, or HUD on the home mortgage (including the amount shown on box 3 of Form 1098-MA, Mortgage Assistance Payments), but not more than the sum of the amounts shown on Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, in box 1 (mortgage interest received from payer(s)/borrower(s)) and box 11 (real property taxes). However, you aren’t required to use this special method to figure your deduction for mortgage interest and real estate taxes on your main home.

Mortgage assistance payments under section 235 of the National Housing Act.

If you qualify for mortgage assistance payments for lower-income families under section 235 of the National Housing Act, part or all of the interest on your mortgage may be paid for you. You can’t deduct the interest that is paid for you.

No other effect on taxes.

Don’t include these mortgage assistance payments in your income. Also, don’t use these payments to reduce other deductions, such as real estate taxes.

Divorced or separated individuals.

If a divorce or separation agreement requires you or your spouse or former spouse to pay home mortgage interest on a home owned by both of you, the payment of interest may be alimony. See the discussion of Payments for jointly owned home in chapter 18.

Redeemable ground rents.

If you make annual or periodic rental payments on a redeemable ground rent, you can deduct them as mortgage interest.

Payments made to end the lease and to buy the lessor’s entire interest in the land aren’t deductible as mortgage interest. For more information, see Pub. 936.

Nonredeemable ground rents.

Payments on a nonredeemable ground rent aren’t mortgage interest. You can deduct them as rent if they are a business expense or if they are for rental property.

Reverse mortgages.

A reverse mortgage is a loan where the lender pays you (in a lump sum, a monthly advance, a line of credit, or a combination of all three) while you continue to live in your home. With a reverse mortgage, you retain title to your home. Depending on the plan, your reverse mortgage becomes due with interest when you move, sell your home, reach the end of a pre-selected loan period, or die. Because reverse mortgages are considered loan advances and not income, the amount you receive isn’t taxable. Any interest (including original issue discount) accrued on a reverse mortgage isn’t deductible until the loan is paid in full. Your deduction may be limited because a reverse mortgage loan generally is subject to the limit on Home Equity Debt discussed in Pub. 936.

Rental payments.

If you live in a house before final settlement on the purchase, any payments you make for that period are rent and not interest. This is true even if the settlement papers call them interest. You can’t deduct these payments as home mortgage interest.

Mortgage proceeds invested in tax-exempt securities.

You can’t deduct the home mortgage interest on grandfathered debt or home equity debt if you used the proceeds of the mortgage to buy securities or certificates that produce tax-free income. “Grandfathered debt” and “home equity debt” are defined earlier under Amount Deductible .

Refunds of interest.

If you receive a refund of interest in the same tax year you paid it, you must reduce your interest expense by the amount refunded to you. If you receive a refund of interest you deducted in an earlier year, you generally must include the refund in income in the year you receive it. However, you need to include it only up to the amount of the deduction that reduced your tax in the earlier year. This is true whether the interest overcharge was refunded to you or was used to reduce the outstanding principal on your mortgage. If you need to include the refund in income, report it on Form 1040, line 21.

If you received a refund of interest you overpaid in an earlier year, you generally will receive a Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, showing the refund in box 4. For information about Form 1098, see Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement , later.

For more information on how to treat refunds of interest deducted in earlier years, see Recoveries in chapter 12.

Points

The term “points” is used to describe certain charges paid, or treated as paid, by a borrower to obtain a home mortgage. Points may also be called loan origination fees, maximum loan charges, loan discount, or discount points.

A borrower is treated as paying any points that a home seller pays for the borrower’s mortgage. See Points paid by the seller , later.

General Rule

You generally can’t deduct the full amount of points in the year paid. Because they are prepaid interest, you generally deduct them ratably over the life (term) of the mortgage. See Deduction Allowed Ratably next.

For exceptions to the general rule, see Deduction Allowed in Year Paid , later.

Deduction Allowed Ratably

If you don’t meet the tests listed under Deduction Allowed in Year Paid next, the loan isn’t a home improvement loan, or you choose not to deduct your points in full in the year paid, you can deduct the points ratably (equally) over the life of the loan if you meet all the following tests.

You use the cash method of accounting. This means you report income in the year you receive it and deduct expenses in the year you pay them. Most individuals use this method.
Your loan is secured by a home. (The home doesn’t need to be your main home.)
Your loan period isn’t more than 30 years.
If your loan period is more than 10 years, the terms of your loan are the same as other loans offered in your area for the same or longer period.
Either your loan amount is $250,000 or less, or the number of points isn’t more than:
1. 4, if your loan period is 15 years or less; or
2. 6, if your loan period is more than 15 years.

Deduction Allowed in Year Paid

You can fully deduct points in the year paid if you meet all the following tests. (You can use Figure 23-B as a quick guide to see whether your points are fully deductible in the year paid.)

Your loan is secured by your main home. (Your main home is the one you ordinarily live in most of the time.)
Paying points is an established business practice in the area where the loan was made.
The points paid weren’t more than the points generally charged in that area.
You use the cash method of accounting. This means you report income in the year you receive it and deduct expenses in the year you pay them. (If you want more information about this method, see Accounting Methodsin chapter 1.)
The points weren’t paid in place of amounts that ordinarily are stated separately on the settlement statement, such as appraisal fees, inspection fees, title fees, attorney fees, and property taxes.
The funds you provided at or before closing, plus any points the seller paid, were at least as much as the points charged. The funds you provided aren’t required to have been applied to the points. They can include a down payment, an escrow deposit, earnest money, and other funds you paid at or before closing for any purpose. You can’t have borrowed these funds from your lender or mortgage broker.
You use your loan to buy or build your main home.
The points were figured as a percentage of the principal amount of the mortgage.
The amount is clearly shown on the settlement statement (such as the Settlement Statement, Form HUD-1) as points charged for the mortgage. The points may be shown as paid from either your funds or the seller’s.

Figure 23-B. Are My Points Fully Deductible This Year?

Please click here for the text description of the image.

Note.

If you meet all of these tests, you can choose to either fully deduct the points in the year paid, or deduct them over the life of the loan.

Home improvement loan.

You can also fully deduct in the year paid points paid on a loan to improve your main home, if tests (1) through (6) are met.

Second home. You can’t fully deduct in the year paid points you pay on loans secured by your second home. You can deduct these points only over the life of the loan.

Refinancing.

Generally, points you pay to refinance a mortgage aren’t deductible in full in the year you pay them. This is true even if the new mortgage is secured by your main home.

However, if you use part of the refinanced mortgage proceeds to improve your main home and you meet the first 6 tests listed under Deduction Allowed in Year Paid , earlier, you can fully deduct the part of the points related to the improvement in the year you paid them with your own funds. You can deduct the rest of the points over the life of the loan.

Example 1.

In 2001, Bill Fields got a mortgage to buy a home. In 2017, Bill refinanced that mortgage with a 15-year $100,000 mortgage loan. The mortgage is secured by his home. To get the new loan, he had to pay three points ($3,000). Two points ($2,000) were for prepaid interest, and one point ($1,000) was charged for services, in place of amounts that ordinarily are stated separately on the settlement statement. Bill paid the points out of his private funds, rather than out of the proceeds of the new loan. The payment of points is an established practice in the area, and the points charged aren’t more than the amount generally charged there. Bill’s first payment on the new loan was due July 1. He made six payments on the loan in 2017 and is a cash-basis taxpayer.

Bill used the funds from the new mortgage to repay his existing mortgage. Although the new mortgage loan was for Bill’s continued ownership of his main home, it wasn’t for the purchase or improvement of that home. He can’t deduct all of the points in 2017. He can deduct two points ($2,000) ratably over the life of the loan. He deducts $67 [($2,000 ÷ 180 months) × 6 payments] of the points in 2017. The other point ($1,000) was a fee for services and isn’t deductible.

Example 2.

The facts are the same as in Example 1, except that Bill used $25,000 of the loan proceeds to improve his home and $75,000 to repay his existing mortgage. Bill deducts 25% ($25,000 ÷ $100,000) of the points ($2,000) in 2017. His deduction is $500 ($2,000 × 25% (0.25)).

Bill also deducts the ratable part of the remaining $1,500 ($2,000 − $500) that must be spread over the life of the loan. This is $50 [($1,500 ÷ 180 months) × 6 payments] in 2017. The total amount Bill deducts in 2017 is $550 ($500 + $50).

Special Situations

This section describes certain special situations that may affect your deduction of points.

Original issue discount (OID).

If you don’t qualify to either deduct the points in the year paid or deduct them ratably over the life of the loan, or if you choose not to use either of these methods, the points reduce the issue price of the loan. This reduction results in OID, which is discussed in chapter 4 of Pub. 535.

Amounts charged for services.

Amounts charged by the lender for specific services connected to the loan aren’t interest. Examples of these charges include the following.

Appraisal fees.

Notary fees.

Preparation costs for the mortgage note or deed of trust.

Mortgage insurance premiums.

VA funding fees.

You can’t deduct these amounts as points either in the year paid or over the life of the mortgage.

Points paid by the seller.

The term “points” includes loan placement fees that the seller pays to the lender to arrange financing for the buyer.

Treatment by seller.

The seller can’t deduct these fees as interest. But they are a selling expense that reduces the amount realized by the seller. See chapter 15 for information on selling your home.

Treatment by buyer.

The buyer reduces the basis of the home by the amount of the seller-paid points and treats the points as if he or she had paid them. If all the tests under Deduction Allowed in Year Paid , earlier, are met, the buyer can deduct the points in the year paid. If any of those tests aren’t met, the buyer deducts the points over the life of the loan.

For information about basis, see chapter 13.

Funds provided are less than points.

If you meet all the tests in Deduction Allowed in Year Paid , earlier, except that the funds you provided were less than the points charged to you (test (6)), you can deduct the points in the year paid, up to the amount of funds you provided. In addition, you can deduct any points paid by the seller.

Example 1.

When you took out a $100,000 mortgage loan to buy your home in December, you were charged one point ($1,000). You meet all the tests for deducting points in the year paid, except the only funds you provided were a $750 down payment. Of the $1,000 charged for points, you can deduct $750 in the year paid. You spread the remaining $250 over the life of the mortgage.

Example 2.

The facts are the same as in Example 1, except that the person who sold you your home also paid one point ($1,000) to help you get your mortgage. In the year paid, you can deduct $1,750 ($750 of the amount you were charged plus the $1,000 paid by the seller). You spread the remaining $250 over the life of the mortgage. You must reduce the basis of your home by the $1,000 paid by the seller.

Excess points.

If you meet all the tests in Deduction Allowed in Year Paid , earlier, except that the points paid were more than generally paid in your area (test (3)), you deduct in the year paid only the points that are generally charged. You must spread any additional points over the life of the mortgage.

Mortgage ending early.

If you spread your deduction for points over the life of the mortgage, you can deduct any remaining balance in the year the mortgage ends. However, if you refinance the mortgage with the same lender, you can’t deduct any remaining balance of spread points. Instead, deduct the remaining balance over the term of the new loan.

A mortgage may end early due to a prepayment, refinancing, foreclosure, or similar event.

Example.

Dan paid $3,000 in points in 2006 that he had to spread out over the 15-year life of the mortgage. He deducts $200 in points per year. Through 2016, Dan has deducted $2,200 of the points.

Dan prepaid his mortgage in full in 2017. He can deduct the remaining $800 of points in 2017.

Limits on deduction.

You can’t fully deduct points paid on a mortgage unless the mortgage fits into one of the categories listed earlier under Fully deductible interest . See Pub. 936 for details.

Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement

If you paid $600 or more of mortgage interest (including certain points) during the year on any one mortgage, you generally will receive a Form 1098 or a similar statement from the mortgage holder. You will receive the statement if you pay interest to a person (including a financial institution or a cooperative housing corporation) in the course of that person’s trade or business. A governmental unit is a person for purposes of furnishing the statement.

The statement for each year should be sent to you by January 31 of the following year. A copy of this form will also be sent to the IRS.

The statement will show the total interest you paid during the year, and if you purchased a main home during the year, it also will show the deductible points paid during the year, including seller-paid points. However, it shouldn’t show any interest that was paid for you by a government agency.

As a general rule, Form 1098 will include only points that you can fully deduct in the year paid. However, certain points not included on Form 1098 also may be deductible, either in the year paid or over the life of the loan. See Points , earlier, to determine whether you can deduct points not shown on Form 1098.

Prepaid interest on Form 1098.

If you prepaid interest in 2017 that accrued in full by January 15, 2018, this prepaid interest may be included in box 1 of Form 1098. However, you can’t deduct the prepaid amount for January 2018 in 2017. (See Prepaid interest , earlier.) You will have to figure the interest that accrued for 2018 and subtract it from the amount in box 1. You will include the interest for January 2018 with the other interest you pay for 2018. See How To Report , later.

Refunded interest.

If you received a refund of mortgage interest you overpaid in an earlier year, you generally will receive a Form 1098 showing the refund in box 4. See Refunds of interest , earlier.

Investment Interest

This section discusses interest expenses you may be able to deduct as an investor.

If you borrow money to buy property you hold for investment, the interest you pay is investment interest. You can deduct investment interest subject to the limit discussed later. However, you can’t deduct interest you incurred to produce tax-exempt income. Nor can you deduct interest expenses on straddles.

Investment interest doesn’t include any qualified home mortgage interest or any interest taken into account in figurng income or loss from a passive activity.

Investment Property

Property held for investment includes property that produces interest, dividends, annuities, or royalties not derived in the ordinary course of a trade or business. It also includes property that produces gain or loss (not derived in the ordinary course of a trade or business) from the sale or trade of property producing these types of income or held for investment (other than an interest in a passive activity). Investment property also includes an interest in a trade or business activity in which you didn’t materially participate (other than a passive activity).

Partners, shareholders, and beneficiaries.

To determine your investment interest, combine your share of investment interest from a partnership, S corporation, estate, or trust with your other investment interest.

Allocation of Interest Expense

If you borrow money for business or personal purposes as well as for investment, you must allocate the debt among those purposes. Only the interest expense on the part of the debt used for investment purposes is treated as investment interest. The allocation isn’t affected by the use of property that secures the debt.

Limit on Deduction

Generally, your deduction for investment interest expense is limited to the amount of your net investment income.

You can carry over the amount of investment interest that you couldn’t deduct because of this limit to the next tax year. The interest carried over is treated as investment interest paid or accrued in that next year.

You can carry over disallowed investment interest to the next tax year even if it’s more than your taxable income in the year the interest was paid or accrued.

Net Investment Income

Determine the amount of your net investment income by subtracting your investment expenses (other than interest expense) from your investment income.

Investment income.

This generally includes your gross income from property held for investment (such as interest, dividends, annuities, and royalties). Investment income doesn’t include Alaska Permanent Fund dividends. It also doesn’t include qualified dividends or net capital gain unless you choose to include them.

Choosing to include qualified dividends.

Investment income generally doesn’t include qualified dividends, discussed in chapter 8. However, you can choose to include all or part of your qualified dividends in investment income.

You make this choice by completing Form 4952, line 4g, according to its instructions.

If you choose to include any amount of your qualified dividends in investment income, you must reduce your qualified dividends that are eligible for the lower capital gains tax rates by the same amount.

Choosing to include net capital gain.

Investment income generally doesn’t include net capital gain from disposing of investment property (including capital gain distributions from mutual funds). However, you can choose to include all or part of your net capital gain in investment income.

You make this choice by completing Form 4952, line 4g, according to its instructions.

If you choose to include any amount of your net capital gain in investment income, you must reduce your net capital gain that is eligible for the lower capital gains tax rates by the same amount.

Before making either choice, consider the overall effect on your tax liability. Compare your tax if you make one or both of these choices with your tax if you don’t make either choice.

Investment income of child reported on parent’s return.

Investment income includes the part of your child’s interest and dividend income that you choose to report on your return. If the child doesn’t have qualified dividends, Alaska Permanent Fund dividends, or capital gain distributions, this is the amount on line 6 of Form 8814, Parents’ Election To Report Child’s Interest and Dividends.

Child’s qualified dividends.

If part of the amount you report is your child’s qualified dividends, that part (which is reported on Form 1040, line 9b) generally doesn’t count as investment income. However, you can choose to include all or part of it in investment income, as explained under Choosing to include qualified dividends , earlier.

Your investment income also includes the amount on Form 8814, line 12 (or, if applicable, the reduced amount figured next under Child’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividends).

Child’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividends.

If part of the amount you report is your child’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividends, that part doesn’t count as investment income. To figure the amount of your child’s income that you can consider your investment income, start with the amount on Form 8814, line 6. Multiply that amount by a percentage that is equal to the Alaska Permanent Fund dividends divided by the total amount on Form 8814, line 4. Subtract the result from the amount on Form 8814, line 12.

Child’s capital gain distributions.

If part of the amount you report is your child’s capital gain distributions, that part (which is reported on Schedule D, line 13, or Form 1040, line 13) generally doesn’t count as investment income. However, you can choose to include all or part of it in investment income, as explained in Choosing to include net capital gain , earlier.

Your investment income also includes the amount on Form 8814, line 12 (or, if applicable, the reduced amount figured under Child’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividends , earlier).

Investment expenses.

Investment expenses are your allowed deductions (other than interest expense) directly connected with the production of investment income. Investment expenses that are included as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040) are allowable deductions after applying the 2% limit that applies to miscellaneous itemized deductions. Use the smaller of:

The investment expenses included on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 23; or

The amount on Schedule A, line 27.

Losses from passive activities.

Income or expenses that you used in figuring income or loss from a passive activity aren’t included in determining your investment income or investment expenses (including investment interest expense). See Pub. 925, Passive Activity and At-Risk Rules, for information about passive activities.

Form 4952

Use Form 4952, Investment Interest Expense Deduction, to figure your deduction for investment interest.

Exception to use of Form 4952.

You don’t have to complete Form 4952 or attach it to your return if you meet all of the following tests.

Your investment interest expense isn’t more than your investment income from interest and ordinary dividends minus any qualified dividends.
You don’t have any other deductible investment expenses.
You have no carryover of investment interest expense from 2016.

If you meet all of these tests, you can deduct all of your investment interest.

More Information

For more information on investment interest, see Interest Expenses in chapter 3 of Pub. 550.

Items You Can’t Deduct

Some interest payments aren’t deductible. Certain expenses similar to interest also aren’t deductible. Nondeductible expenses include the following items.

Personal interest (discussed later).

Service charges (however, see Other Expenses (Line 23)in chapter 28).

Annual fees for credit cards.

Loan fees.

Credit investigation fees.

Mortgage insurance premiums.
VA funding fees.
Interest to purchase or carry tax-exempt securities.

Penalties.

You can’t deduct fines and penalties paid to a government for violations of law, regardless of their nature.

Personal Interest

Personal interest isn’t deductible. Personal interest is any interest that isn’t home mortgage interest, investment interest, business interest, or other deductible interest. It includes the following items.

Interest on car loans (unless you use the car for business).

Interest on federal, state, or local income tax.

Finance charges on credit cards, retail installment contracts, and revolving charge accounts incurred for personal expenses.

Late payment charges by a public utility.

You may be able to deduct interest you pay on a qualified student loan. For details, see Pub. 970, Tax Benefits for Education.

Allocation of Interest

If you use the proceeds of a loan for more than one purpose (for example, personal and business), you must allocate the interest on the loan to each use. However, you don’t have to allocate home mortgage interest if it is fully deductible, regardless of how the funds are used.

You allocate interest (other than fully deductible home mortgage interest) on a loan in the same way as the loan itself is allocated. You do this by tracing disbursements of the debt proceeds to specific uses. For details on how to do this, see chapter 4 of Pub. 535.

How To Report

You must file Form 1040 to deduct any home mortgage interest expense on your tax return. Where you deduct your interest expense generally depends on how you use the loan proceeds. See Table 23-1 for a summary of where to deduct your interest expense.

Home mortgage interest and points.

Deduct the home mortgage interest and points reported to you on Form 1098 on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 10. If you paid more deductible interest to the financial institution than the amount shown on Form 1098, show the larger deductible amount on line 10. Attach a statement explaining the difference and print “See attached” next to line 10.

Deduct home mortgage interest that wasn’t reported to you on Form 1098 on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 11. If you paid home mortgage interest to the person from whom you bought your home, show that person’s name, address, and taxpayer identification number (TIN) on the dotted lines next to line 11. The seller must give you this number and you must give the seller your TIN. A Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, can be used for this purpose. Failure to meet any of these requirements may result in a $50 penalty for each failure. The TIN can be either a social security number, an individual taxpayer identification number (issued by the IRS), or an employer identification number. See Social Security Number (SSN) in chapter 1 for more information about TINs.

If you can take a deduction for points that weren’t reported to you on Form 1098, deduct those points on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 12.

More than one borrower.

If you and at least one other person (other than your spouse if you file a joint return) were liable for and paid interest on a mortgage that was for your home, and the other person received a Form 1098 showing the interest that was paid during the year, attach a statement to your return explaining this. Show how much of the interest each of you paid, and give the name and address of the person who received the form. Deduct your share of the interest on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 11, and print “See attached” next to the line.

Similarly, if you are the payer of record on a mortgage on which there are other borrowers entitled to a deduction for the interest shown on the Form 1098 you received, deduct only your share of the interest on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 10. You should let each of the other borrowers know what his or her share is.

Mortgage proceeds used for business or investment.

If your home mortgage interest deduction is limited, but all or part of the mortgage proceeds were used for business, investment, or other deductible activities, see Table 23-1. It shows where to deduct the part of your excess interest that is for those activities.

Investment interest.

Deduct investment interest, subject to certain limits discussed in Pub. 550, on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 14.

Amortization of bond premium.

There are various ways to treat the premium you pay to buy taxable bonds. See Bond Premium Amortization in Pub. 550.

Income-producing rental or royalty interest.

Deduct interest on a loan for income-producing rental or royalty property that isn’t used in your business in Part I of Schedule E (Form 1040).

Example.

You rent out part of your home and borrow money to make repairs. You can deduct only the interest payment for the rented part in Part I of Schedule E (Form 1040). Deduct the rest of the interest payment on Schedule A (Form 1040) if it is deductible home mortgage interest.

Table 23-1. Where To Deduct Your Interest Expense

IF you have …	THEN deduct it on …	AND for more information go to …
deductible student loan interest	Form 1040, line 33, or Form 1040A, line 18	Pub. 970.
deductible home mortgage interest and points reported on Form 1098	Schedule A (Form 1040), line 10	Pub. 936.
deductible home mortgage interest not reported on Form 1098	Schedule A (Form 1040), line 11	Pub. 936.
deductible points not reported on Form 1098	Schedule A (Form 1040), line 12	Pub. 936.
deductible investment interest (other than incurred to produce rents or royalties)	Schedule A (Form 1040), line 14	Pub. 550.
deductible business interest (non-farm)	Schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040)	Pub. 535.
deductible farm business interest	Schedule F (Form 1040)	Pub. 225 and Pub. 535.
deductible interest incurred to produce rents or royalties	Schedule E (Form 1040)	Pub. 527 and Pub. 535.
personal interest	not deductible.

24. Contributions

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Disaster relief. The Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 provides tax relief for persons affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Under the Act, you may be able to claim a deduction in excess of the usual limits shown in Limits on Deductions in this chapter. However, you cannot deduct contributions earmarked for relief of a particular individual or family. See Pub. 976, Disaster Relief, for more information.

Introduction

This chapter explains how to claim a deduction for your charitable contributions. It discusses the following topics.

The types of organizations to which you can make deductible charitable contributions.
The types of contributions you can deduct.
How much you can deduct.
What records you must keep.
How to report your charitable contributions.

A charitable contribution is a donation or gift to, or for the use of, a qualified organization. It is voluntary and is made without getting, or expecting to get, anything of equal value.

Form 1040 required.

To deduct a charitable contribution, you must file Form 1040 and itemize deductions on Schedule A. The amount of your deduction may be limited if certain rules and limits explained in this chapter apply to you. The limits are explained in detail in Pub. 526.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

526Charitable Contributions
561Determining the Value of Donated Property
976Disaster Relief

Form (and Instructions)

Schedule A (Form 1040) Itemized Deductions
8283Noncash Charitable Contributions

Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions

You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. Most organizations other than churches and governments must apply to the IRS to become a qualified organization.

How to check whether an organization can receive deductible charitable contributions.

You can ask any organization whether it is a qualified organization, and most will be able to tell you. Or, use the Exempt Organizations Select Check tool at IRS.gov/EOSelectCheck. This online tool will enable you to search for qualified organizations.

Types of Qualified Organizations

Generally, only the following types of organizations can be qualified organizations.

A community chest, corporation, trust, fund, or foundation organized or created in or under the laws of the United States, any state, the District of Columbia, or any possession of the United States (including
Puerto Rico). It must, however, be organized and operated only for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. Certain organizations that foster national or international amateur sports competition also qualify.
War veterans’ organizations, including posts, auxiliaries, trusts, or foundations, organized in the United States or any of its possessions (including Puerto Rico).
Domestic fraternal societies, orders, and associations operating under the lodge system. (Your contribution to this type of organization is deductible only if it is to be used solely for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.)
Certain nonprofit cemetery companies or corporations. (Your contribution to this type of organization isn’t deductible if it can be used for the care of a specific lot or mausoleum crypt.)
The United States or any state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. possession (including Puerto Rico), a political subdivision of a state or U.S. possession, or an Indian tribal government or any of its subdivisions that perform substantial government functions. (Your contribution to this type of organization is only deductible if it is to be used solely for public purposes.)

Examples.

The following list gives some examples of qualified organizations.

Churches, a convention or association of churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, and other religious organizations.
Most nonprofit charitable organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the United Way.
Most nonprofit educational organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, colleges, and museums. This also includes nonprofit daycare centers that provide childcare to the general public if substantially all the childcare is provided to enable parents and guardians to be gainfully employed. However, if your contribution is a substitute for tuition or other enrollment fee, it isn’t deductible as a charitable contribution, as explained later under Contributions You Can’t Deduct.
Nonprofit hospitals and medical research organizations.
Utility company emergency energy programs, if the utility company is an agent for a charitable organization that assists individuals with emergency energy needs.
Nonprofit volunteer fire companies.
Nonprofit organizations that develop and maintain public parks and recreation facilities.

Civil defense organizations.

Certain foreign charitable organizations.

Under income tax treaties with Canada, Israel, and Mexico, you may be able to deduct contributions to certain Canadian, Israeli, or Mexican charitable organizations. Generally, you must have income from sources in that country. For additional information on the deduction of contributions to Canadian charities, see Pub. 597, Information on the United States – Canada Income Tax Treaty. If you need more information on how to figure your contribution to Mexican and Israeli charities, see Pub. 526.

Contributions You Can Deduct

Generally, you can deduct contributions of money or property you make to, or for the use of, a qualified organization. A contribution is “for the use of” a qualified organization when it is held in a legally enforceable trust for the qualified organization or in a similar legal arrangement. The contributions must be made to a qualified organization and not set aside for use by a specific person.

If you give property to a qualified organization, you generally can deduct the fair market value of the property at the time of the contribution. See Contributions of Property , later, in this chapter.

Your deduction for charitable contributions generally can’t be more than 50% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), but in some cases 20% and 30% limits may apply. See Limits on Deductions , later.

In addition, the total of your charitable contribution deduction and certain other itemized deductions may be limited. See chapter 29.

Table 24-1 gives examples of contributions you can and can’t deduct.

Contributions From Which You Benefit

If you receive a benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization, you can deduct only the amount of your contribution that is more than the value of the benefit you receive. Also see Contributions From Which You Benefit under Contributions You Can’t Deduct, later.

If you pay more than fair market value to a qualified organization for goods or services, the excess may be a charitable contribution. For the excess amount to qualify, you must pay it with the intent to make a charitable contribution.

Example 1.

You pay $65 for a ticket to a dinner dance at a church. Your entire $65 payment goes to the church. The ticket to the dinner dance has a fair market value of $25. When you buy your ticket, you know that its value is less than your payment. To figure the amount of your charitable contribution, subtract the value of the benefit you receive ($25) from your total payment ($65). You can deduct $40 as a contribution to the church.

Example 2.

At a fundraising auction conducted by a charity, you pay $600 for a week’s stay at a beach house. The amount you pay is no more than the fair rental value. You haven’t made a deductible charitable contribution.

Athletic events.

If you make a payment to, or for the benefit of, a college or university and, as a result, you receive the right to buy tickets to an athletic event in the athletic stadium of the college or university, you can deduct 80% of the payment as a charitable contribution.

If any part of your payment is for tickets (rather than the right to buy tickets), 100% of that part isn’t deductible. Subtract the price of the tickets from your payment. You can deduct 80% of the remaining amount as a charitable contribution.

Example 1.

You pay $300 a year for membership in a university’s athletic scholarship program. The only benefit of membership is that you have the right to buy one season ticket for a seat in a designated area of the stadium at the university’s home football games. You can deduct $240 (80% of $300) as a charitable contribution.

Table 24-1. Examples of Charitable Contributions—A Quick Check

Use the following lists for a quick check of whether you can deduct a contribution. See the rest of this chapter for more information and additional rules and limits that may apply.

Deductible As

Charitable Contributions

Not Deductible

As Charitable Contributions

Money or property you give to:

· Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other religious organizations

· Federal, state, and local governments, if your contribution is solely for public purposes (for example, a gift to reduce the public debt or maintain a public park)

· Nonprofit schools and hospitals

· The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, CARE, Goodwill Industries, United Way, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, etc.

· War veterans’ groups

Expenses paid for a student living with you, sponsored by a qualified organization

Out-of-pocket expenses when you serve a qualified organization as a volunteer

Money or property you give to:

· Civic leagues, social and sports clubs, labor unions, and chambers of commerce

· Foreign organizations (except certain Canadian, Israeli, and Mexican charities)

· Groups that are run for personal profit

· Groups whose purpose is to lobby for law changes

· Homeowners’ associations

· Individuals

· Political groups or candidates for public office

Cost of raffle, bingo, or lottery tickets

Dues, fees, or bills paid to country clubs, lodges, fraternal orders, or similar groups

Tuition

Value of your time or services

Value of blood given to a blood bank

Example 2.

The facts are the same as in Example 1 except your $300 payment includes the purchase of one season ticket for the stated ticket price of $120. You must subtract the usual price of a ticket ($120) from your $300 payment. The result is $180. Your deductible charitable contribution is $144 (80% of $180).

Charity benefit events.

If you pay a qualified organization more than fair market value for the right to attend a charity ball, banquet, show, sporting event, or other benefit event, you can deduct only the amount that is more than the value of the privileges or other benefits you receive.

If there is an established charge for the event, that charge is the value of your benefit. If there is no established charge, the reasonable value of the right to attend the event is the value of your benefit. Whether you use the tickets or other privileges has no effect on the amount you can deduct. However, if you return the ticket to the qualified organization for resale, you can deduct the entire amount you paid for the ticket.

Even if the ticket or other evidence of payment indicates that the payment is a “contribution,” this doesn’t mean you can deduct the entire amount. If the ticket shows the price of admission and the amount of the contribution, you can deduct the contribution amount.

Example.

You pay $40 to see a special showing of a movie for the benefit of a qualified organization. Printed on the ticket is “Contribution—$40.” If the regular price for the movie is $8, your contribution is $32 ($40 payment − $8 regular price).

Membership fees or dues.

You may be able to deduct membership fees or dues you pay to a qualified organization. However, you can deduct only the amount that is more than the value of the benefits you receive.

You can’t deduct dues, fees, or assessments paid to country clubs and other social organizations. They aren’t qualified organizations.

Certain membership benefits can be disregarded.

Both you and the organization can disregard the following membership benefits if you receive them in return for an annual payment of $75 or less.

Any rights or privileges, other than those discussed under Athletic events, earlier, that you can use frequently while you are a member, such as:
1. Free or discounted admission to the organization’s facilities or events,
2. Free or discounted parking,
3. Preferred access to goods or services, and
4. Discounts on the purchase of goods and services.
Admission, while you are a member, to events open only to members of the organization, if the organization reasonably projects that the cost per person (excluding any allocated overhead) isn’t more than $10.70.

Token items.

You don’t have to reduce your contribution by the value of any benefit you receive if both of the following are true.

You receive only a small item or other benefit of token value.
The qualified organization correctly determines that the value of the item or benefit you received isn’t substantial and informs you that you can deduct your payment in full.

Written statement.

A qualified organization must give you a written statement if you make a payment of more than $75 that is partly a contribution and partly for goods or services. The statement must say that you can deduct only the amount of your payment that is more than the value of the goods or services you received. It must also give you a good faith estimate of the value of those goods or services.

The organization can give you the statement either when it solicits or when it receives the payment from you.

Exception.

An organization won’t have to give you this statement if one of the following is true.

The organization is:
1. A governmental organization described in (5) under Types of Qualified Organizations, earlier; or
2. An organization formed only for religious purposes, and the only benefit you receive is an intangible religious benefit (such as admission to a religious ceremony) that generally isn’t sold in commercial transactions outside the donative context.
You receive only items whose value isn’t substantial as described under Token items, earlier.
You receive only membership benefits that can be disregarded, as described under Membership fees or dues, earlier.

Expenses Paid for Student Living With You

You may be able to deduct some expenses of having a student live with you. You can deduct qualifying expenses for a foreign or American student who:

Lives in your home under a written agreement between you and a qualified organization as part of a program of the organization to provide educational opportunities for the student,
Isn’t your relative or dependent, and
Is a full-time student in the twelfth or any lower grade at a school in the United States.

You can deduct up to $50 a month for each full calendar month the student lives with you. Any month when conditions 1 through 3 are met for 15 days or more counts as a full month.

For additional information, see Expenses Paid for Student Living With You in Pub. 526.

Mutual exchange program.

You can’t deduct the costs of a foreign student living in your home under a mutual exchange program through which your child will live with a family in a foreign country.

Table 24-2. Volunteers’ Questions and Answers

If you volunteer for a qualified organization, the following questions and answers may apply to you. All of the rules explained in this chapter also apply. See, in particular, Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Giving Services .
Question	Answer
I volunteer 6 hours a week in the office of a qualified organization. The receptionist is paid $10 an hour for the same work. Can I deduct $60 a week for my time?	No, you can’t deduct the value of your time or services.
The office is 30 miles from my home. Can I deduct any of my car expenses for these trips?	Yes, you can deduct the costs of gas and oil that are directly related to getting to and from the place where you volunteer. If you don’t want to figure your actual costs, you can deduct 14 cents for each mile.
I volunteer as a Red Cross nurse’s aide at a hospital. Can I deduct the cost of the uniforms I must wear?	Yes, you can deduct the cost of buying and cleaning your uniforms if the hospital is a qualified organization, the uniforms aren’t suitable for everyday use, and you must wear them when volunteering.
I pay a babysitter to watch my children while I volunteer for a qualified organization. Can I deduct these costs?	No, you can’t deduct payments for childcare expenses as a charitable contribution, even if you would be unable to volunteer without childcare. (If you have childcare expenses so you can work for pay, see chapter 32.)

Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Giving Services

Although you can’t deduct the value of your services given to a qualified organization, you may be able to deduct some amounts you pay in giving services to a qualified organization. The amounts must be:

Unreimbursed;
Directly connected with the services;
Expenses you had only because of the services you gave; and
Not personal, living, or family expenses.

Table 24-2 contains questions and answers that apply to some individuals who volunteer their services.

Conventions.

If a qualified organization selects you to attend a convention as its representative, you can deduct unreimbursed expenses for travel, including reasonable amounts for meals and lodging, while away from home overnight in connection with the convention. However, see Travel , later.

You can’t deduct personal expenses for sightseeing, fishing parties, theater tickets, or nightclubs. You also can’t deduct transportation, meals and lodging, and other expenses for your spouse or children.

You can’t deduct your travel expenses in attending a church convention if you go only as a member of your church rather than as a chosen representative. You can, however, deduct unreimbursed expenses that are directly connected with giving services for your church during the convention.

Uniforms.

You can deduct the cost and upkeep of uniforms that aren’t suitable for everyday use and that you must wear while performing donated services for a charitable organization.

Foster parents.

You may be able to deduct as a charitable contribution some of the costs of being a foster parent (foster care provider) if you have no profit motive in providing the foster care and aren’t, in fact, making a profit. A qualified organization must select the individuals you take into your home for foster care.

You can deduct expenses that meet both of the following requirements.

They are unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses to feed, clothe, and care for the foster child.
They are incurred primarily to benefit the qualified organization.

Unreimbursed expenses that you can’t deduct as charitable contributions may be considered support provided by you in determining whether you can claim the foster child as a dependent. For details, see chapter 3.

Example.

You cared for a foster child because you wanted to adopt her, not to benefit the agency that placed her in your home. Your unreimbursed expenses aren’t deductible as charitable contributions.

Car expenses.

You can deduct as a charitable contribution any unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of gas and oil, that are directly related to the use of your car in giving services to a charitable organization. You can’t deduct general repair and maintenance expenses, depreciation, registration fees, or the costs of tires or insurance.

If you don’t want to deduct your actual expenses, you can use a standard mileage rate of 14 cents a mile to figure your contribution.

You can deduct parking fees and tolls whether you use your actual expenses or the standard mileage rate.

You must keep reliable written records of your car expenses. For more information, see Car expenses under Records To Keep, later.

Travel.

Generally, you can claim a charitable contribution deduction for travel expenses necessarily incurred while you are away from home performing services for a charitable organization only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel. This applies whether you pay the expenses directly or indirectly. You are paying the expenses indirectly if you make a payment to the charitable organization and the organization pays for your travel expenses.

The deduction for travel expenses won’t be denied simply because you enjoy providing services to the charitable organization. Even if you enjoy the trip, you can take a charitable contribution deduction for your travel expenses if you are on duty in a genuine and substantial sense throughout the trip. However, if you have only nominal duties, or if for significant parts of the trip you don’t have any duties, you can’t deduct your travel expenses.

Example 1.

You are a troop leader for a tax-exempt youth group and you take the group on a camping trip. You are responsible for overseeing the setup of the camp and for providing adult supervision for other activities during the entire trip. You participate in the activities of the group and enjoy your time with them. You oversee the breaking of camp and you transport the group home. You can deduct your travel expenses.

Example 2.

You sail from one island to another and spend 8 hours a day counting whales and other forms of marine life. The project is sponsored by a charitable organization. In most circumstances, you can’t deduct your expenses.

Example 3.

You work for several hours each morning on an archaeological dig sponsored by a charitable organization. The rest of the day is free for recreation and sightseeing. You can’t take a charitable contribution deduction even though you work very hard during those few hours.

Example 4.

You spend the entire day attending a charitable organization’s regional meeting as a chosen representative. In the evening you go to the theater. You can claim your travel expenses as charitable contributions, but you can’t claim the cost of your evening at the theater.

Daily allowance (per diem).

If you provide services for a charitable organization and receive a daily allowance to cover reasonable travel expenses, including meals and lodging while away from home overnight, you must include in income any part of the allowance that is more than your deductible travel expenses. You may be able to deduct any necessary travel expenses that are more than the allowance.

Deductible travel expenses.

These include:

Air, rail, and bus transportation;
Out-of-pocket expenses for your car;
Taxi fares or other costs of transportation between the airport or station and your hotel;
Lodging costs; and
The cost of meals.

Because these travel expenses aren’t business related, they aren’t subject to the same limits as business-related expenses. For information on business travel expenses, see Travel Expenses in chapter 26.

Contributions You Can’t Deduct

There are some contributions you can’t deduct, such as those made to specific individuals and those made to nonqualified organizations. (See Contributions to Individuals and Contributions to Nonqualified Organizationsnext.) There are others you can deduct only part of, as discussed later under Contributions From Which You Benefit .

Contributions to Individuals

You can’t deduct contributions to specific individuals, including the following.

Contributions to fraternal societies made for the purpose of paying medical or burial expenses of deceased members.

Contributions to individuals who are needy or worthy. You can’t deduct these contributions even if you make them to a qualified organization for the benefit of a specific person. But you can deduct a contribution to a qualified organization that helps needy or worthy individuals if you don’t indicate that your contribution is for a specific person.

Example. You can deduct contributions to a qualified organization for flood relief, hurricane relief, or other disaster relief. However, you can’t deduct contributions earmarked for relief of a particular individual or family. See Temporary Suspension of 50% Limit , later.

Payments to a member of the clergy that can be spent as he or she wishes, such as for personal expenses.

Expenses you paid for another person who provided services to a qualified organization.

Example. Your son does missionary work. You pay his expenses. You can’t claim a deduction for your son’s unreimbursed expenses related to his contribution of services.

Payments to a hospital that are for a specific patient’s care or for services for a specific patient. You can’t deduct these payments even if the hospital is operated by a city, a state, or other qualified organization.

Contributions to Nonqualified Organizations

You can’t deduct contributions to organizations that aren’t qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions, including the following.

Certain state bar associations if:
1. The bar isn’t a political subdivision of a state;
2. The bar has private, as well as public, purposes, such as promoting the professional interests of members; and
3. Your contribution is unrestricted and can be used for private purposes.
Chambers of commerce and other business leagues or organizations (but see chapter 28 about miscellaneous deductions).
Civic leagues and associations.
Country clubs and other social clubs.
Most foreign organizations (other than certain Canadian, Israeli, or Mexican charitable organizations). For details, see Pub. 526.
Homeowners’ associations.
Labor unions (but see chapter 28 about miscellaneous deductions).
Political organizations and candidates.

Contributions From Which You Benefit

If you receive or expect to receive a financial or economic benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization, you can’t deduct the part of the contribution that represents the value of the benefit you receive. See Contributions From Which You Benefit under Contributions You Can Deduct, earlier. These contributions include the following.

Contributions for lobbying. This includes amounts that you earmark for use in, or in connection with, influencing specific legislation.

Contributions to a retirement home for room, board, maintenance, or admittance. Also, if the amount of your contribution depends on the type or size of apartment you will occupy, it isn’t a charitable contribution.
Costs of raffles, bingo, lottery, etc. You can’t deduct as a charitable contribution amounts you pay to buy raffle or lottery tickets or to play bingo or other games of chance. For information on how to report gambling winnings and losses, see Gambling winningsin chapter 12 and Gambling Losses up to the Amount of Gambling Winnings in chapter 28.

Dues to fraternal orders and similar groups. However, see Membership fees or dues, earlier, underContributions You Can Deduct.

Tuition, or amounts you pay instead of tuition. You can’t deduct as a charitable contribution amounts you pay as tuition even if you pay them for children to attend parochial schools or qualifying nonprofit daycare centers. You also can’t deduct any fixed amount you must pay in addition to, or instead of, tuition to enroll in a private school, even if it is designated as a “donation.”

Value of Time or Services

You can’t deduct the value of your time or services, including:

Blood donations to the American Red Cross or to blood banks, and

The value of income lost while you work as an unpaid volunteer for a qualified organization.

Personal Expenses

You can’t deduct personal, living, or family expenses, such as the following items.

The cost of meals you eat while you perform services for a qualified organization unless it is necessary for you to be away from home overnight while performing the services.
Adoption expenses, including fees paid to an adoption agency and the costs of keeping a child in your home before adoption is final (but see Adoption Creditin chapter 38, and the Instructions for Form 8839, Qualified Adoption Expenses). You also may be able to claim an exemption for the child. See Adopted child in chapter 3.

Appraisal Fees

You can’t deduct as a charitable contribution any fees you pay to find the fair market value of donated property (but see chapter 28 for information on miscellaneous deductions).

Contributions of Property

If you contribute property to a qualified organization, the amount of your charitable contribution is generally the fair market value of the property at the time of the contribution. However, if the property has increased in value, you may have to make some adjustments to the amount of your deduction. See Giving Property That Has Increased in Value , later.

For information about the records you must keep and the information you must furnish with your return if you donate property, see Records To Keep and How To Report , later.

Clothing and household items.

You can’t take a deduction for clothing or household items you donate unless the clothing or household items are in good used condition or better.

Exception.

You can take a deduction for a contribution of an item of clothing or household item that isn’t in good used condition or better if you deduct more than $500 for it and include a qualified appraisal of it with your return.

Household items.

Household items include:

Furniture and furnishings,
Electronics,
Appliances,
Linens, and
Other similar items.

Household items don’t include:

Food;
Paintings, antiques, and other objects of art;
Jewelry and gems; and

Cars, boats, and airplanes.

The following rules apply to any donation of a qualified vehicle.

A qualified vehicle is:

A car or any motor vehicle manufactured mainly for use on public streets, roads, and highways;
A boat; or
An airplane.

Deduction more than $500.

If you donate a qualified vehicle with a claimed fair market value of more than $500, you can deduct the smaller of:

The gross proceeds from the sale of the vehicle by the organization, or
The vehicle’s fair market value on the date of the contribution. If the vehicle’s fair market value was more than your cost or other basis, you may have to reduce the fair market value to figure the deductible amount, as described under Giving Property That Has Increased in Value, later.

Form 1098-C.

You must attach to your return Copy B of the Form 1098-C, Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes, (or other statement containing the same information as Form 1098-C) you received from the organization. The Form 1098-C (or other statement) will show the gross proceeds from the sale of the vehicle.

If you e-file your return, you must:

Attach Copy B of Form 1098-C to Form 8453, U.S. Individual Income Tax Transmittal for an IRS e-fileReturn, and mail the forms to the IRS; or
Include Copy B of Form 1098-C as a PDF attachment if your software program allows it.

If you don’t attach Form 1098-C (or other statement), you can’t deduct your contribution.

You must get Form 1098-C (or other statement) within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle. But if exception 1 or 2 (described later) applies, you must get Form 1098-C (or other statement) within 30 days of your donation.

Filing deadline approaching and still no Form 1098-C.

If the filing deadline is approaching and you still don’t have a Form 1098-C, you have two choices.

Request an automatic 6-month extension of time to file your return. You can get this extension by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. For more information, see Automatic Extensionin chapter 1.
File the return on time without claiming the deduction for the qualified vehicle. After receiving the Form 1098-C, file an amended return, Form 1040X, claiming the deduction. Attach Copy B of Form 1098-C (or other statement) to the amended return. For more information about amended returns, see Amended Returns and Claims for Refundin chapter 1.

Exceptions.

There are two exceptions to the rules just described for deductions of more than $500.

Exception 1—vehicle used or improved by organization.

If the qualified organization makes a significant intervening use of or material improvement to the vehicle before transferring it, you generally can deduct the vehicle’s fair market value at the time of the contribution. But if the vehicle’s fair market value was more than your cost or other basis, you may have to reduce the fair market value to get the deductible amount, as described under Giving Property That Has Increased in Value , later. The Form 1098-C (or other statement) will show whether this exception applies.

Exception 2—vehicle given or sold to needy individual.

If the qualified organization will give the vehicle, or sell it for a price well below fair market value, to a needy individual to further the organization’s charitable purpose, you generally can deduct the vehicle’s fair market value at the time of the contribution. But if the vehicle’s fair market value was more than your cost or other basis, you may have to reduce the fair market value to get the deductible amount, as described under Giving Property That Has Increased in Value , later. The Form 1098-C (or other statement) will show whether this exception applies.

This exception doesn’t apply if the organization sells the vehicle at auction. In that case, you can’t deduct the vehicle’s fair market value.

Example.

Anita donates a used car to a qualified organization. She bought it 3 years ago for $9,000. A used car guide shows the fair market value for this type of car is $6,000. However, Anita gets a Form 1098-C from the organization showing the car was sold for $2,900. Neither exception 1 nor exception 2 applies. If Anita itemizes her deductions, she can deduct $2,900 for her donation. She must attach Form 1098-C and Form 8283 to her return.

Deduction $500 or less.

If the qualified organization sells the vehicle for $500 or less and exceptions 1 and 2 don’t apply, you can deduct the smaller of:

$500, or
The vehicle’s fair market value on the date of the contribution. But if the vehicle’s fair market value was more than your cost or other basis, you may have to reduce the fair market value to get the deductible amount, as described under Giving Property That Has Increased in Value, later.

If the vehicle’s fair market value is at least $250 but not more than $500, you must have a written statement from the qualified organization acknowledging your donation. The statement must contain the information and meet the tests for an acknowledgment described under Deductions of at Least $250 But Not More Than $500 under Records To Keep, later.

Partial interest in property.

Generally, you can’t deduct a charitable contribution of less than your entire interest in property.

Right to use property.

A contribution of the right to use property is a contribution of less than your entire interest in that property and isn’t deductible. For exceptions and more information, see Partial Interest in Property Not in Trust in Pub. 561.

Future interests in tangible personal property.

You can’t deduct the value of a charitable contribution of a future interest in tangible personal property until all intervening interests in and rights to the actual possession or enjoyment of the property have either expired or been turned over to someone other than yourself, a related person, or a related organization.

Tangible personal property.

This is any property, other than land or buildings, that can be seen or touched. It includes furniture, books, jewelry, paintings, and cars.

Future interest.

This is any interest that is to begin at some future time, regardless of whether it is designated as a future interest under state law.

Determining Fair Market Value

This section discusses general guidelines for determining the fair market value of various types of donated property. Pub. 561 contains a more complete discussion.

Fair market value is the price at which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither having to buy or sell, and both having reasonable knowledge of all the relevant facts.

Used clothing and household items.

The fair market value of used clothing and household goods is usually far less than what you paid for them when they were new.

For used clothing, you should claim as the value the price that buyers of used items actually pay in used clothing stores, such as consignment or thrift shops. See Household Goods in Pub. 561 for information on the valuation of household goods, such as furniture, appliances, and linens.

Example.

Dawn Greene donated a coat to a thrift store operated by her church. She paid $300 for the coat 3 years ago. Similar coats in the thrift store sell for $50. The fair market value of the coat is $50. Dawn’s donation is limited to $50.

Cars, boats, and airplanes.

If you contribute a car, boat, or airplane to a charitable organization, you must determine its fair market value. Certain commercial firms and trade organizations publish used car pricing guides, commonly called “blue books,” containing complete dealer sale prices or dealer average prices for recent model years. The guides may be published monthly or seasonally and for different regions of the country. These guides also provide estimates for adjusting for unusual equipment, unusual mileage, and physical condition. The prices aren’t “official” and these publications aren’t considered an appraisal of any specific donated property. But they do provide clues for making an appraisal and suggest relative prices for comparison with current sales and offerings in your area.

You can also find used car pricing information on the Internet.

Example.

You donate a used car in poor condition to a local high school for use by students studying car repair. A used car guide shows the dealer retail value for this type of car in poor condition is $1,600. However, the guide shows the price for a private party sale of the car is only $750. The fair market value of the car is considered to be $750.

Large quantities.

If you contribute a large number of the same item, fair market value is the price at which comparable numbers of the item are being sold.

Giving Property That Has Decreased in Value

If you contribute property with a fair market value that is less than your basis in it, your deduction is limited to its fair market value. You can’t claim a deduction for the difference between the property’s basis and its fair market value.

Giving Property That Has Increased in Value

If you contribute property with a fair market value that is more than your basis in it, you may have to reduce the fair market value by the amount of appreciation (increase in value) when you figure your deduction.

Your basis in property is generally what you paid for it. See chapter 13 if you need more information about basis.

Different rules apply to figuring your deduction, depending on whether the property is:

Ordinary income property, or
Capital gain property.

Ordinary income property.

Property is ordinary income property if you would have recognized ordinary income or short-term capital gain had you sold it at fair market value on the date it was contributed. Examples of ordinary income property are inventory, works of art created by the donor, manuscripts prepared by the donor, and capital assets (defined in chapter 14) held 1 year or less.

Amount of deduction.

The amount you can deduct for a contribution of ordinary income property is its fair market value minus the amount that would be ordinary income or short-term capital gain if you sold the property for its fair market value. Generally, this rule limits the deduction to your basis in the property.

Example.

You donate stock you held for 5 months to your church. The fair market value of the stock on the day you donate it is $1,000, but you paid only $800 (your basis). Because the $200 of appreciation would be short-term capital gain if you sold the stock, your deduction is limited to $800 (fair market value minus the appreciation).

Capital gain property.

Property is capital gain property if you would have recognized long-term capital gain had you sold it at fair market value on the date of the contribution. It includes capital assets held more than 1 year, as well as certain real property and depreciable property used in your trade or business and, generally, held more than 1 year.

Amount of deduction—general rule.

When figuring your deduction for a contribution of capital gain property, you generally can use the fair market value of the property.

Exceptions.

However, in certain situations, you must reduce the fair market value by any amount that would have been long-term capital gain if you had sold the property for its fair market value. Generally, this means reducing the fair market value to the property’s cost or other basis.

Bargain sales.

A bargain sale of property is a sale or exchange for less than the property’s fair market value. A bargain sale to a qualified organization is partly a charitable contribution and partly a sale or exchange. A bargain sale may result in a taxable gain.

More information.

For more information on donating appreciated property, see Giving Property That Has Increased in Value in Pub. 526.

When To Deduct

You can deduct your contributions only in the year you actually make them in cash or other property (or in a later carryover year, as explained later under Carryovers ). This applies whether you use the cash or an accrual method of accounting.

Time of making contribution.

Usually, you make a contribution at the time of its unconditional delivery.

Checks.

A check you mail to a charity is considered delivered on the date you mail it.

Text message.

Contributions made by text message are deductible in the year you send the text message if the contribution is charged to your telephone or wireless account.

Credit card.

Contributions charged on your credit card are deductible in the year you make the charge.

Pay-by-phone account.

Contributions made through a pay-by-phone account are considered delivered on the date the financial institution pays the amount.

Stock certificate.

A properly endorsed stock certificate is considered delivered on the date of mailing or other delivery to the charity or to the charity’s agent. However, if you give a stock certificate to your agent or to the issuing corporation for transfer to the name of the charity, your contribution isn’t delivered until the date the stock is transferred on the books of the corporation.

Promissory note.

If you issue and deliver a promissory note to a charity as a contribution, it isn’t a contribution until you make the note payments.

Option.

If you grant a charity an option to buy real property at a bargain price, it isn’t a contribution until the organization exercises the option.

Borrowed funds.

If you contribute borrowed funds, you can deduct the contribution in the year you deliver the funds to the charity, regardless of when you repay the loan.

Limits on Deductions

The amount you can deduct for charitable contributions can’t be more than 50% of your AGI. Your deduction may be further limited to 30% or 20% of your AGI, depending on the type of property you give and the type of organization you give it to. If your total contributions for the year are 20% or less of your AGI, these limits don’t apply to you. The limits are discussed in detail under Limits on Deductions in Pub. 526.

A higher limit applies to certain qualified conservation contributions. See Pub. 526 for details.

Temporary Suspension of 50% Limit.

The 50% limit does not apply to your “qualified contributions.” A qualified contribution is a charitable contribution paid in cash after August 22, 2017, and before January 1, 2018, to a 50% limit organization (other than a section 509(a)(3) organization) if you make an election to have the 50% limit not apply to these contributions.

Your deduction for qualified contributions is limited to your adjusted gross income minus your deduction for all other charitable contributions. You can carry over any contributions you aren’t able to deduct for 2017 because of this limit. In 2018, treat the carryover of your unused qualified contributions like a carryover of contributions subject to the 50% limit.

Exceptions.

You can’t deduct contributions earmarked for the relief of a particular individual or family. Moreover, you cannot make this election for a contribution to establish a new, or maintain an existing, segregated fund or account for which you (or any person you appoint or designate) has or expects to have advisory privileges with respect to distributions or investments because of being a donor.

Partners and shareholders.

Each partner in a partnership and each shareholder in an S corporation makes this election separately. See Pub. 976, Disaster Relief, for details.

Carryovers

You can carry over any contributions you can’t deduct in the current year because they exceed your adjusted-gross-income limits. Except for qualified conservation contributions, you may be able to deduct the excess in each of the next 5 years until it is used up, but not beyond that time. For more information, see Carryovers in Pub. 526.

Records To Keep

You must keep records to prove the amount of the contributions you make during the year. The kind of records you must keep depends on the amount of your contributions and whether they are:

Cash contributions,
Noncash contributions, or
Out-of-pocket expenses when donating your services.

Note.

An organization generally must give you a written statement if it receives a payment from you that is more than $75 and is partly a contribution and partly for goods or services. (See Contributions From Which You Benefit under Contributions You Can Deduct, earlier.) Keep the statement for your records. It may satisfy all or part of the recordkeeping requirements explained in the following discussions.

Cash Contributions

Cash contributions include those paid by cash, check, electronic funds transfer, debit card, credit card, or payroll deduction.

You can’t deduct a cash contribution, regardless of the amount, unless you keep one of the following.

A bank record that shows the name of the qualified organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution. Bank records may include:
1. A canceled check,
2. A bank or credit union statement, or
3. A credit card statement.
A receipt (or a letter or other written communication) from the qualified organization showing the name of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution.
The payroll deduction records described next.

Payroll deductions.

If you make a contribution by payroll deduction, you must keep:

A pay stub, Form W-2, or other document furnished by your employer that shows the date and amount of the contribution; and
A pledge card or other document prepared by or for the qualified organization that shows the name of the organization.

If your employer withheld $250 or more from a single paycheck, see Contributions of $250 or More next.

Contributions of $250 or More

You can claim a deduction for a contribution of $250 or more only if you have an acknowledgment of your contribution from the qualified organization or certain payroll deduction records.

If you made more than one contribution of $250 or more, you must have either a separate acknowledgment for each or one acknowledgment that lists each contribution and the date of each contribution and shows your total contributions.

Amount of contribution.

In figuring whether your contribution is $250 or more, don’t combine separate contributions. For example, if you gave your church $25 each week, your weekly payments don’t have to be combined. Each payment is a separate contribution.

If contributions are made by payroll deduction, the deduction from each paycheck is treated as a separate contribution.

If you made a payment that is partly for goods and services, as described earlier under Contributions From Which You Benefit , your contribution is the amount of the payment that is more than the value of the goods and services.

Acknowledgment.

The acknowledgment must meet these tests.

It must be written.
It must include:
1. The amount of cash you contributed;
2. Whether the qualified organization gave you any goods or services as a result of your contribution (other than certain token items and membership benefits);
3. A description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services described in (b) (other than intangible religious benefits); and
4. A statement that the only benefit you received was an intangible religious benefit, if that was the case. The acknowledgment doesn’t need to describe or estimate the value of an intangible religious benefit. An intangible religious benefit is a benefit that generally isn’t sold in commercial transactions outside a donative (gift) context. An example is admission to a religious ceremony.
You must get it on or before the earlier of:
1. The date you file your return for the year you make the contribution; or
2. The due date, including extensions, for filing the return.

If the acknowledgment doesn’t show the date of the contribution, you must also have a bank record or receipt, as described earlier, that does show the date of the contribution. If the acknowledgment shows the date of the contribution and meets the other tests just described, you don’t need any other records.

Payroll deductions.

If you make a contribution by payroll deduction and your employer withholds $250 or more from a single paycheck, you must keep:

A pay stub, Form W-2, or other document furnished by your employer that shows the amount withheld as a contribution; and
A pledge card or other document prepared by or for the qualified organization that shows the name of the organization and states the organization doesn’t provide goods or services in return for any contribution made to it by payroll deduction.

A single pledge card may be kept for all contributions made by payroll deduction regardless of amount as long as it contains all the required information.

If the pay stub, Form W-2, pledge card, or other document doesn’t show the date of the contribution, you must have another document that does show the date of the contribution. If the pay stub, Form W-2, pledge card, or other document shows the date of the contribution, you don’t need any other records except those just described in (1) and (2).

Noncash Contributions

For a contribution not made in cash, the records you must keep depend on whether your deduction for the contribution is:

Less than $250,
At least $250 but not more than $500,
Over $500 but not more than $5,000, or
Over $5,000.

Amount of deduction.

In figuring whether your deduction is $500 or more, combine your claimed deductions for all similar items of property donated to any charitable organization during the year.

If you received goods or services in return, as described earlier in Contributions From Which You Benefit , reduce your contribution by the value of those goods or services. If you figure your deduction by reducing the fair market value of the donated property by its appreciation, as described earlier in Giving Property That Has Increased in Value , your contribution is the reduced amount.

Deductions of Less Than $250

If you make any noncash contribution, you must get and keep a receipt from the charitable organization showing:

The name of the charitable organization,
The date and location of the charitable contribution, and
A reasonably detailed description of the property.

A letter or other written communication from the charitable organization acknowledging receipt of the contribution and containing the information in (1), (2), and (3) will serve as a receipt.

You aren’t required to have a receipt where it is impractical to get one (for example, if you leave property at a charity’s unattended drop site).

Additional records.

You must also keep reliable written records for each item of contributed property. Your written records must include the following information.

The name and address of the organization to which you contributed.
The date and location of the contribution.
A description of the property in detail reasonable under the circumstances. For a security, keep the name of the issuer, the type of security, and whether it is regularly traded on a stock exchange or in an over-the-counter market.
The fair market value of the property at the time of the contribution and how you figured the fair market value. If it was determined by appraisal, keep a signed copy of the appraisal.
The cost or other basis of the property if you must reduce its fair market value by appreciation. Your records should also include the amount of the reduction and how you figured it.
The amount you claim as a deduction for the tax year as a result of the contribution if you contribute less than your entire interest in the property during the tax year. Your records must include the amount you claimed as a deduction in any earlier years for contributions of other interests in this property. They must also include the name and address of each organization to which you contributed the other interests, the place where any such tangible property is located or kept, and the name of any person in possession of the property, other than the organization to which you contributed it.
The terms of any conditions attached to the contribution of property.

Deductions of at Least $250 But Not More Than $500

If you claim a deduction of at least $250 but not more than $500 for a noncash charitable contribution, you must get and keep an acknowledgment of your contribution from the qualified organization. If you made more than one contribution of $250 or more, you must have either a separate acknowledgment for each or one acknowledgment that shows your total contributions.

The acknowledgment must contain the information in items 1 through 3 under Deductions of Less Than $250 , earlier, and your written records must include the information listed in that discussion under Additional records .

The acknowledgment must also meet these tests.

It must be written.
It must include:
1. A description (but not necessarily the value) of any property you contributed,
2. Whether the qualified organization gave you any goods or services as a result of your contribution (other than certain token items and membership benefits), and
3. A description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services described in (b). If the only benefit you received was an intangible religious benefit (such as admission to a religious ceremony) that generally isn’t sold in a commercial transaction outside the donative context, the acknowledgment must say so and doesn’t need to describe or estimate the value of the benefit.
You must get it on or before the earlier of:
1. The date you file your return for the year you make the contribution; or
2. The due date, including extensions, for filing the return.

Deductions Over $500

You are required to give additional information if you claim a deduction over $500 for noncash charitable contributions. See Records To Keep in Pub. 526 for more information.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

If you give services to a qualified organization and have unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses related to those services, the following two rules apply.

You must have adequate records to prove the amount of the expenses.
If any of your unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, considered separately, are $250 or more (for example, you pay $250 or more for an airline ticket to attend a convention of a qualified organization as a chosen representative), you must get an acknowledgment from the qualified organization that contains:
1. A description of the services you provided;
2. A statement of whether or not the organization provided you any goods or services to reimburse you for the expenses you incurred;
3. A description and a good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services (other than intangible religious benefits) provided to reimburse you; and
4. A statement that the only benefit you received was an intangible religious benefit, if that was the case. The acknowledgment doesn’t need to describe or estimate the value of an intangible religious benefit (defined earlier under Acknowledgment).

You must get the acknowledgment on or before the earlier of:

The date you file your return for the year you make the contribution; or
The due date, including extensions, for filing the return.

Car expenses.

If you claim expenses directly related to use of your car in giving services to a qualified organization, you must keep reliable written records of your expenses. Whether your records are considered reliable depends on all the facts and circumstances. Generally, they may be considered reliable if you made them regularly and at or near the time you had the expenses.

For example, your records might show the name of the organization you were serving and the dates you used your car for a charitable purpose. If you use the standard mileage rate of 14 cents a mile, your records must show the miles you drove your car for the charitable purpose. If you deduct your actual expenses, your records must show the costs of operating the car that are directly related to a charitable purpose.

See Car expenses under Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Giving Services, earlier, for the expenses you can deduct.

How To Report

Report your charitable contributions on Schedule A (Form 1040).

If your total deduction for all noncash contributions for the year is over $500, you must also file Form 8283. See How To Report in Pub. 526 for more information.

25. Nonbusiness Casualty and Theft Losses

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Disaster tax relief. Disaster tax relief was enacted for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, including provisions that modified the calculation of casualty and theft losses. See Pub. 976, Disaster Relief, for more information.

Safe-harbor provisions to determine casualty and theft loss deduction. Safe-harbor provisions allow filers to determine their casualty and theft loss deductions for personal-use residential real property and personal belongings resulting from a federally declared disaster without an appraisal. See Pub. 976, Disaster Relief, for more information about the safe-harbor provisions.

Introduction

This chapter explains the tax treatment of personal (not business or investment-related) casualty losses, theft losses, and losses on deposits.

The chapter also explains the following
topics.

How to figure the amount of your loss.
How to treat insurance and other reimbursements you receive.
The deduction limits.
When and how to report a casualty or theft.

Forms to file.

When you have a casualty or theft, you have to file Form 4684. You will also have to file one or more of the following forms.

Schedule A (Form 1040), Itemized Deductions.
Schedule D (Form 1040), Capital Gains and Losses.

Condemnations.

For information on condemnations of property, see Involuntary Conversions in chapter 1 of Pub. 544, Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets.

Workbook for casualties and thefts.

Pub. 584 is available to help you make a list of your stolen or damaged personal-use property and figure your loss. It includes schedules to help you figure the loss on your home, its contents, and your motor vehicles.

Business or investment-related losses.

For information on a casualty or theft loss of business or income-producing property, see Pub. 547.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

544Sales and Other Dispositions
of Assets
547Casualties, Disasters, and
Thefts
584Casualty, Disaster, and Theft
Loss Workbook (Personal-Use
Property)
976Disaster Relief

Form (and Instructions)

Schedule A (Form 1040)Itemized Deductions
Schedule D (Form 1040)Capital Gains and Losses
4684Casualties and Thefts

Casualty

A casualty is the damage, destruction, or loss of property resulting from an identifiable event that is sudden, unexpected, or unusual.

A sudden event is one that is swift, not gradual or progressive.
An unexpected event is one that is ordinarily unanticipated and unintended.
An unusual event is one that isn’t a day-to-day occurrence and that isn’t typical of the activity in which you were engaged.

Deductible losses.

Deductible casualty losses can result from a number of different causes, including the following.

Car accidents (but see Nondeductible lossesnext for exceptions).

Fires (but see Nondeductible lossesnext for exceptions).

Government-ordered demolition or relocation of a home that is unsafe to use because of a disaster as discussed under Disaster Area Lossesin Pub. 547.
Hurricanes, storms, and tornadoes.
Mine cave-ins.
Sonic booms.
Storms, including hurricanes and tornadoes.
Terrorist attacks.

Volcanic eruptions.

Nondeductible losses.

A casualty loss isn’t deductible if the damage or destruction is caused by the following.

Accidentally breaking articles, such as glassware or china under normal conditions.
A family pet (explained below).
A fire if you willfully set it or pay someone else to set it.
A car accident if your willful negligence or willful act caused it. The same is true if the willful act or willful negligence of someone acting for you caused the accident.
Progressive deterioration (explained later).

Family pet.

Loss of property due to damage by a family pet isn’t deductible as a casualty loss unless the requirements discussed earlier under Casualty are met.

Example.

Your antique oriental rug was damaged by your new puppy before it was housebroken. Because the damage wasn’t unexpected and unusual, the loss isn’t deductible as a casualty loss.

Progressive deterioration.

Loss of property due to progressive deterioration isn’t deductible as a casualty loss. This is because the damage results from a steadily operating cause or a normal process, rather than from a sudden event. The following are examples of damage due to progressive deterioration.

The steady weakening of a building due to normal wind and weather conditions.
The deterioration and damage to a water heater that bursts. However, the rust and water damage to rugs and drapes caused by the bursting of a water heater does qualify as a casualty.
Most losses of property caused by droughts. To be deductible, a drought-related loss generally must be incurred in a trade or business or in a transaction entered into for profit.
Termite or moth damage.
The damage or destruction of trees, shrubs, or other plants by a fungus, disease, insects, worms, or similar pests. However, a sudden destruction due to an unexpected or unusual infestation of beetles or other insects may result in a casualty loss.

Damage from corrosive drywall.

If you suffered property losses due to the effects of certain imported drywall installed in homes between 2001 and 2009, under a special procedure, you may be able to claim a casualty loss deduction for amounts you paid to repair damage to your home and household appliances that resulted from corrosive drywall. For details, see Pub. 547.

Theft

A theft is the taking and removing of money or property with the intent to deprive the owner of it. The taking of property must be illegal under the laws of the state where it occurred and it must have been done with criminal intent. You don’t need to show a conviction for theft.

Theft includes the taking of money or property by the following means.

Kidnapping for ransom.

The taking of money or property through fraud or misrepresentation is theft if it is illegal under state or local law.

Decline in market value of stock.

You can’t deduct as a theft loss the decline in market value of stock acquired on the open market for investment if the decline is caused by disclosure of accounting fraud or other illegal misconduct by the officers or directors of the corporation that issued the stock. However, you can deduct as a capital loss the loss you sustain when you sell or exchange the stock or the stock becomes completely worthless. You report a capital loss on Schedule D (Form 1040). For more information about stock sales, worthless stock, and capital losses, see chapter 4 of Pub. 550.

Mislaid or lost property.

The simple disappearance of money or property isn’t a theft. However, an accidental loss or disappearance of property can qualify as a casualty if it results from an identifiable event that is sudden, unexpected, or unusual. Sudden, unexpected, and unusual events are defined earlier.

Example.

A car door is accidentally slammed on your hand, breaking the setting of your diamond ring. The diamond falls from the ring and is never found. The loss of the diamond is a casualty.

Losses from Ponzi-type investment schemes.

If you had a loss from a Ponzi-type investment scheme, see the following.

Revenue Ruling 2009-9, 2009-14 I.R.B. 735 (available at IRS.gov/irb/2009-14_IRB#RR-2009-9).
Revenue Procedure 2009-20, 2009-14 I.R.B. 749 (available at IRS.gov/irb/2009-14_IRB#RP-2009-20).
Revenue Procedure 2011-58, 2011-50 I.R.B. 849 (available at IRS.gov/irb/2011-50_IRB#RP-2011-58).

If you qualify to use Revenue Procedure 2009-20, as modified by Revenue Procedure 2011-58, and you choose to follow the procedures in the guidance, first fill out Section C of Form 4684 to determine the amount to enter on Section B, line 28. Skip lines 19 to 27. Section C of Form 4684 replaces Appendix A in Revenue Procedure 2009-20. You don’t need to complete Appendix A. For more information, see the above revenue ruling and revenue procedures, and the Instructions for Form 4684.

If you choose not to use the procedures in Revenue Procedure 2009-20, you may claim your theft loss by filling out Section B, lines 19 through 39, as appropriate.

Loss on Deposits

A loss on deposits can occur when a bank, credit union, or other financial institution becomes insolvent or bankrupt. If you incurred this type of loss, you can choose one of the following ways to deduct the loss.

As a casualty loss.
As an ordinary loss.
As a nonbusiness bad debt.

Casualty loss or ordinary loss.

You can choose to deduct a loss on deposits as a casualty loss or as an ordinary loss for any year in which you can reasonably estimate how much of your deposits you have lost in an insolvent or bankrupt financial institution. The choice is generally made on the return you file for that year and applies to all your losses on deposits for the year in that particular financial institution. If you treat the loss as a casualty or ordinary loss, you can’t treat the same amount of the loss as a nonbusiness bad debt when it actually becomes worthless. However, you can take a nonbusiness bad debt deduction for any amount of loss that is more than the estimated amount you deducted as a casualty or ordinary loss. Once you make this choice, you can’t change it without permission from the IRS.

If you claim an ordinary loss, report it as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 23. The maximum amount you can claim is $20,000 ($10,000 if you are married filing separately) reduced by any expected state insurance proceeds. Your loss is subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit. You can’t choose to claim an ordinary loss if any part of the deposit is federally insured.

Nonbusiness bad debt.

If you don’t choose to deduct the loss as a casualty loss or as an ordinary loss, you must wait until the year the actual loss is determined and deduct the loss as a nonbusiness bad debt in that year.

How to report.

The kind of deduction you choose for your loss on deposits determines how you report your loss.

Casualty loss — report it on Form 4684 first and then on Schedule A (Form 1040);

Ordinary loss — report it on Schedule A (Form 1040) as a miscellaneous itemized deduction; or

Nonbusiness bad debt — report it on Form 8949 first and then on Schedule D (Form 1040).

More information.

For more information, see Special Treatment for Losses on Deposits in Insolvent or Bankrupt Financial Institutions in the Instructions for Form 4684, or Deposit in Insolvent or Bankrupt Financial Institution in Pub. 550.

Proof of Loss

To deduct a casualty or theft loss, you must be able to prove that you had a casualty or theft. You also must be able to support the amount you take as a deduction.

Casualty loss proof.

For a casualty loss, your records should show all the following.

That you were the owner of the property or, if you leased the property from someone else, that you were contractually liable to the owner for the damage.
The type of casualty (car accident, fire, storm, etc.) and when it occurred.
That the loss was a direct result of the casualty.
Whether a claim for reimbursement exists for which there is a reasonable expectation of recovery.

Theft loss proof.

For a theft loss, your records should show all the following.

That you were the owner of the property.
That your property was stolen.
When you discovered that your property was missing.
Whether a claim for reimbursement exists for which there is a reasonable expectation of recovery.

It is important that you have records that will prove your deduction. If you don’t have the actual records to support your deduction, you can use other satisfactory evidence to support it.

Figuring a Loss

Figure the amount of your loss using the following steps.

Determine your adjusted basis in the property before the casualty or theft.
Determine the decrease in fair market value (FMV) of the property as a result of the casualty or theft.
From the smaller of the amounts you determined in (1) and (2), subtract any insurance or other reimbursement you received or expect to receive.

For personal-use property and property used in performing services as an employee, apply the deduction limits, discussed later, to determine the amount of your deductible loss.

Gain from reimbursement.

If your reimbursement is more than your adjusted basis in the property, you have a gain. This is true even if the decrease in the FMV of the property is smaller than your adjusted basis. If you have a gain, you may have to pay tax on it, or you may be able to postpone reporting the gain. See Pub. 547 for more information on how to treat a gain from a reimbursement for a casualty or theft.

Leased property.

If you are liable for casualty damage to property you lease, your loss is the amount you must pay to repair the property minus any insurance or other reimbursement you receive or expect to receive.

Decrease in FMV

FMV is the price for which you could sell your property to a willing buyer when neither of you has to sell or buy and both of you know all the relevant facts.

The decrease in FMV used to figure the amount of a casualty or theft loss is the difference between the property’s FMV immediately before and immediately after the casualty or theft.

FMV of stolen property.

The FMV of property immediately after a theft is considered to be zero because you no longer have the property.

Example.

Several years ago, you purchased silver dollars at face value for $150. This is your adjusted basis in the property. Your silver dollars were stolen this year. The FMV of the coins was $1,000 just before they were stolen, and insurance didn’t cover them. Your theft loss is $150.

Recovered stolen property.

Recovered stolen property is your property that was stolen and later returned to you. If you recovered property after you had already taken a theft loss deduction, you must refigure your loss using the smaller of the property’s adjusted basis (explained later) or the decrease in FMV from the time just before it was stolen until the time it was recovered. Use this amount to refigure your total loss for the year in which the loss was deducted.

If your refigured loss is less than the loss you deducted, you generally have to report the difference as income in the recovery year. But report the difference only up to the amount of the loss that reduced your tax. For more information on the amount to report, see Recoveries in chapter 12.

Figuring Decrease in FMV— Items To Consider

To figure the decrease in FMV because of a casualty or theft, you generally need a competent appraisal. However, other measures can also be used to establish certain decreases.

Appraisal.

An appraisal to determine the difference between the FMV of the property immediately before a casualty or theft and immediately afterward should be made by a competent appraiser. The appraiser must recognize the effects of any general market decline that may occur along with the casualty. This information is needed to limit any deduction to the actual loss resulting from damage to the property.

Several factors are important in evaluating the accuracy of an appraisal, including the following.

The appraiser’s familiarity with your property before and after the casualty or theft.
The appraiser’s knowledge of sales of comparable property in the area.
The appraiser’s knowledge of conditions in the area of the casualty.
The appraiser’s method of appraisal.

You may be able to use an appraisal that you used to get a federal loan (or a federal loan guarantee) as the result of a federally declared disaster to establish the amount of your disaster loss. For more information on disasters, see Disaster Area Losses in Pub. 547.

While generally you must determine your deduction for a casualty loss using a competent appraisal, you may be able to use a safe-harbor method to determine your casualty and theft loss deduction for your personal-use residential real property and personal belongings resulting from a federally declared disaster without an appraisal. See Pub. 976, Disaster Relief, for more information.

Cost of cleaning up or making repairs.

The cost of repairing damaged property isn’t part of a casualty loss. Neither is the cost of cleaning up after a casualty. But you can use the cost of cleaning up or making repairs after a casualty as a measure of the decrease in FMV if you meet all the following conditions.

The repairs are actually made.
The repairs are necessary to bring the property back to its condition before the casualty.
The amount spent for repairs isn’t excessive.
The repairs take care of the damage only.
The value of the property after the repairs isn’t, due to the repairs, more than the value of the property before the casualty.

Landscaping.

The cost of restoring landscaping to its original condition after a casualty may indicate the decrease in FMV. You may be able to measure your loss by what you spend on the following.

Removing destroyed or damaged trees and shrubs minus any salvage you receive.
Pruning and other measures taken to preserve damaged trees and shrubs.
Replanting necessary to restore the property to its approximate value before the casualty.

Car value.

Books issued by various automobile organizations that list the manufacturer and the model of your car may be useful in figuring the value of your car. You can use the retail value for your car listed in the book and modify it by such factors as mileage and the condition of your car to determine its value. The prices aren’t official, but they may be useful in determining value and suggesting relative prices for comparison with current sales and offerings in your area. If your car isn’t listed in the books, determine its value from other sources. A dealer’s offer for your car as a trade-in on a new car isn’t usually a measure of its true value.

Figuring Decrease in FMV— Items Not To Consider

You generally shouldn’t consider the following items when attempting to establish the decrease in FMV of your property.

Cost of protection.

The cost of protecting your property against a casualty or theft isn’t part of a casualty or theft loss. The amount you spend on insurance or to board up your house against a storm isn’t part of your loss.

If you make permanent improvements to your property to protect it against a casualty or theft, add the cost of these improvements to your basis in the property. An example would be the cost of a dike to prevent flooding.

Exception.

You can’t increase your basis in the property by, or deduct as a business expense, any expenditures you made with respect to qualified disaster mitigation payments. See Disaster Area Losses in Pub. 547.

Incidental expenses.

Any incidental expenses you have due to a casualty or theft, such as expenses for the treatment of personal injuries, for temporary housing, or for a rental car, aren’t part of your casualty or theft loss.

Replacement cost.

The cost of replacing stolen or destroyed property isn’t part of a casualty or theft loss.

Sentimental value.

Don’t consider sentimental value when determining your loss. If a family portrait, heirloom, or keepsake is damaged, destroyed, or stolen, you must base your loss on its FMV, as limited by your adjusted basis in the property.

Decline in market value of property in or near casualty area.

A decrease in the value of your property because it is in or near an area that suffered a casualty, or that might again suffer a casualty, isn’t to be taken into consideration. You have a loss only for actual casualty damage to your property. However, if your home is in a federally declared disaster area, see Disaster Area Losses in Pub. 547.

Costs of photographs and appraisals.

Photographs taken after a casualty will be helpful in establishing the condition and value of the property after it was damaged. Photographs showing the condition of the property after it was repaired, restored, or replaced may also be helpful.

Appraisals are used to figure the decrease in FMV because of a casualty or theft. See Appraisal , earlier, under Figuring Decrease in FMV—Items To Consider for information about appraisals.

The costs of photographs and appraisals used as evidence of the value and condition of property damaged as a result of a casualty aren’t a part of the loss. You can claim these costs as a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit on Schedule A (Form 1040). For information about miscellaneous deductions, see chapter 28.

Adjusted Basis

Adjusted basis is your basis in the property (usually cost) increased or decreased by various events, such as improvements and casualty losses. For more information, see chapter 13.

Insurance and Other Reimbursements

If you receive an insurance payment or other type of reimbursement, you must subtract the reimbursement when you figure your loss. You don’t have a casualty or theft loss to the extent you are reimbursed.

If you expect to be reimbursed for part or all of your loss, you must subtract the expected reimbursement when you figure your loss. You must reduce your loss even if you don’t receive payment until a later tax year. See Reimbursement Received After Deducting Loss , later.

Failure to file a claim for reimbursement.

If your property is covered by insurance, you must file a timely insurance claim for reimbursement of your loss. Otherwise, you can’t deduct this loss as a casualty or theft loss. However, this rule doesn’t apply to the portion of the loss not covered by insurance (for example, a deductible).

Example.

Your car insurance policy includes collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible. Because your insurance doesn’t cover the first $1,000 of an auto collision, the $1,000 is deductible (subject to the deduction limits discussed later). This is true even if you don’t file an insurance claim, because your insurance policy won’t reimburse you for the deductible.

Types of Reimbursements

The most common type of reimbursement is an insurance payment for your stolen or damaged property. Other types of reimbursements are discussed next. Also see the Instructions for Form 4684.

Employer’s emergency disaster fund.

If you receive money from your employer’s emergency disaster fund and you must use that money to rehabilitate or replace property on which you are claiming a casualty loss deduction, you must take that money into consideration in figuring the casualty loss deduction. Take into consideration only the amount you used to replace your destroyed or damaged property.

Example.

Your home was extensively damaged by a tornado. Your loss after reimbursement from your insurance company was $10,000. Your employer set up a disaster relief fund for its employees. Employees receiving money from the fund had to use it to rehabilitate or replace their damaged or destroyed property. You received $4,000 from the fund and spent the entire amount on repairs to your home. In figuring your casualty loss, you must reduce your unreimbursed loss ($10,000) by the $4,000 you received from your employer’s fund. Your casualty loss before applying the deduction limits discussed later is $6,000.

Cash gifts.

If you receive excludable cash gifts as a disaster victim and there are no limits on how you can use the money, you don’t reduce your casualty loss by these excludable cash gifts. This applies even if you use the money to pay for repairs to property damaged in the disaster.

Example.

Your home was damaged by a hurricane. Relatives and neighbors made cash gifts to you that were excludable from your income. You used part of the cash gifts to pay for repairs to your home. There were no limits or restrictions on how you could use the cash gifts. Because it was an excludable gift, the money you received and used to pay for repairs to your home doesn’t reduce your casualty loss on the damaged home.

Insurance payments for living expenses.

You don’t reduce your casualty loss by insurance payments you receive to cover living expenses in either of the following situations.

You lose the use of your main home because of a casualty.
Government authorities don’t allow you access to your main home because of a casualty or threat of one.

Inclusion in income.

If these insurance payments are more than the temporary increase in your living expenses, you must include the excess in your income. Report this amount on Form 1040, line 21. However, if the casualty occurs in a federally declared disaster area, none of the insurance payments are taxable. See Qualified disaster relief payments under Disaster Area Losses in Pub. 547.

A temporary increase in your living expenses is the difference between the actual living expenses you and your family incurred during the period you couldn’t use your home and your normal living expenses for that period. Actual living expenses are the reasonable and necessary expenses incurred because of the loss of your main home. Generally, these expenses include the amounts you pay for the following.

Rent for suitable housing.
Miscellaneous services.

Normal living expenses consist of these same expenses that you would have incurred but didn’t because of the casualty or the threat of one.

Example.

As a result of a fire, you vacated your apartment for a month and moved to a motel. You normally pay $525 a month for rent. None was charged for the month the apartment was vacated. Your motel rent for this month was $1,200. You normally pay $200 a month for food. Your food expenses for the month you lived in the motel were $400. You received $1,100 from your insurance company to cover your living expenses. You determine the payment you must include in income as follows.

1)	Insurance payment for living expenses		$1,100
2)	Actual expenses during the month you are unable to use your home because of fire	1,600
3)	Normal living expenses	725
4)	Temporary increase in living expenses: Subtract line 3 from line 2		875
5)	Amount of payment includible in income: Subtract line 4 from line 1		$225

Tax year of inclusion.

You include the taxable part of the insurance payment in income for the year you regain the use of your main home or, if later, for the year you receive the taxable part of the insurance payment.

Example.

Your main home was destroyed by a tornado in August 2015. You regained use of your home in November 2016. The insurance payments you received in 2015 and 2016 were $1,500 more than the temporary increase in your living expenses during those years. You include this amount in income on your 2016 Form 1040. If, in 2017, you received further payments to cover the living expenses you had in 2015 and 2016, you must include those payments in income on your 2017 Form 1040.

Disaster relief.

Food, medical supplies, and other forms of assistance you receive don’t reduce your casualty loss unless they are replacements for lost or destroyed property.

Qualified disaster relief payments you receive for expenses you incurred as a result of a federally declared disaster aren’t taxable income to you. For more information, see Disaster Area Losses in Pub. 547.

Disaster unemployment assistance payments are unemployment benefits that are taxable.

Generally, disaster relief grants and qualified disaster mitigation payments made under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or the National Flood Insurance Act (as in effect on April 15, 2005) aren’t includible in your income. See Pub. 976 for more information about disaster tax relief.

Reimbursement Received After Deducting Loss

If you figured your casualty or theft loss using your expected reimbursement, you may have to adjust your tax return for the tax year in which you receive your actual reimbursement. This section explains the adjustment you may have to make.

Actual reimbursement less than expected.

If you later receive less reimbursement than you expected, include that difference as a loss with your other losses (if any) on your return for the year in which you can reasonably expect no more reimbursement.

Example.

Your personal car had an FMV of $2,000 when it was destroyed in a collision with another car in 2016. The accident was due to the negligence of the other driver. At the end of 2016, there was a reasonable prospect that the owner of the other car would reimburse you in full. You didn’t have a deductible loss in 2016.

In January 2017, the court awarded you a judgment of $2,000. However, in July it became apparent that you will be unable to collect any amount from the other driver. You can deduct the loss in 2017 subject to the deduction limits discussed later.

Actual reimbursement more than expected.

If you later receive a larger reimbursement amount than you expected after you claimed a deduction for the loss, you may have to include the extra reimbursement amount in your income for the year you receive it. However, if any part of the original deduction didn’t reduce your tax for the earlier year, don’t include that part of the reimbursement in your income. You don’t refigure your tax for the year you claimed the deduction. For more information, see Recoveries in chapter 12.

If the total of all the reimbursements you receive is more than your adjusted basis in the destroyed or stolen property, you will have a gain on the casualty or theft. If you have already taken a deduction for a loss and you receive the reimbursement in a later year, you may have to include the gain in your income for the later year. Include the gain as ordinary income up to the amount of your deduction that reduced your tax for the earlier year. See Figuring a Gain in Pub. 547 for more information on how to treat a gain from the reimbursement of a casualty or theft.

Actual reimbursement same as expected.

If you receive exactly the reimbursement you expected to receive, you don’t have to include any of the reimbursement in your income and you can’t deduct any additional loss.

Example.

In December 2017, you had a collision while driving your personal car. Repairs to the car cost $950. You had $100 deductible collision insurance. Your insurance company agreed to reimburse you for the rest of the damage. Because you expected a reimbursement from the insurance company, you didn’t have a casualty loss deduction in 2017.

Due to the $100 rule (discussed later under Deduction Limits ), you can’t deduct the $100 you paid as the deductible. When you receive the $850 from the insurance company in 2018, don’t report it as income.

Single Casualty on Multiple Properties

Personal property.

Personal property is any property that isn’t real property. If your personal property is stolen or is damaged or destroyed by a casualty, you must figure your loss separately for each item of property. Then combine these separate losses to figure the total loss from that casualty or theft.

Example.

A fire in your home destroyed an upholstered chair, an oriental rug, and an antique table. You didn’t have fire insurance to cover your loss. (This was the only casualty or theft you had during the year.) You paid $750 for the chair and you established that it had an FMV of $500 just before the fire. The rug cost $3,000 and had an FMV of $2,500 just before the fire. You bought the table at an auction for $100 before discovering it was an antique. It had been appraised at $900 before the fire. You figure your loss on each of these items as follows.

		Chair	Rug	Table
1)	Basis (cost)	$750	$3,000	$100
2)	FMV before fire	$500	$2,500	$900
3)	FMV after fire	–0–	–0–	–0–
4)	Decrease in FMV	$500	$2,500	$900
5)	Loss (smaller of (1) or (4))	$500	$2,500	$100

6)	Total loss			$3,100

Real property.

In figuring a casualty loss on personal-use real property, treat the entire property (including any improvements, such as buildings, trees, and shrubs) as one item. Figure the loss using the smaller of the adjusted basis or the decrease in FMV of the entire property.

Example.

You bought your home a few years ago. You paid $160,000 ($20,000 for the land and $140,000 for the house). You also spent $2,000 for landscaping. This year a fire destroyed your home. The fire also damaged the shrubbery and trees in your yard. The fire was your only casualty or theft loss this year. Competent appraisers valued the property as a whole at $200,000 before the fire, but only $30,000 after the fire. (The loss to your household furnishings isn’t shown in this example. It would be figured separately on each item, as explained earlier under Personal property .) Shortly after the fire, the insurance company paid you $155,000 for the loss. You figure your casualty loss as follows.

1)	Adjusted basis of the entire property (land, building, and landscaping)	$162,000
2)	FMV of entire property before fire	$200,000
3)	FMV of entire property after fire	30,000
4)	Decrease in FMV of entire property	$170,000
5)	Loss (smaller of (1) or (4))	$162,000
6)	Subtract insurance	155,000
7)	Amount of loss after reimbursement	$7,000

Deduction Limits

After you have figured your casualty or theft loss, you must figure how much of the loss you can deduct. If the loss was to property for your personal use or your family’s use, there are two limits on the amount you can deduct for your casualty or theft loss.

You must reduce each casualty or theft loss by $100 ($100 rule). However, if you had a net disaster loss which arose from Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, then you must reduce your casualty or theft loss by $500.
You must further reduce the total of all your casualty or theft losses by 10% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) (10% rule).

You make these reductions on Form 4684.

These rules are explained next and Table 25-1 summarizes how to apply the $100 rule and the 10% rule in various situations. For more detailed explanations and examples, see Pub. 547.

Table 25-1. How To Apply the Deduction Limits for Personal-Use Property

		$100 Rule	10% Rule
General Application		You must reduce each casualty or theft loss by $100 when figuring your deduction. Apply this rule after you have figured the amount of your loss.*	You must reduce your total casualty or theft loss by 10% of your AGI. Apply this rule after you reduce each loss by $100 ($100 rule).**
Single Event		Apply this rule only once, even if many pieces of property are affected.	Apply this rule only once, even if many pieces of property are affected.
More Than One Event		Apply to the loss from each event.	Apply to the total of all your losses from all events.
More Than One Person— With Loss From the Same Event (other than a married couple filing jointly)		Apply separately to each person.	Apply separately to each person.
Married Couple— With Loss From the Same Event	Filing Jointly	Apply as if you were one person.	Apply as if you were one person.
	Filing Separately	Apply separately to each spouse.	Apply separately to each spouse.
More Than One Owner (other than a married couple filing jointly)		Apply separately to each owner of jointly owned property.	Apply separately to each owner of jointly owned property.
* Disaster losses from Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria must be reduced by $500 when figuring your deduction. See Pub. 976 for more information.
** The 10% rule does not apply to net disaster losses from Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria. See Pub. 976 for more information.

Property used partly for business and partly for personal purposes.

When property is used partly for personal purposes and partly for business or income-producing purposes, the casualty or theft loss deduction must be figured separately for the personal-use part and for the business or income-producing part. You must figure each loss separately because the $100 rule and the 10% rule apply only to the loss on the personal-use part of the property.

$100 Rule

After you have figured your casualty or theft loss on personal-use property, you must reduce that loss by $100. This reduction applies to each total casualty or theft loss. It doesn’t matter how many pieces of property are involved in an event. Only a single $100 reduction applies.

Example.

A hailstorm damages your home and your car. Determine the amount of loss, as discussed earlier, for each of these items. Since the losses are due to a single event, you combine the losses and reduce the combined amount by $100.

Single event.

Generally, events closely related in origin cause a single casualty. It is a single casualty when the damage is from two or more closely related causes, such as wind and flood damage caused by the same storm.

Net disaster losses from Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria must be reduced by $500 instead of $100. See Pub. 976 and the Instructions for Form 4684 for more information.

10% Rule

You must reduce the total of all your casualty or theft losses on personal-use property by 10% of your AGI. Apply this rule after you reduce each loss by $100. For more information, see the Form 4684 instructions. If you have both gains and losses from casualties or thefts, see Gains and losses , later.

Example 1.

In June, you discovered that your house had been burglarized. Your loss after insurance reimbursement was $2,000. Your AGI for the year you discovered the theft is $29,500. You first apply the $100 rule and then the 10% rule. Figure your theft loss deduction as follows.

1)	Loss after insurance	$2,000
2)	Subtract $100	100
3)	Loss after $100 rule	$1,900
4)	Subtract 10% × $29,500 AGI	2,950
5)	Theft loss deduction	–0–

You don’t have a theft loss deduction because your loss after you apply the $100 rule ($1,900) is less than 10% of your AGI ($2,950).

Example 2.

In March, you had a car accident that totally destroyed your car. You didn’t have collision insurance on your car, so you didn’t receive any insurance reimbursement. Your loss on the car was $1,800. In November, a fire damaged your basement and totally destroyed the furniture, washer, dryer, and other items stored there. Your loss on the basement items after reimbursement from your insurer was $2,100. Your AGI for the year that the accident and fire occurred is $25,000. You figure your casualty loss deduction as follows.

			Base-
		Car	ment
1)	Loss	$1,800	$2,100
2)	Subtract $100 per incident	100	100
3)	Loss after $100 rule	$1,700	$2,000
4)	Total loss		$3,700
5)	Subtract 10% × $25,000 AGI		2,500
6)	Casualty loss deduction		$1,200

The 10% rule does not apply to net disaster losses from Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria. See Pub. 976 and the Instructions for Form 4684 for more information.

Gains and losses.

If you had both gains and losses from casualties or thefts to your personal-use property, you must compare your total gains to your total losses. Do this after you have reduced each loss by any reimbursements and by $100, but before you have reduced the losses by 10% of your AGI.

Casualty or theft gains don’t include gains you choose to postpone. See Pub. 547 for information on the postponement of gain.

Losses more than gains.

If your losses are more than your recognized gains, subtract your gains from your losses and reduce the result by 10% of your AGI. The rest, if any, is your deductible loss from personal-use property.

Gains more than losses.

If your recognized gains are more than your losses, subtract your losses from your gains. The difference is treated as capital gain and must be reported on Schedule D (Form 1040). The 10% rule doesn’t apply to your gains.

When To Report Gains and Losses

Gains.

If you receive an insurance or other reimbursement that is more than your adjusted basis in the destroyed or stolen property, you have a gain from the casualty or theft. You must include this gain in your income in the year you receive the reimbursement, unless you choose to postpone reporting the gain as explained in Pub. 547.

Table 25-2. When To Deduct a Loss

IF you have a loss…	THEN deduct it in the year…
from a casualty	the loss occurred.
in a federally declared disaster area	the loss was sustained or the year immediately before the loss was sustained.
from a theft	the theft was discovered.
on a deposit treated as a:
• casualty or any ordinary loss	a reasonable estimate can be made.
• bad debt	deposits are totally worthless.

Losses.

Generally, you can deduct a casualty loss that isn’t reimbursable only in the tax year in which the casualty occurred. This is true even if you don’t repair or replace the damaged property until a later year.

You can deduct theft losses that aren’t reimbursable only in the year you discover your property was stolen.

If you aren’t sure whether part of your casualty or theft loss will be reimbursed, don’t deduct that part until the tax year when you become reasonably certain that it won’t be reimbursed.

If you have a loss, see Table 25-2.

Loss on deposits.

If your loss is a loss on deposits in an insolvent or bankrupt financial institution, see Loss on Deposits , earlier.

Disaster Area Loss

You generally must deduct a casualty loss in the year it occurred. However, if you have a casualty loss from a federally declared disaster that occurred in an area warranting public or individual assistance (or both), you can choose to deduct the loss on your tax return or amended return for either of the following years.

The year the loss was sustained (the disaster year).
The year immediately preceding the disaster year.

You must make the choice to take your casualty loss for the disaster in the preceding year on or before the date that is six months after the regular due date for filing your original return (without extensions) for the disaster year.

If you claimed a deduction for a disaster loss in the disaster year and you wish to deduct the loss in the preceding year, you must file an amended return to remove the previously deducted loss on or before you file the return or amended return for the preceding year that includes the disaster loss deduction.

Gains.

Special rules apply if you choose to postpone reporting gain on property damaged or destroyed in a federally declared disaster area. For those special rules, see Pub. 547.

Postponed tax deadlines.

The IRS may postpone for up to 1 year certain tax deadlines of taxpayers who are affected by a federally declared disaster. The tax deadlines the IRS may postpone include those for filing income and employment tax returns, paying income and employment taxes, and making contributions to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA.

If any tax deadline is postponed, the IRS will publicize the postponement in your area by publishing a news release, revenue ruling, revenue procedure, notice, announcement, or other guidance in the Internal Revenue Bulletin (IRB). Go to IRS.gov/Newsroom/Tax-Relief-in-Disaster-Situations to find out if a tax deadline has been postponed for your area.

Who is eligible.

If the IRS postpones a tax deadline, the following taxpayers are eligible for the postponement.

Any individual whose main home is located in a covered disaster area (defined next).
Any business entity or sole proprietor whose principal place of business is located in a covered disaster area.
Any individual who is a relief worker affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization who is assisting in a covered disaster area.
Any individual, business entity, or sole proprietorship whose records are needed to meet a postponed tax deadline, provided those records are maintained in a covered disaster area. The main home or principal place of business doesn’t have to be located in the covered disaster area.
Any estate or trust that has tax records necessary to meet a postponed tax deadline, provided those records are maintained in a covered disaster area.
The spouse on a joint return with a taxpayer who is eligible for postponements.
Any individual, business entity, or sole proprietorship not located in a covered disaster area, but whose records necessary to meet a postponed tax deadline are located in the covered disaster area.
Any individual visiting the covered disaster area who was killed or injured as a result of the disaster.
Any other person determined by the IRS to be affected by a federally declared disaster.

Covered disaster area.

This is an area of a federally declared disaster in which the IRS has decided to postpone tax deadlines for up to 1 year.

Abatement of interest and penalties.

The IRS may abate the interest and penalties on underpaid income tax for the length of any postponement of tax deadlines.

More information.

For more information, see Disaster Area Losses in Pub. 547.

How To Report Gains and Losses

Use Form 4684 to report a gain or a deductible loss from a casualty or theft. If you have more than one casualty or theft, use a separate Form 4684 to determine your gain or loss for each event. Combine the gains and losses on one Form 4684. Follow the form instructions as to which lines to fill out. In addition, you must use the appropriate schedule to report a gain or loss. The schedule you use depends on whether you have a gain or loss.

If you have a:	Report it on:
Gain	Schedule D (Form 1040)
Loss	Schedule A (Form 1040)

Adjustments to basis.

If you have a casualty or theft loss, you must decrease your basis in the property by any insurance or other reimbursement you receive, and by any deductible loss. If you make either of the basis adjustments described above, amounts you spend on repairs to restore your property to its pre-casualty condition increase your adjusted basis. See Adjusted Basis in chapter 13 for more information.

Net operating loss (NOL).

If your casualty or theft loss deduction causes your deductions for the year to be more than your income for the year, you may have an NOL. You can use an NOL to lower your tax in an earlier year, allowing you to get a refund for tax you have already paid. Or, you can use it to lower your tax in a later year. You don’t have to be in business to have an NOL from a casualty or theft loss. For more information, see Pub. 536.

26. Car Expenses and Other Employee Business Expenses

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted, resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Standard mileage rate. For 2017, the standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car for business use is 53.5 cents (0.535) per mile.Car expenses and use of the standard mileage rate are explained under Transportation Expenses , later.

Depreciation limits on cars, trucks, and vans. For 2017, the first-year limit on the total depreciation deduction for cars remains at $11,160 ($3,160 if you elect not to claim the special depreciation allowance). For trucks and vans, the first-year limit is $11,560 ($3,560 if you elect not to claim the special depreciation allowance).

Special depreciation allowance. For 2017, the special (“bonus”) depreciation allowance on qualified property (including cars, trucks, and vans) remains at 50%. The special depreciation allowance is explained in chapter 4 of Pub. 463.

Introduction

You may be able to deduct the ordinary and necessary business-related expenses you have for:

Travel,
Entertainment,
Gifts, or

An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your trade or business. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your business. An expense doesn’t have to be required to be considered necessary.

This chapter explains the following.

What expenses are deductible.
How to report your expenses on your return.
What records you need to prove your expenses.
How to treat any expense reimbursements you may receive.

Who doesn’t need to use this chapter.

If you are an employee, you won’t need to read this chapter if all of the following are true.

You fully accounted to your employer for your work-related expenses.
You received full reimbursement for your expenses.
Your employer required you to return any excess reimbursement and you did so.
There is no amount shown with a code L in box 12 of your Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.

If you meet all of these conditions, there is no need to show the expenses or the reimbursements on your return. See Reimbursements , later, if you would like more information on reimbursements and accounting to your employer.

If you meet these conditions and your employer included reimbursements on your Form W-2 in error, ask your employer for a corrected Form W-2.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

463 Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses
535 Business Expenses

Form (and Instructions)

Schedule A (Form 1040)Itemized Deductions
Schedule C (Form 1040)Profit or Loss From Business
Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040)Net Profit From Business
Schedule F (Form 1040)Profit or Loss From Farming
Form 2106Employee Business Expenses
Form 2106-EZUnreimbursed Employee Business Expenses

Travel Expenses

If you temporarily travel away from your tax home, you can use this section to determine if you have deductible travel expenses. This section discusses:

Traveling away from home,
Tax home,
Temporary assignment or job, and
What travel expenses are deductible.

It also discusses the standard meal allowance, rules for travel inside and outside the United States, and deductible convention expenses.

Travel expenses defined.

For tax purposes, travel expenses are the ordinary and necessary expenses (defined earlier) of traveling away from home for your business, profession, or job.

You will find examples of deductible travel expenses in Table 26-1.

Traveling Away From Home

You are traveling away from home if:

Your duties require you to be away from the general area of your tax home (defined later) substantially longer than an ordinary day’s work, and
You need to sleep or rest to meet the demands of your work while away from home.

This rest requirement isn’t satisfied by merely napping in your car. You don’t have to be away from your tax home for a whole day or from dusk to dawn as long as your relief from duty is long enough to get necessary sleep or rest.

Example 1.

You are a railroad conductor. You leave your home terminal on a regularly scheduled round-trip run between two cities and return home 16 hours later. During the run, you have 6 hours off at your turnaround point where you eat two meals and rent a hotel room to get necessary sleep before starting the return trip. You are considered to be away from home.

Example 2.

You are a truck driver. You leave your terminal and return to it later the same day. You get an hour off at your turnaround point to eat. Because you aren’t off to get necessary sleep and the brief time off isn’t an adequate rest period, you aren’t traveling away from home.

Members of the Armed Forces.

If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces on a permanent duty assignment overseas, you aren’t traveling away from home. You can’t deduct your expenses for meals and lodging. You can’t deduct these expenses even if you have to maintain a home in the United States for your family members who aren’t allowed to accompany you overseas. If you are transferred from one permanent duty station to another, you may have deductible moving expenses, which are explained in Pub. 521, Moving Expenses.

A naval officer assigned to permanent duty aboard a ship that has regular eating and living facilities has a tax home aboard ship for travel expense purposes.

Tax Home

To determine whether you are traveling away from home, you must first determine the location of your tax home.

Generally, your tax home is your regular place of business or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family home. It includes the entire city or general area in which your business or work is located.

If you have more than one regular place of business, your tax home is your main place of business. See Main place of business or work , later.

If you don’t have a regular or a main place of business because of the nature of your work, then your tax home may be the place where you regularly live. See No main place of business or work , later.

If you don’t have a regular or a main place of business or post of duty and there is no place where you regularly live, you are considered an itinerant (a transient) and your tax home is wherever you work. As an itinerant, you can’t claim a travel expense deduction because you are never considered to be traveling away from home.

Main place of business or work.

If you have more than one place of business or work, consider the following when determining which one is your main place of business or work.

The total time you ordinarily spend in each place.
The level of your business activity in each place.
Whether your income from each place is significant or insignificant.

Example.

You live in Cincinnati where you have a seasonal job for 8 months each year and earn $40,000. You work the other 4 months in Miami, also at a seasonal job, and earn $15,000. Cincinnati is your main place of work because you spend most of your time there and earn most of your income there.

No main place of business or work.

You may have a tax home even if you don’t have a regular or main place of business or work. Your tax home may be the home where you regularly live.

Factors used to determine tax home.

If you don’t have a regular or main place of business or work, use the following three factors to determine where your tax home is.

You perform part of your business in the area of your main home and use that home for lodging while doing business in the area.
You have living expenses at your main home that you duplicate because your business requires you to be away from that home.
You haven’t abandoned the area in which both your historical place of lodging and your claimed main home are located; you have a member or members of your family living at your main home; or you often use that home for lodging.

If you satisfy all three factors, your tax home is the home where you regularly live. If you satisfy only two factors, you may have a tax home depending on all the facts and circumstances. If you satisfy only one factor, you are an itinerant; your tax home is wherever you work and you can’t deduct travel expenses.

Example.

You are single and live in Boston in an apartment you rent. You have worked for your employer in Boston for a number of years. Your employer enrolls you in a 12-month executive training program. You don’t expect to return to work in Boston after you complete your training.

During your training, you don’t do any work in Boston. Instead, you receive classroom and on-the-job training throughout the United States. You keep your apartment in Boston and return to it frequently. You use your apartment to conduct your personal business. You also keep up your community contacts in Boston. When you complete your training, you are transferred to Los Angeles.

You don’t satisfy factor (1) because you didn’t work in Boston. You satisfy factor (2) because you had duplicate living expenses. You also satisfy factor (3) because you didn’t abandon your apartment in Boston as your main home, you kept your community contacts, and you frequently returned to live in your apartment. Therefore, you have a tax home in Boston.

Tax home different from family home.

If you (and your family) don’t live at your tax home (defined earlier), you can’t deduct the cost of traveling between your tax home and your family home. You also can’t deduct the cost of meals and lodging while at your tax home. See Example 1 below.

If you are working temporarily in the same city where you and your family live, you may be considered as traveling away from home. See Example 2 below.

Example 1.

You are a truck driver and you and your family live in Tucson. You are employed by a trucking firm that has its terminal in Phoenix. At the end of your long runs, you return to your home terminal in Phoenix and spend one night there before returning home. You can’t deduct any expenses you have for meals and lodging in Phoenix or the cost of traveling from Phoenix to Tucson. This is because Phoenix is your tax home.

Example 2.

Your family home is in Pittsburgh, where you work 12 weeks a year. The rest of the year you work for the same employer in Baltimore. In Baltimore, you eat in restaurants and sleep in a rooming house. Your salary is the same whether you are in Pittsburgh or Baltimore.

Because you spend most of your working time and earn most of your salary in Baltimore, that city is your tax home. You can’t deduct any expenses you have for meals and lodging there. However, when you return to work in Pittsburgh, you are away from your tax home even though you stay at your family home. You can deduct the cost of your round trip between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. You can also deduct your part of your family’s living expenses for meals and lodging while you are living and working in Pittsburgh.

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.

Exception for federal crime investigations or prosecutions.

If you are a federal employee participating in a federal crime investigation or prosecution, you aren’t subject to the 1-year rule. This means you may be able to deduct travel expenses even if you are away from your tax home for more than 1 year, provided you meet the other requirements for deductibility.

For you to qualify, the Attorney General (or his or her designee) must certify that you are traveling:

For the federal government;
In a temporary duty status; and
To investigate or prosecute, or provide support services for the investigation or prosecution of a federal crime.

Determining temporary or indefinite.

You must determine whether your assignment is temporary or indefinite when you start work. If you expect an assignment or job to last for 1 year or less, it is temporary unless there are facts and circumstances that indicate otherwise. An assignment or job that is initially temporary may become indefinite due to changed circumstances. A series of assignments to the same location, all for short periods but that together cover a long period, may be considered an indefinite assignment.

Going home on days off.

If you go back to your tax home from a temporary assignment on your days off, you aren’t considered away from home while you are in your hometown. You can’t deduct the cost of your meals and lodging there. However, you can deduct your travel expenses, including meals and lodging, while traveling between your temporary place of work and your tax home. You can claim these expenses up to the amount it would have cost you to stay at your temporary place of work.

If you keep your hotel room during your visit home, you can deduct the cost of your hotel room. In addition, you can deduct your expenses of returning home up to the amount you would have spent for meals had you stayed at your temporary place of work.

Probationary work period.

If you take a job that requires you to move, with the understanding that you will keep the job if your work is satisfactory during a probationary period, the job is indefinite. You can’t deduct any of your expenses for meals and lodging during the probationary period.

What Travel Expenses Are Deductible?

Once you have determined that you are traveling away from your tax home, you can determine what travel expenses are deductible.

You can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses you have when you travel away from home on business. The type of expense you can deduct depends on the facts and your circumstances.

Table 26-1 summarizes travel expenses you may be able to deduct. You may have other deductible travel expenses that aren’t covered there, depending on the facts and your circumstances.

When you travel away from home on business, you should keep records of all the expenses you have and any advances you receive from your employer. You can use a log, diary, notebook, or any other written record to keep track of your expenses. The types of expenses you need to record, along with supporting documentation, are described in Table 26-2.

Separating costs.

If you have one expense that includes the costs of meals, entertainment, and other services (such as lodging or transportation), you must allocate that expense between the cost of meals and entertainment and the cost of other services. You must have a reasonable basis for making this allocation. For example, you must allocate your expenses if a hotel includes one or more meals in its room charge.

Travel expenses for another individual.

If a spouse, dependent, or other individual goes with you (or your employee) on a business trip or to a business convention, you generally can’t deduct his or her travel expenses.

Employee.

You can deduct the travel expenses of someone who goes with you if that person:

Is your employee,
Has a bona fide business purpose for the travel, and
Would otherwise be allowed to deduct the travel expenses.

Business associate.

If a business associate travels with you and meets the conditions in (2) and (3) above, you can deduct the travel expenses you have for that person. A business associate is someone with whom you could reasonably expect to engage or deal in the active conduct of your business. A business associate can be a current or prospective (likely to become) customer, client, supplier, employee, agent, partner, or professional advisor.

Bona fide business purpose.

A bona fide business purpose exists if you can prove a real business purpose for the individual’s presence. Incidental services, such as typing notes or assisting in entertaining customers, aren’t enough to make the expenses deductible.

Example.

Jerry drives to Chicago on business and takes his wife, Linda, with him. Linda isn’t Jerry’s employee. Linda occasionally types notes, performs similar services, and accompanies Jerry to luncheons and dinners. The performance of these services doesn’t establish that her presence on the trip is necessary to the conduct of Jerry’s business. Her expenses aren’t deductible.

Jerry pays $199 a day for a double room. A single room costs $149 a day. He can deduct the total cost of driving his car to and from Chicago, but only $149 a day for his hotel room. If both Jerry and Linda use public transportation, Jerry can deduct only his fare.

Table 26-1. Travel Expenses You Can Deduct This chart summarizes expenses you can deduct when you travel away from home for business purposes.

IF you have expenses for…	THEN you can deduct the cost of…
transportation	travel by airplane, train, bus, or car between your home and your business destination. If you were provided with a ticket or you are riding free as a result of a frequent traveler or similar program, your cost is zero. If you travel by ship, see Luxury Water Travel and Cruise Ships (under Conventions) in Pub. 463 for additional rules and limits.
taxi, commuter bus, and airport limousine	fares for these and other types of transportation that take you between: · The airport or station and your hotel; and · The hotel and the work location of your customers or clients, your business meeting place, or your temporary work location.
baggage and shipping	sending baggage and sample or display material between your regular and temporary work locations.
car	operating and maintaining your car when traveling away from home on business. You can deduct actual expenses or the standard mileage rate as well as business-related tolls and parking. If you rent a car while away from home on business, you can deduct only the business-use portion of the expenses.
lodging and meals	your lodging and meals if your business trip is overnight or long enough that you need to stop for sleep or rest to properly perform your duties. Meals include amounts spent for food, beverages, taxes, and related tips. See Meals and Incidental Expenses , later, for additional rules and limits.
cleaning	dry cleaning and laundry.
telephone	business calls while on your business trip. This includes business communication by fax machine or other communication devices.
tips	tips you pay for any expenses in this chart.
other	other similar ordinary and necessary expenses related to your business travel. These expenses might include transportation to or from a business meal, public stenographer’s fees, computer rental fees, and operating and maintaining a house trailer.

Meals and Incidental Expenses

You can deduct the cost of meals in either of the following situations.

It is necessary for you to stop for substantial sleep or rest to properly perform your duties while traveling away from home on business.
The meal is business-related entertainment.

Business-related entertainment is discussed under Entertainment Expenses , later. The following discussion deals only with meals (and incidental expenses) that aren’t business-related entertainment.

Lavish or extravagant.

You can’t deduct expenses for meals that are lavish or extravagant. An expense isn’t considered lavish or extravagant if it is reasonable based on the facts and circumstances. Expenses won’t be disallowed merely because they are more than a fixed dollar amount or take place at deluxe restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, or resorts.

50% limit on meals.

You can figure your meal expenses using either of the following methods.

Actual cost.
The standard meal allowance.

Both of these methods are explained below. But, regardless of the method you use, you generally can deduct only 50% of the unreimbursed cost of your meals.

If you are reimbursed for the cost of your meals, how you apply the 50% limit depends on whether your employer’s reimbursement plan was accountable or nonaccountable. If you aren’t reimbursed, the 50% limit applies whether the unreimbursed meal expense is for business travel or business entertainment. The 50% limit is explained later under Entertainment Expenses . Accountable and nonaccountable plans are discussed later under Reimbursements .

Actual cost.

You can use the actual cost of your meals to figure the amount of your expense before reimbursement and application of the 50% deduction limit. If you use this method, you must keep records of your actual cost.

Standard meal allowance.

Generally, you can use the “standard meal allowance” method as an alternative to the actual cost method. It allows you to use a set amount for your daily meals and incidental expenses (M&IE), instead of keeping records of your actual costs. The set amount varies depending on where and when you travel. In this chapter, “standard meal allowance” refers to the federal rate for M&IE, discussed later under Amount of standard meal allowance . If you use the standard meal allowance, you still must keep records to prove the time, place, and business purpose of your travel. See Recordkeeping , later.

Incidental expenses.

The term “incidental expenses” means fees and tips given to porters, baggage carriers, hotel staff, and staff on ships. Incidental expenses don’t include expenses for laundry, cleaning and pressing of clothing, lodging taxes, costs of telegrams or telephone calls, transportation between places of lodging or business and places where meals are taken, or the mailing cost of filing travel vouchers and paying employer-sponsored charge card billings.

Incidental expenses only method.

You can use an optional method (instead of actual cost) for deducting incidental expenses only. The amount of the deduction is $5 a day. You can use this method only if you didn’t pay or incur any meal expenses. You can’t use this method on any day that you use the standard meal allowance.

Federal employees should refer to the Federal Travel Regulations at
GSA.gov. Find “What GSA Offers” and click on “Regulations: FMR, FTR, & FAR” for Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) for changes affecting claims for reimbursement.

50% limit may apply.

If you use the standard meal allowance method for meal expenses and you aren’t reimbursed or you are reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan, you can generally deduct only 50% of the standard meal allowance. If you are reimbursed under an accountable plan and you are deducting amounts that are more than your reimbursements, you can deduct only 50% of the excess amount. The 50% limit is explained later under Entertainment Expenses . Accountable and nonaccountable plans are discussed later under Reimbursements .

There is no optional standard lodging amount similar to the standard meal allowance. Your allowable lodging expense deduction is your actual cost.

Who can use the standard meal allowance.

You can use the standard meal allowance whether you are an employee or self-employed, and whether or not you are reimbursed for your traveling expenses.

Use of the standard meal allowance for other travel.

You can use the standard meal allowance to figure your meal expenses when you travel in connection with investment and other income-producing property. You can also use it to figure your meal expenses when you travel for qualifying educational purposes. You can’t use the standard meal allowance to figure the cost of your meals when you travel for medical or charitable purposes.

Amount of standard meal allowance.

The standard meal allowance is the federal M&IE rate. For travel in 2017, the rate for most small localities in the United States is $51 a day.

Most major cities and many other localities in the United States are designated as high-cost areas, qualifying for higher standard meal allowances. You can find this information (organized by year and location) on the Internet at GSA.gov/perdiem.

If you travel to more than one location in one day, use the rate in effect for the area where you stop for sleep or rest. If you work in the transportation industry, however, see Special rate for transportation workers , later.

Standard meal allowance for areas outside the continental United States.

The standard meal allowance rates above don’t apply to travel in Alaska, Hawaii, or any other location outside the continental United States. The Department of Defense establishes per diem rates for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Midway, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Wake Island, and other non-foreign areas outside the continental United States. The Department of State establishes per diem rates for all other foreign areas.

You can access per diem rates for non-foreign areas outside the continental United States at www.Defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm. You can access all other foreign per diem rates at State.gov/travel/. Click on “Travel Per Diem Allowances for Foreign Areas” under “Foreign Per Diem Rates” to obtain the latest foreign per diem rates.

Special rate for transportation workers.

You can use a special standard meal allowance if you work in the transportation industry. You are in the transportation industry if your work:

Directly involves moving people or goods by airplane, barge, bus, ship, train, or truck; and
Regularly requires you to travel away from home and, during any single trip, usually involves travel to areas eligible for different standard meal allowance rates.

If this applies to you, the standard daily meal allowance for 2017 is $63 a day ($68 for travel outside the continental United States). To determine which rate you should use, see Transition Rules in Pub. 463.

Using the special rate for transportation workers eliminates the need for you to determine the standard meal allowance for every area where you stop for sleep or rest. If you choose to use the special rate for any trip, you must use the special rate (and not use the regular standard meal allowance rates) for all trips you take that year.

Travel for days you depart and return.

For both the day you depart for and the day you return from a business trip, you must prorate the standard meal allowance (figure a reduced amount for each day). You can do so by one of two methods.

Method 1: You can claim ³/₄of the standard meal allowance.
Method 2: You can prorate using any method that you consistently apply and that is in accordance with reasonable business practice.

Example.

Jen is employed in New Orleans as a convention planner. In March, her employer sent her on a 3-day trip to Washington, DC, to attend a planning seminar. She left her home in New Orleans at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and arrived in Washington, DC, at 5:30 p.m. After spending two nights there, she flew back to New Orleans on Friday and arrived back home at 8 p.m. Jen’s employer gave her a flat amount to cover her expenses and included it with her wages.

Under Method 1, Jen can claim 2½ days of the standard meal allowance for Washington, DC: ³/₄ of the daily rate for Wednesday and Friday (the days she departed and returned), and the full daily rate for Thursday.

Under Method 2, Jen could also use any method that she applies consistently and that is in accordance with reasonable business practice. For example, she could claim 3 days of the standard meal allowance even though a federal employee would have to use Method 1 and be limited to only 2½ days.

Travel in the United States

The following discussion applies to travel in the United States. For this purpose, the United States includes only the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The treatment of your travel expenses depends on how much of your trip was business related and on how much of your trip occurred within the United States. See Part of Trip Outside the United States , later.

Trip Primarily for Business

You can deduct all your travel expenses if your trip was entirely business related. If your trip was primarily for business and, while at your business destination, you extended your stay for a vacation, made a personal side trip, or had other personal activities, you can deduct your business-related travel expenses. These expenses include the travel costs of getting to and from your business destination and any business-related expenses at your business destination.

Example.

You work in Atlanta and take a business trip to New Orleans in May. Your business travel totals 900 miles round trip. On your way home, you stop in Mobile to visit your parents. You spend $2,165 for the 9 days you are away from home for travel, meals, lodging, and other travel expenses. If you hadn’t stopped in Mobile, you would’ve been gone only 6 days, and your total cost would have been $1,633.50. You can deduct $1,633.50 for your trip, including the cost of round-trip transportation to and from New Orleans. The deduction for your meals is subject to the 50% limit on meals mentioned earlier.

Trip Primarily for Personal Reasons

If your trip was primarily for personal reasons, such as a vacation, the entire cost of the trip is a nondeductible personal expense. However, you can deduct any expenses you have while at your destination that are directly related to your business.

A trip to a resort or on a cruise ship may be a vacation even if the promoter advertises that it is primarily for business. The scheduling of incidental business activities during a trip, such as viewing videotapes or attending lectures dealing with general subjects, won’t change what is really a vacation into a business trip.

Part of Trip Outside the United States

If part of your trip is outside the United States, use the rules described later under Travel Outside the United States for that part of the trip. For the part of your trip that is inside the United States, use the rules for travel in the United States. Travel outside the United States doesn’t include travel from one point in the United States to another point in the United States. The following discussion can help you determine whether your trip was entirely within the United States.

Public transportation.

If you travel by public transportation, any place in the United States where that vehicle makes a scheduled stop is a point in the United States. Once the vehicle leaves the last scheduled stop in the United States on its way to a point outside the United States, you apply the rules under Travel Outside the United States , later.

Example.

You fly from New York to Puerto Rico with a scheduled stop in Miami. You return to New York nonstop. The flight from New York to Miami is in the United States, so only the flight from Miami to Puerto Rico is outside the United States. Because there are no scheduled stops between Puerto Rico and New York, all of the return trip is outside the United States.

Private car.

Travel by private car in the United States is travel between points in the United States, even when you are on your way to a destination outside the United States.

Example.

You travel by car from Denver to Mexico City and return. Your travel from Denver to the border and from the border back to Denver is travel in the United States, and the rules in this section apply. The rules below under Travel Outside the United States apply to your trip from the border to Mexico City and back to the border.

Travel Outside the United States

If any part of your business travel is outside the United States, some of your deductions for the cost of getting to and from your destination may be limited. For this purpose, the United States includes only the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

How much of your travel expenses you can deduct depends in part upon how much of your trip outside the United States was business related.

See chapter 1 of Pub. 463 for information on luxury water travel.

Travel Entirely for Business or Considered Entirely for Business

You can deduct all your travel expenses of getting to and from your business destination if your trip is entirely for business or considered entirely for business.

Travel entirely for business.

If you travel outside the United States and you spend the entire time on business activities, you can deduct all of your travel expenses.

Travel considered entirely for business.

Even if you didn’t spend your entire time on business activities, your trip is considered entirely for business if you meet at least one of the following four exceptions.

Exception 1—No substantial control.

Your trip is considered entirely for business if you didn’t have substantial control over arranging the trip. The fact that you control the timing of your trip doesn’t, by itself, mean that you have substantial control over arranging your trip.

You don’t have substantial control over your trip if you:

Are an employee who was reimbursed or paid a travel expense allowance,
Aren’t related to your employer, or
Aren’t a managing executive.

“Related to your employer” is defined later in this chapter under Per Diem and Car Allowances .

A “managing executive” is an employee who has the authority and responsibility, without being subject to the veto of another, to decide on the need for the business travel.

A self-employed person generally has substantial control over arranging business trips.

Exception 2—Outside United States no more than a week.

Your trip is considered entirely for business if you were outside the United States for a week or less, combining business and nonbusiness activities. One week means 7 consecutive days. In counting the days, don’t count the day you leave the United States, but do count the day you return to the United States.

Exception 3—Less than 25% of time on personal activities.

Your trip is considered entirely for business if:

You were outside the United States for more than a week, and
You spent less than 25% of the total time you were outside the United States on nonbusiness activities.

For this purpose, count both the day your trip began and the day it ended.

Exception 4—Vacation not a major consideration.

Your trip is considered entirely for business if you can establish that a personal vacation wasn’t a major consideration, even if you have substantial control over arranging the trip.

Travel Primarily for Business

If you travel outside the United States primarily for business but spend some of your time on nonbusiness activities, you generally can’t deduct all of your travel expenses. You only can deduct the business portion of your cost of getting to and from your destination. You must allocate the costs between your business and nonbusiness activities to determine your deductible amount. These travel allocation rules are discussed in chapter 1 of Pub. 463.

You don’t have to allocate your travel expense deduction if you meet one of the four exceptions listed earlier under Travel considered entirely for business. In those cases, you can deduct the total cost of getting to and from your destination.

Travel Primarily for Personal Reasons

If you travel outside the United States primarily for vacation or for investment purposes, the entire cost of the trip is a nondeductible personal expense. If you spend some time attending brief professional seminars or a continuing education program, you can deduct your registration fees and other expenses you have that are directly related to your business.

Conventions

You can deduct your travel expenses when you attend a convention if you can show that your attendance benefits your trade or business. You can’t deduct the travel expenses for your family.

If the convention is for investment, political, social, or other purposes unrelated to your trade or business, you can’t deduct the expenses.

Your appointment or election as a delegate doesn’t, in itself, determine whether you can deduct travel expenses. You can deduct your travel expenses only if your attendance is connected to your own trade or business.

Convention agenda.

The convention agenda or program generally shows the purpose of the convention. You can show your attendance at the convention benefits your trade or business by comparing the agenda with the official duties and responsibilities of your position. The agenda doesn’t have to deal specifically with your official duties and responsibilities; it will be enough if the agenda is so related to your position that it shows your attendance was for business purposes.

Conventions held outside the North American area.

See chapter 1 of Pub. 463 for information on conventions held outside the North American area.

Entertainment Expenses

You may be able to deduct business-related entertainment expenses you have for entertaining a client, customer, or employee.

You can deduct entertainment expenses only if they are both ordinary and necessary (defined earlier in the Introduction ) and meet one of the following tests.

Directly related test.
Associated test.

Both of these tests are explained in chapter 2 of Pub. 463.

The amount you can deduct for entertainment expenses may be limited. Generally, you can deduct only 50% of your unreimbursed entertainment expenses. This limit is discussed next.

50% Limit

In general, you can deduct only 50% of your business-related meal and entertainment expenses. (If you are subject to the Department of Transportation’s “hours of service” limits, you can deduct 80% of your business-related meal and entertainment expenses. See Individuals subject to “hours of service” limits , later.)

The 50% limit applies to employees or their employers, and to self-employed persons (including independent contractors) or their clients, depending on whether the expenses are reimbursed.

Figure 26-A summarizes the general rules explained in this section.

The 50% limit applies to business meals or entertainment expenses you have while:

Traveling away from home (whether eating alone or with others) on business;
Entertaining customers at your place of business, a restaurant, or other location; or
Attending a business convention or reception, business meeting, or business luncheon at a club.

Included expenses.

Expenses subject to the 50% limit include:

Taxes and tips relating to a business meal or entertainment activity,

Cover charges for admission to a nightclub,

Rent paid for a room in which you hold a dinner or cocktail party, and
Amounts paid for parking at a sports arena.

However, the cost of transportation to and from a business meal or a business-related entertainment activity isn’t subject to the 50% limit.

Application of 50% limit.

The 50% limit on meal and entertainment expenses applies if the expense is otherwise deductible and isn’t covered by one of the exceptions discussed later in this section.

The 50% limit also applies to certain meal and entertainment expenses that aren’t business related. It applies to meal and entertainment expenses incurred for the production of income, including rental or royalty income. It also applies to the cost of meals included in deductible educational expenses.

When to apply the 50% limit.

You apply the 50% limit after determining the amount that would otherwise qualify for a deduction. You first have to determine the amount of meal and entertainment expenses that would be deductible under the other rules discussed in this chapter.

Example 1.

You spend $200 for a business-related meal. If $110 of that amount isn’t allowable because it is lavish and extravagant, the remaining $90 is subject to the 50% limit. Your deduction can’t be more than $45 (0.50 × $90).

Example 2.

You purchase two tickets to a concert and give them to a client. You purchased the tickets through a ticket agent. You paid $200 for the two tickets, which had a face value of $80 each ($160 total). Your deduction can’t be more than $80 (0.50 × $160).

Exceptions to the 50% Limit

Generally, business-related meal and entertainment expenses are subject to the 50% limit. Figure 26-A can help you determine if the 50% limit applies to you.

Your meal or entertainment expense isn’t subject to the 50% limit if the expense meets one of the following exceptions.

Employee’s reimbursed expenses.

If you are an employee, you aren’t subject to the 50% limit on expenses for which your employer reimburses you under an accountable plan. Accountable plans are discussed later underReimbursements .

Individuals subject to “hours of service” limits.

You can deduct a higher percentage of your meal expenses while traveling away from your tax home if the meals take place during or incident to any period subject to the Department of Transportation’s “hours of service” limits. The percentage is 80%.

Individuals subject to the Department of Transportation’s “hours of service” limits include the following persons.

Certain air transportation workers (such as pilots, crew, dispatchers, mechanics, and control tower operators) who are under Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
Interstate truck operators and bus drivers who are under Department of Transportation regulations.
Certain railroad employees (such as engineers, conductors, train crews, dispatchers, and control operations personnel) who are under Federal Railroad Administration regulations.
Certain merchant mariners who are under Coast Guard regulations.

Other exceptions.

There are also exceptions for the self-employed, advertising expenses, selling meals or entertainment, and charitable sports events. These are discussed in Pub. 463.

Figure 26-A. Does the 50% Limit Apply to Your Expenses?

There are exceptions to these rules. See Exceptions to the 50% Limit .

Entertainment expenses: 50% limit

Please click here for the text description of the image.

What Entertainment Expenses Are Deductible?

This section explains different types of entertainment expenses you may be able to deduct.

Entertainment.

Entertainment includes any activity generally considered to provide entertainment, amusement, or recreation. Examples include entertaining guests at nightclubs; at social, athletic, and sporting clubs; at theaters; at sporting events; or on hunting, fishing, vacation, and similar trips.

A meal as a form of entertainment.

Entertainment includes the cost of a meal you provide to a customer or client, whether the meal is a part of other entertainment or by itself. A meal expense includes the cost of food, beverages, taxes, and tips for the meal. To deduct an entertainment-related meal, you or your employee must be present when the food or beverages are provided.

You can’t claim the cost of your meal both as an entertainment expense and as a travel expense.

Separating costs.

If you have one expense that includes the costs of entertainment and other services (such as lodging or transportation), you must allocate that expense between the cost of entertainment and the cost of other services. You must have a reasonable basis for making this allocation. For example, you must allocate your expenses if a hotel includes entertainment in its lounge on the same bill with your room charge.

Taking turns paying for meals or entertainment.

If a group of business acquaintances take turns picking up each others’ meal or entertainment checks without regard to whether any business purposes are served, no member of the group can deduct any part of the expense.

Lavish or extravagant expenses.

You can’t deduct expenses for entertainment that is lavish or extravagant. An expense isn’t considered lavish or extravagant if it is reasonable considering the facts and circumstances. Expenses won’t be disallowed just because they are more than a fixed dollar amount or take place at deluxe restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, or resorts.

Trade association meetings.

You can deduct entertainment expenses that are directly related to, and necessary for, attending business meetings or conventions of certain exempt organizations if the expenses of your attendance are related to your active trade or business. These organizations include business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, trade associations, and professional associations.

Entertainment tickets.

Generally, you can’t deduct more than the face value of an entertainment ticket, even if you paid a higher price. For example, you can’t deduct service fees you pay to ticket agencies or brokers or any amount over the face value of the tickets you pay to scalpers.

What Entertainment Expenses Aren’t Deductible?

This section explains different types of entertainment expenses you generally may not be able to deduct.

Club dues and membership fees.

You can’t deduct dues (including initiation fees) for membership in any club organized for:

Business,
Pleasure,
Recreation, or
Other social purpose.

This rule applies to any membership organization if one of its principal purposes is either:

To conduct entertainment activities for members or their guests, or
To provide members or their guests with access to entertainment facilities.

The purposes and activities of a club, not its name, will determine whether or not you can deduct the dues. You can’t deduct dues paid to:

Country clubs,

Golf and athletic clubs,
Airline clubs,

Hotel clubs, and

Clubs operated to provide meals under circumstances generally considered to be conducive to business discussions.

Entertainment facilities.

Generally, you can’t deduct any expense for the use of an entertainment facility. This includes expenses for depreciation and operating costs such as rent, utilities, maintenance, and protection.

An entertainment facility is any property you own, rent, or use for entertainment. Examples include a yacht, hunting lodge, fishing camp, swimming pool, tennis court, bowling alley, car, airplane, apartment, hotel suite, or home in a vacation resort.

Out-of-pocket expenses.

You can deduct out-of-pocket expenses, such as for food and beverages, catering, gas, and fishing bait, that you provided during entertainment at a facility. These aren’t expenses for the use of an entertainment facility. However, these expenses are subject to the directly related and associated tests and to the 50% limit discussed earlier.

Additional information.

For more information on entertainment expenses, including discussions of the directly related and associated tests, see chapter 2 of Pub. 463.

Gift Expenses

If you give gifts in the course of your trade or business, you can deduct all or part of the cost. This section explains the limits and rules for deducting the costs of gifts.

$25 limit.

You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year. A gift to a company that is intended for the eventual personal use or benefit of a particular person or a limited class of people will be considered an indirect gift to that particular person or to the individuals within that class of people who receive the gift.

If you give a gift to a member of a customer’s family, the gift is generally considered to be an indirect gift to the customer. This rule doesn’t apply if you have a bona fide independent business connection with that family member and the gift isn’t intended for the customer’s eventual use or benefit.

If you and your spouse both give gifts, both of you are treated as one taxpayer. It doesn’t matter whether you have separate businesses, are separately employed, or whether each of you has an independent connection with the recipient. If a partnership gives gifts, the partnership and the partners are treated as one taxpayer.

Incidental costs.

Incidental costs, such as engraving on jewelry, or packaging, insuring, and mailing, are generally not included in determining the cost of a gift for purposes of the $25 limit.

A cost is incidental only if it doesn’t add substantial value to the gift. For example, the cost of customary gift wrapping is an incidental cost. However, the purchase of an ornamental basket for packaging fruit isn’t an incidental cost if the value of the basket is substantial compared to the value of the fruit.

Exceptions.

The following items aren’t considered gifts for purposes of the $25 limit.

An item that costs $4 or less and:
1. Has your name clearly and permanently imprinted on the gift, and
2. Is one of a number of identical items you widely distribute. Examples include pens, desk sets, and plastic bags and cases.
Signs, display racks, or other promotional material to be used on the business premises of the recipient.

Gift or entertainment.

Any item that might be considered either a gift or entertainment generally will be considered entertainment. However, if you give a customer packaged food or beverages you intend the customer to use at a later date, treat it as a gift.

If you give a customer tickets to a theater performance or sporting event and you don’t go with the customer to the performance or event, you have a choice. You can treat the cost of the tickets as either a gift expense or an entertainment expense, whichever is to your advantage.

If you go with the customer to the event, you must treat the cost of the tickets as an entertainment expense. You can’t choose, in this case, to treat the cost of the tickets as a gift expense.

Transportation Expenses

This section discusses expenses you can deduct for business transportation when you aren’t traveling away from home as defined earlier under Travel Expenses . These expenses include the cost of transportation by air, rail, bus, taxi, etc., and the cost of driving and maintaining your car.

Transportation expenses include the ordinary and necessary costs of all of the following.

Getting from one workplace to another in the course of your business or profession when you are traveling within the area of your tax home. (Tax home is defined earlier under Travel Expenses.)
Visiting clients or customers.

Going to a business meeting away from your regular workplace.

Getting from your home to a temporary workplace when you have one or more regular places of work. These temporary workplaces can be either within the area of your tax home or outside that area.

Transportation expenses don’t include expenses you have while traveling away from home overnight. Those expenses are travel expenses, discussed earlier. However, if you use your car while traveling away from home overnight, use the rules in this section to figure your car expense deduction. See Car Expenses , later.

Illustration of transportation expenses.

Figure 26-B illustrates the rules for when you can deduct transportation expenses when you have a regular or main job away from your home. You may want to refer to it when deciding whether you can deduct your transportation expenses. Daily transportation expenses you incur while traveling from home to one or more regular places of business are generally nondeductible commuting expenses. However, there are many exceptions for deducting transportation expenses, like whether your work location is temporary (inside or outside the metropolitan area), traveling for the same trade or business, or if you have a home office.

Temporary work location.

If you have one or more regular work locations away from your home and you commute to a temporary work location in the same trade or business, you can deduct the expenses of the daily round-trip transportation between your home and the temporary location, regardless of distance.

If your employment at a work location is realistically expected to last (and does in fact last) for 1 year or less, the employment is temporary unless there are facts and circumstances that would indicate otherwise.

If your employment at a work location is realistically expected to last for more than 1 year or if there is no realistic expectation that the employment will last for 1 year or less, the employment isn’t temporary, regardless of whether it actually lasts for more than 1 year.

If employment at a work location initially is realistically expected to last for 1 year or less, but at some later date the employment is realistically expected to last more than 1 year, that employment will be treated as temporary (unless there are facts and circumstances that would indicate otherwise) until your expectation changes. It won’t be treated as temporary after the date you determine it will last more than 1 year.

If the temporary work location is beyond the general area of your regular place of work and you stay overnight, you are traveling away from home. You may have deductible travel expenses as discussed earlier in this chapter.

No regular place of work.

If you have no regular place of work but ordinarily work in the metropolitan area where you live, you can deduct daily transportation costs between home and a temporary work site outside that metropolitan area.

Generally, a metropolitan area includes the area within the city limits and the suburbs that are considered part of that metropolitan area.

You can’t deduct daily transportation costs between your home and temporary work sites within your metropolitan area. These are nondeductible commuting expenses.

Two places of work.

If you work at two places in one day, whether or not for the same employer, you can deduct the expense of getting from one workplace to the other. However, if for some personal reason you don’t go directly from one location to the other, you can’t deduct more than the amount it would have cost you to go directly from the first location to the second.

Transportation expenses you have in going between home and a part-time job on a day off from your main job are commuting expenses. You can’t deduct them.

Armed Forces reservists.

A meeting of an Armed Forces reserve unit is a second place of business if the meeting is held on a day on which you work at your regular job. You can deduct the expense of getting from one workplace to the other as just discussed under Two places of work , earlier.

You usually can’t deduct the expense if the reserve meeting is held on a day on which you don’t work at your regular job. In this case, your transportation generally is a nondeductible commuting expense. However, you can deduct your transportation expenses if the location of the meeting is temporary and you have one or more regular places of work.

If you ordinarily work in a particular metropolitan area but not at any specific location and the reserve meeting is held at a temporary location outside that metropolitan area, you can deduct your transportation expenses.

If you travel away from home overnight to attend a guard or reserve meeting, you can deduct your travel expenses. These expenses are discussed earlier under Travel Expenses .

If you travel more than 100 miles away from home in connection with your performance of services as a member of the reserves, you may be able to deduct some of your reserve-related travel costs as an adjustment to income rather than as an itemized deduction. See Armed Forces reservists traveling more than 100 miles from home under Special Rules, later.

Commuting expenses.

You can’t deduct the costs of taking a bus, trolley, subway, or taxi, or of driving a car between your home and your main or regular place of work. These costs are personal commuting expenses. You can’t deduct commuting expenses no matter how far your home is from your regular place of work. You can’t deduct commuting expenses even if you work during the commuting trip.

Example.

You sometimes use your cell phone to make business calls while commuting to and from work. Sometimes business associates ride with you to and from work, and you have a business discussion in the car. These activities don’t change the trip from personal to business. You can’t deduct your commuting expenses.

Parking fees.

Fees you pay to park your car at your place of business are nondeductible commuting expenses. You can, however, deduct business-related parking fees when visiting a customer or client.

Advertising display on car.

Putting display material that advertises your business on your car doesn’t change the use of your car from personal use to business use. If you use this car for commuting or other personal uses, you still can’t deduct your expenses for those uses.

Car pools.

You can’t deduct the cost of using your car in a nonprofit car pool. Don’t include payments you receive from the passengers in your income. These payments are considered reimbursements of your expenses. However, if you operate a car pool for a profit, you must include payments from passengers in your income. You can then deduct your car expenses (using the rules in this chapter).

Hauling tools or instruments.

Hauling tools or instruments in your car while commuting to and from work doesn’t make your car expenses deductible. However, you can deduct any additional costs you have for hauling tools or instruments (such as for renting a trailer you tow with your car).

Union members’ trips from a union hall.

If you get your work assignments at a union hall and then go to your place of work, the costs of getting from the union hall to your place of work are nondeductible commuting expenses. Although you need the union to get your work assignments, you are employed where you work, not where the union hall is located.

Office in the home.

If you have an office in your home that qualifies as a principal place of business, you can deduct your daily transportation costs between your home and another work location in the same trade or business. (See chapter 28 for information on determining if your home office qualifies as a principal place of business.)

Figure 26-B. When Are Transportation Expenses Deductible?

Most employees and self-employed persons can use this chart. (Don’t use this chart if your home is your principal place of business. See Office in the home .)

Figure 26-B. Local Transportation

Please click here for the text description of the image.

Examples of deductible transportation.

The following examples show when you can deduct transportation expenses based on the location of your work and your home.

Example 1.

You regularly work in an office in the city where you live. Your employer sends you to a 1-week training session at a different office in the same city. You travel directly from your home to the training location and return each day. You can deduct the cost of your daily round-trip transportation between your home and the training location.

Example 2.

Your principal place of business is in your home. You can deduct the cost of round-trip transportation between your qualifying home office and your client’s or customer’s place of business.

Example 3.

You have no regular office, and you don’t have an office in your home. In this case, the location of your first business contact inside the metropolitan area is considered your office. Transportation expenses between your home and this first contact are nondeductible commuting expenses. Transportation expenses between your last business contact and your home are also nondeductible commuting expenses. While you can’t deduct the costs of these first and last trips, you can deduct the costs of going from one client or customer to another. With no regular or home office, the costs of travel between two or more business contacts in a metropolitan area are deductible while the costs of travel between the home to (and from) business contacts aren’t deductible.

Car Expenses

If you use your car for business purposes, you may be able to deduct car expenses. You generally can use one of the following two methods to figure your deductible expenses.

Standard Mileage Rate.
Actual Car Expenses.

If you use actual car expenses to figure your deduction for a car you lease, there are rules that affect the amount of your lease payments you can deduct. See Leasing a car under Actual Car Expenses, later.

In this chapter, the term “car” includes a van, pickup, or panel truck.

Rural mail carriers.

If you are a rural mail carrier, you may be able to treat the amount of qualified reimbursement you received as the amount of your allowable expense. Because the qualified reimbursement is treated as paid under an accountable plan, your employer shouldn’t include the amount of reimbursement in your income.

If your vehicle expenses are more than the amount of your reimbursement, you can deduct the unreimbursed expenses as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040). You must complete Form 2106 and attach it to your Form 1040.

A “qualified reimbursement” is the reimbursement you receive that meets both of the following conditions.

It is given as an equipment maintenance allowance (EMA) to employees of the U.S. Postal Service.
It is at the rate contained in the 1991 collective bargaining agreement. Any later agreement can’t increase the qualified reimbursement amount by more than the rate of inflation.

See your employer for information on your reimbursement.

If you are a rural mail carrier and received a qualified reimbursement, you can’t use the standard mileage rate.

Standard Mileage Rate

You may be able to use the standard mileage rate to figure the deductible costs of operating your car for business purposes. For 2017, the standard mileage rate for business use is 53.5 cents (0.535) per mile.

If you use the standard mileage rate for a year, you can’t deduct your actual car expenses for that year, but see Parking fees and tolls, later.

You generally can use the standard mileage rate whether or not you are reimbursed and whether or not any reimbursement is more or less than the amount figured using the standard mileage rate. See Reimbursementsunder How To Report, later.

Choosing the standard mileage rate.

If you want to use the standard mileage rate for a car you own, you must choose to use it in the first year the car is available for use in your business. Then, in later years, you can choose to use either the standard mileage rate or actual expenses.

If you want to use the standard mileage rate for a car you lease, you must use it for the entire lease period.

You must make the choice to use the standard mileage rate by the due date (including extensions) of your return. You can’t revoke the choice. However, in a later year, you can switch from the standard mileage rate to the actual expenses method. If you change to the actual expenses method in a later year, but before your car is fully depreciated, you have to estimate the remaining useful life of the car and use straight line depreciation.

Example.

Larry is an employee who occasionally uses his own car for business purposes. He purchased the car in 2015, but he didn’t claim any unreimbursed employee expenses on his 2015 tax return. Because Larry didn’t use the standard mileage rate the first year the car was available for business use, he can’t use the standard mileage rate in 2017 to claim unreimbursed employee business expenses.

For more information about depreciation included in the standard mileage rate, see the exception in Methods of depreciation under Depreciation Deduction in chapter 4 of Pub. 463.

Standard mileage rate not allowed.

You can’t use the standard mileage rate if you:

Use five or more cars at the same time (as in fleet operations),

Claimed a depreciation deduction for the car using any method other than straight line depreciation,
Claimed a section 179 deduction on the car,
Claimed the special depreciation allowance on the car,

Claimed actual car expenses after 1997 for a car you leased, or
Are a rural mail carrier who received a qualified reimbursement. (See Rural mail carriers, earlier.)

Five or more cars.

If you own or lease five or more cars that are used for business at the same time, you can’t use the standard mileage rate for the business use of any car. However, you may be able to deduct your actual expenses for operating each of the cars in your business. See Actual Car Expenses in chapter 4 of Pub. 463 for information on how to figure your deduction.

You aren’t using five or more cars for business at the same time if you alternate using (use at different times) the cars for business.

Note.

You can elect to use the standard mileage rate if you used a car for hire (such as a taxi).

Parking fees and tolls.

In addition to using the standard mileage rate, you can deduct any business-related parking fees and tolls. (Parking fees you pay to park your car at your place of work are nondeductible commuting expenses.)

Actual Car Expenses

If you don’t use the standard mileage rate, you may be able to deduct your actual car expenses.

If you qualify to use both methods, you may want to figure your deduction both ways to see which gives you a larger deduction.

Actual car expenses include:

Depreciation Licenses	Lease payments	Registration fees
Gas	Insurance	Repairs
Oil	Garage rent	Tires
Tolls	Parking fees

Business and personal use.

If you use your car for both business and personal purposes, you must divide your expenses between business and personal use. You can divide your expenses based on the miles driven for each purpose.

Example.

You are a contractor and drive your car 20,000 miles during the year: 12,000 miles for business use and 8,000 miles for personal use. You can claim only 60% (12,000 ÷ 20,000) of the cost of operating your car as a business expense.

Interest on car loans.

If you are an employee, you can’t deduct any interest paid on a car loan. This interest is treated as personal interest and isn’t deductible. However, if you are self-employed and use your car in that business, see chapter 4 of Pub. 535.

If you use a home equity loan to purchase your car, you may be able to deduct the interest. See chapter 23 for more information.

Taxes paid on your car.

If you are an employee, you can deduct personal property taxes paid on your car if you itemize deductions. Enter the amount paid on line 7 of Schedule A (Form 1040). (See chapter 22 for more information on taxes.) If you aren’t an employee, see your form instructions for information on how to deduct personal property taxes paid on your car.

Sales taxes.

Generally, sales taxes on your car are part of your car’s basis and are recovered through depreciation, discussed later.

Fines and collateral.

You can’t deduct fines you pay and collateral you forfeited for traffic violations.

Depreciation and section 179 deductions.

Generally, the cost of a car, plus sales tax and improvements, is a capital expense. Because the benefits last longer than 1 year, you generally can’t deduct a capital expense. However, you can recover this cost through the section 179 deduction and depreciation deductions. Depreciation allows you to recover the cost over more than 1 year by deducting part of it each year. The section 179 deduction and the depreciation deductions are discussed in more detail in chapter 4 of Pub. 463.

Generally, there are limits on these deductions. Special rules apply if you use your car 50% or less in your work or business.

Leasing a car.

If you lease a car, truck, or van that you use in your business, you can use the standard mileage rate or actual expenses to figure your deductible car expense.

Deductible payments.

If you choose to use actual expenses, you can deduct the part of each lease payment that is for the use of the vehicle in your business. You can’t deduct any part of a lease payment that is for personal use of the vehicle, such as commuting.

You must spread any advance payments over the entire lease period. You can’t deduct any payments you make to buy a vehicle, even if the payments are called lease payments.

If you lease a car, truck, or van for 30 days or more, you may have to reduce your lease payment deduction by an “inclusion amount.” For information on reporting lease inclusion amounts, see Leasing a Car in chapter 4 of Pub. 463.

Sale, Trade-in, or Other Disposition

If you sell, trade in, or otherwise dispose of your car, you may have a taxable gain or a deductible loss. This is true whether you used the standard mileage rate or actual car expenses to deduct the business use of your car. Pub. 544 has information on sales of property used in a trade or business, and details on how to report the disposition.

Recordkeeping

If you deduct travel, entertainment, gift, or transportation expenses, you must be able to prove (substantiate) certain elements of the expense. This section discusses the records you need to keep to prove these expenses.

If you keep timely and accurate records, you will have support to show the IRS if your tax return is ever examined. You will also have proof of expenses that your employer may require if you are reimbursed under an accountable plan. These plans are discussed later under Reimbursements .

How To Prove Expenses

Table 26-2 is a summary of records you need to prove each expense discussed in this chapter. You must be able to prove the elements listed across the top portion of the table. You prove them by having the information and receipts (where needed) for the expenses listed in the first column.

You can’t deduct amounts that you approximate or estimate.

You should keep adequate records to prove your expenses or have sufficient evidence that will support your own statement. You must generally prepare a written record for it to be considered adequate. This is because written evidence is more reliable than oral evidence alone.

However, if you contemporaneously prepare a record on a computer, it is considered an adequate record.

What Are Adequate Records?

You should keep the proof you need in an account book, diary, statement of expense, or similar record. You should also keep documentary evidence that, together with your records, will support each element of an expense.

Documentary evidence.

You generally must have documentary evidence, such as receipts, canceled checks, or bills, to support your expenses.

Exception.

Documentary evidence is not needed if any of the following conditions apply.

You have meals or lodging expenses while traveling away from home for which you account to your employer under an accountable plan and you use a per diem allowance method that includes meals and/or lodging. (Accountable plans and per diem allowances are discussed later under Reimbursements.)
Your expense, other than lodging, is less than $75.

You have a transportation expense for which a receipt is not readily available.

Adequate evidence.

Documentary evidence ordinarily will be considered adequate if it shows the amount, date, place, and essential character of the expense.

For example, a hotel receipt is enough to support expenses for business travel if it has all of the following information.

The name and location of the hotel.
The dates you stayed there.
Separate amounts for charges such as lodging, meals, and telephone calls.

A restaurant receipt is enough to prove an expense for a business meal if it has all of the following information.

The name and location of the restaurant.
The number of people served.
The date and amount of the expense.

If a charge is made for items other than food and beverages, the receipt must show that this is the case.

Canceled check.

A canceled check, together with a bill from the payee, ordinarily establishes the cost. However, a canceled check by itself doesn’t prove a business expense without other evidence to show that it was for a business purpose.

Duplicate information.

You don’t have to record information in your account book or other record that duplicates information shown on a receipt as long as your records and receipts complement each other in an orderly manner.

You don’t have to record amounts your employer pays directly for any ticket or other travel item. However, if you charge these items to your employer, through a credit card or otherwise, you must keep a record of the amounts you spend.

Timely kept records.

You should record the elements of an expense or of a business use at or near the time of the expense or use and support it with sufficient documentary evidence. A timely kept record has more value than a statement prepared later when generally there is a lack of accurate recall.

You don’t need to write down the elements of every expense on the day of the expense. If you maintain a log on a weekly basis which accounts for use during the week, the log is considered a timely kept record.

If you give your employer, client, or customer an expense account statement, it can also be considered a timely kept record. This is true if you copy it from your account book, diary, statement of expense, or similar record.

Proving business purpose.

You must generally provide a written statement of the business purpose of an expense. However, the degree of proof varies according to the circumstances in each case. If the business purpose of an expense is clear from the surrounding circumstances, then you don’t need to give a written explanation.

Confidential information.

You don’t need to put confidential information relating to an element of a deductible expense (such as the place, business purpose, or business relationship) in your account book, diary, or other record. However, you do have to record the information elsewhere at or near the time of the expense and have it available to fully prove that element of the expense.

What if I Have Incomplete Records?

If you don’t have complete records to prove an element of an expense, then you must prove the element with:

Your own written or oral statement, containing specific information about the element; and
Other supporting evidence that is sufficient to establish the element.

Destroyed records.

If you can’t produce a receipt because of reasons beyond your control, you can prove a deduction by reconstructing your records or expenses. Reasons beyond your control include fire, flood, and other casualty.

Separating and Combining Expenses

This section explains when expenses must be kept separate and when expenses can be combined.

Separating expenses.

Each separate payment is generally considered a separate expense. For example, if you entertain a customer or client at dinner and then go to the theater, the dinner expense and the cost of the theater tickets are two separate expenses. You must record them separately in your records.

Combining items.

You can make one daily entry in your record for reasonable categories of expenses. Examples are taxi fares, telephone calls, or other incidental travel costs. Meals should be in a separate category. You can include tips for meal-related services with the costs of the meals.

Expenses of a similar nature occurring during the course of a single event are considered a single expense. For example, if during entertainment at a cocktail lounge, you pay separately for each serving of refreshments, the total expense for the refreshments is treated as a single expense.

Allocating total cost.

If you can prove the total cost of travel or entertainment but you can’t prove how much it cost for each person who participated in the event, you may have to allocate the total cost among you and your guests on a pro rata basis. An allocation would be needed, for example, if you didn’t have a business relationship with all of your guests.

If your return is examined.

If your return is examined, you may have to provide additional information to the IRS. This information could be needed to clarify or to establish the accuracy or reliability of information contained in your records, statements, testimony, or documentary evidence before a deduction is allowed.

How Long To Keep Records and Receipts

You must keep records as long as they may be needed for the administration of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code. Generally, this means you must keep your records that support your deduction (or an item of income) for 3 years from the date you file the income tax return on which the deduction is claimed. A return filed early is considered filed on the due date. For a more complete explanation, see Pub. 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records.

Reimbursed for expenses.

Employees who give their records and documentation to their employers and are reimbursed for their expenses generally don’t have to keep copies of this information. However, you may have to prove your expenses if any of the following conditions apply.

You claim deductions for expenses that are more than reimbursements.
Your expenses are reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan.
Your employer doesn’t use adequate accounting procedures to verify expense accounts.
You are related to your employer, as defined later under Related to employer.

See the next section, How To Report , for a discussion of reimbursements, adequate accounting, and nonaccountable plans.

Additional information.

Chapter 5 of Pub. 463 has more information on recordkeeping, including examples.

How To Report

This section explains where and how to report the expenses discussed in this chapter. It discusses reimbursements and how to treat them under accountable and nonaccountable plans. It also explains rules for independent contractors and clients, fee-basis officials, certain performing artists, Armed Forces reservists, and certain disabled employees. This section ends with an illustration of how to report travel, entertainment, gift, and car expenses on Form 2106-EZ.

Self-employed.

You must report your income and expenses on Schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040) if you are a sole proprietor, or on Schedule F (Form 1040) if you are a farmer. You don’t use Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. See your form instructions for information on how to complete your tax return. You can also find information in Pub. 535 if you are a sole proprietor, or in Pub. 225, Farmer’s Tax Guide, if you are a farmer.

Both self-employed and an employee.

If you are both self-employed and an employee, you must keep separate records for each business activity. Report your business expenses for self-employment on Schedule C, C-EZ, or F (Form 1040), as discussed earlier. Report your business expenses for your work as an employee on Form 2106 or 2106-EZ, as discussed next.

Employees.

If you are an employee, you generally must complete Form 2106 to deduct your travel, transportation, and entertainment expenses. However, you can use the shorter Form 2106-EZ instead of Form 2106 if you meet all of the following conditions.

You are an employee deducting expenses attributable to your job.
You weren’t reimbursed by your employer for your expenses (amounts included in box 1 of your Form W-2 aren’t considered reimbursements).
If you claim car expenses, you use the standard mileage rate.

For more information on how to report your expenses on Forms 2106 and 2106-EZ, see Completing Forms 2106 and 2106-EZ , later.

Gifts.

If you didn’t receive any reimbursements (or the reimbursements were all included in box 1 of your Form W-2), the only business expense you are claiming is for gifts, and the rules for certain individuals (such as performing artists) discussed later under Special Rules don’t apply to you, don’t complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. Instead, claim the amount of your deductible gifts directly on line 21 of Schedule A (Form 1040).

Statutory employees.

If you received a Form W-2 and the “Statutory employee” box in box 13 was checked, report your income and expenses related to that income on Schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040). Don’t complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ.

Statutory employees include full-time life insurance salespersons, certain agent or commission drivers, traveling salespersons, and certain homeworkers.

If you are entitled to a reimbursement from your employer but you don’t claim it, you can’t claim a deduction for the expenses to which that unclaimed reimbursement applies.

Reimbursement for personal expenses.

If your employer reimburses you for nondeductible personal expenses, such as for vacation trips, your employer must report the reimbursement as wage income in box 1 of your Form W-2. You can’t deduct personal expenses.

Reimbursements

This section explains what to do when you receive an advance or are reimbursed for any of the employee business expenses discussed in this chapter.

Table 26-2. How To Prove Certain Business Expenses

IF you have expenses for…	THEN you must keep records that show details of the following elements…
IF you have expenses for…	Amount	Time	Place or Description	Business Purpose and Business Relationship
Travel	Cost of each separate expense for travel, lodging, and meals. Incidental expenses may be totaled in reasonable categories such as taxis, fees and tips, etc.	Dates you left and returned for each trip and number of days spent on business.	Destination or area of your travel (name of city, town, or other designation).	Purpose: Business purpose for the expense or the business benefit gained or expected to be gained. Relationship: N/A
Entertainment	Cost of each separate expense. Incidental expenses such as taxis, telephones, etc., may be totaled on a daily basis.	Date of entertainment. (Also see Business Purpose in this table.)	Name and address or location of place of entertainment. Type of entertainment if not otherwise apparent. (Also see Business Purpose in this table.)	Purpose: Business purpose for the expense or the business benefit gained or expected to be gained. For entertainment, the nature of the business discussion or activity. If the entertainment was directly before or after a business discussion: the date, place, nature, and duration of the business discussion, and the identities of the persons who took part in both the business discussion and the entertainment activity. Relationship: Occupations or other information (such as names, titles, or other designations) about the recipients that shows their business relationship to you. For entertainment, you must also prove that you or your employee was present if the entertainment was a business meal.
Gifts	Cost of the gift.	Date of the gift.	Description of the gift.
Transportation	Cost of each separate expense. For car expenses, the cost of the car and any improvements, the date you started using it for business, the mileage for each business use, and the total miles for the year.	Date of the expense. For car expenses, the date of the use of the car.	Your business destination.	Purpose: Business purpose for the expense. Relationship: N/A

If you received an advance, allowance, or reimbursement for your expenses, how you report this amount and your expenses depends on whether your employer reimbursed you under an accountable plan or a nonaccountable plan.

This section explains the two types of plans, how per diem and car allowances simplify proving the amount of your expenses, and the tax treatment of your reimbursements and expenses.

No reimbursement.

You aren’t reimbursed or given an allowance for your expenses if you are paid a salary or commission with the understanding that you will pay your own expenses. In this situation, you have no reimbursement or allowance arrangement, and you don’t have to read this section on reimbursements. Instead, see Completing Forms 2106 and 2106-EZ , later, for information on completing your tax return.

Reimbursement, allowance, or advance.

A reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement is a system or plan that an employer uses to pay, substantiate, and recover the expenses, advances, reimbursements, and amounts charged to the employer for employee business expenses. Arrangements include per diem and car allowances.

A per diem allowance is a fixed amount of daily reimbursement your employer gives you for your lodging, meal, and incidental expenses when you are away from home on business. (The term “incidental expenses” is defined earlier under Meals and Incidental Expenses .) A car allowance is an amount your employer gives you for the business use of your car.

Your employer should tell you what method of reimbursement is used and what records you must provide.

Accountable Plans

To be an accountable plan, your employer’s reimbursement or allowance arrangement must include all of the following rules.

Your expenses must have a business connection—that is, you must have paid or incurred deductible expenses while performing services as an employee of your employer.
You must adequately account to your employer for these expenses within a reasonable period of time.
You must return any excess reimbursement or allowance within a reasonable period of time.

See Adequate Accounting and Returning Excess Reimbursements , later.

An excess reimbursement or allowance is any amount you are paid that is more than the business-related expenses that you adequately accounted for to your employer.

Reasonable period of time.

The definition of a reasonable period of time depends on the facts and circumstances of your situation. However, regardless of the facts and circumstances of your situation, actions that take place within the times specified in the following list will be treated as taking place within a reasonable period of time.

You receive an advance within 30 days of the time you have an expense.
You adequately account for your expenses within 60 days after they were paid or incurred.
You return any excess reimbursement within 120 days after the expense was paid or incurred.
You are given a periodic statement (at least quarterly) that asks you to either return or adequately account for outstanding advances and you comply within 120 days of the statement.

Employee meets accountable plan rules.

If you meet the three rules for accountable plans, your employer shouldn’t include any reimbursements in your income in box 1 of your Form W-2. If your expenses equal your reimbursement, you don’t complete Form 2106. You have no deduction since your expenses and reimbursement are equal.

If your employer included reimbursements in box 1 of your Form W-2 and you meet all the rules for accountable plans, ask your employer for a corrected Form W-2.

Accountable plan rules not met.

Even though you are reimbursed under an accountable plan, some of your expenses may not meet all the rules. Those expenses that fail to meet all three rules for accountable plans are treated as having been reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan (discussed later).

Reimbursement of nondeductible expenses.

You may be reimbursed under your employer’s accountable plan for expenses related to that employer’s business, some of which are deductible as employee business expenses and some of which aren’t deductible. The reimbursements you receive for the nondeductible expenses don’t meet rule (1) for accountable plans, and they are treated as paid under a nonaccountable plan.

Example.

Your employer’s plan reimburses you for travel expenses while away from home on business and also for meals when you work late at the office, even though you aren’t away from home. The part of the arrangement that reimburses you for the nondeductible meals when you work late at the office is treated as paid under a nonaccountable plan.

The employer makes the decision whether to reimburse employees under an accountable plan or a nonaccountable plan. If you are an employee who receives payments under a nonaccountable plan, you can’t convert these amounts to payments under an accountable plan by voluntarily accounting to your employer for the expenses and voluntarily returning excess reimbursements to the employer.

Adequate Accounting

One of the rules for an accountable plan is that you must adequately account to your employer for your expenses. You adequately account by giving your employer a statement of expense, an account book, a diary, or a similar record in which you entered each expense at or near the time you had it, along with documentary evidence (such as receipts) of your travel, mileage, and other employee business expenses. (See Table 26-2 for details you need to enter in your record and documents you need to prove certain expenses.) A per diem or car allowance satisfies the adequate accounting requirement under certain conditions. See Per Diem and Car Allowances , later.

You must account for all amounts you received from your employer during the year as advances, reimbursements, or allowances. This includes amounts you charged to your employer by credit card or other method. You must give your employer the same type of records and supporting information that you would have to give to the IRS if the IRS questioned a deduction on your return. You must pay back the amount of any reimbursement or other expense allowance for which you don’t adequately account or that is more than the amount for which you accounted.

Per Diem and Car Allowances

If your employer reimburses you for your expenses using a per diem or car allowance, you can generally use the allowance as proof of the amount of your expenses. A per diem or car allowance satisfies the adequate accounting requirements for the amount of your expenses only if all the following conditions apply.

Your employer reasonably limits payments of your expenses to those that are ordinary and necessary in the conduct of the trade or business.
The allowance is similar in form to and not more than the federal rate (discussed later).
You prove the time (dates), place, and business purpose of your expenses to your employer (as explained inTable 26-2) within a reasonable period of time.
You aren’t related to your employer (as defined next). If you are related to your employer, you must be able to prove your expenses to the IRS even if you have already adequately accounted to your employer and returned any excess reimbursement.

If the IRS finds that an employer’s travel allowance practices aren’t based on reasonably accurate estimates of travel costs (including recognition of cost differences in different areas for per diem amounts), you won’t be considered to have accounted to your employer. In this case, you must be able to prove your expenses to the IRS.

Related to employer.

You are related to your employer if:

Your employer is your brother or sister, half brother or half sister, spouse, ancestor, or lineal descendant;
Your employer is a corporation in which you own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% in value of the outstanding stock; or
Certain relationships (such as grantor, fiduciary, or beneficiary) exist between you, a trust, and your employer.

You may be considered to indirectly own stock, for purposes of (2), if you have an interest in a corporation, partnership, estate, or trust that owns the stock or if a member of your family or your partner owns the stock.

The federal rate.

The federal rate can be figured using any one of the following methods.

For per diem amounts:
1. The regular federal per diem rate.
2. The standard meal allowance.
3. The high-low rate.
For car expenses:
1. The standard mileage rate.
2. A fixed and variable rate (FAVR).

For per diem amounts, use the rate in effect for the area where you stop for sleep or rest.

Regular federal per diem rate.

The regular federal per diem rate is the highest amount that the federal government will pay to its employees for lodging, meal, and incidental expenses (or meal and incidental expenses only) while they are traveling away from home in a particular area. The rates are different for different locations. Your employer should have these rates available. (They are also available at GSA.gov.)

The standard meal allowance.

The standard meal allowance (discussed earlier) is the federal rate for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). For travel in 2017, the rate for most small localities in the United States is $51 a day. Most major cities and many other localities qualify for higher rates. You can find the rates or all localities within the continental United States on the Internet at GSA.gov.

You receive an allowance only for meals and incidental expenses when your employer does one of the following.

Provides you with lodging (furnishes it in kind).
Reimburses you, based on your receipts, for the actual cost of your lodging.
Pays the hotel, motel, etc., directly for your lodging.
Doesn’t have a reasonable belief that you had (or will have) lodging expenses, such as when you stay with friends or relatives or sleep in the cab of your truck.
Figures the allowance on a basis similar to that used in figuring your compensation, such as number of hours worked or miles traveled.

High-low rate.

This is a simplified method of figuring the federal per diem rate for travel within the continental United States. It eliminates the need to keep a current list of the per diem rate for each city.

Under the high-low method, the per diem amount for travel during January through September 2017 is $282 (including $68 for M&IE) for certain high-cost locations. All other areas have a per diem amount of $189 (including $57 for M&IE). (You can find the areas eligible for the $282 per diem amount under the high-low method for all or part of this period at GSA.gov.)

Effective October 1, 2017 (FY2018), the per diem amount for travel under the high-low method for high-cost locations increased to $284 (including $68 for M&IE). The rate for all other locations increased to $191 (including $57 for M&IE). Employers who didn’t use the high-low method during the first 9 months of 2017 can’t begin to use it before 2018. For more information, see Notice 2017-54, which can be found at IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-17-54.pdf, and Revenue Procedure 2011-47 at IRS.gov/irb/2011-42_IRB/ar12.html.

Prorating the standard meal allowance on partial days of travel.

The standard meal allowance is for a full 24-hour day of travel. If you travel for part of a day, such as on the days you depart and return, you must prorate the full-day M&IE rate. This rule also applies if your employer uses the regular federal per diem rate or the high-low rate.

You can use either of the following methods to figure the federal M&IE for that day.

Method 1:
1. For the day you depart, add ³/₄of the standard meal allowance amount for that day.
2. For the day you return, add ³/₄of the standard meal allowance amount for the preceding day.
Method 2:Prorate the standard meal allowance using any method you consistently apply in accordance with reasonable business practice.

The standard mileage rate.

This is a set rate per mile that you can use to figure your deductible car expenses. For 2017, the standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car is 53.5 cents (0.535) per mile.

Fixed and variable rate (FAVR).

This is an allowance your employer may use to reimburse your car expenses. Under this method, your employer pays an allowance that includes a combination of payments covering fixed and variable costs, such as a cents-per-mile rate to cover your variable operating costs (such as gas, oil, etc.) plus a flat amount to cover your fixed costs (such as depreciation (or lease payments), insurance, etc.). If your employer chooses to use this method, your employer will request the necessary records from you.

Reporting your expenses with a per diem or car allowance.

If your reimbursement is in the form of an allowance received under an accountable plan, the following facts affect your reporting.

The federal rate.
Whether the allowance or your actual expenses were more than the federal rate.

The following discussions explain where to report your expenses depending upon how the amount of your allowance compares to the federal rate.

Allowance less than or equal to the federal rate.

If your allowance is less than or equal to the federal rate, the allowance won’t be included in box 1 of your Form W-2. You don’t need to report the related expenses or the allowance on your return if your expenses are equal to or less than the allowance.

However, if your actual expenses are more than your allowance, you can complete Form 2106 and deduct the excess amount on Schedule A (Form 1040). If you are using actual expenses, you must be able to prove to the IRS the total amount of your expenses and reimbursements for the entire year. If you are using the standard meal allowance or the standard mileage rate, you don’t have to prove that amount.

Example.

Nicole drives 10,000 miles in 2017 for business. Under her employer’s accountable plan, she accounts for the time (dates), place, and business purpose of each trip. Her employer pays her a mileage allowance of 40 cents (0.40) a mile.

Since Nicole’s $5,350 expense figured under the standard mileage rate (10,000 miles x 53.5 cents (0.535)) is more than her $4,000 reimbursement (10,000 miles × 40 cents (0.40)), she itemizes her deductions to claim the excess expense. Nicole completes Form 2106 (showing all her expenses and reimbursements) and enters $1,350 ($5,350 − $4,000) as an itemized deduction.

Allowance more than the federal rate.

If your allowance is more than the federal rate, your employer must include the allowance amount up to the federal rate under code L in box 12 of your Form W-2. This amount isn’t taxable. However, the excess allowance will be included in box 1 of your Form W-2. You must report this part of your allowance as if it were wage income.

If your actual expenses are less than or equal to the federal rate, you don’t complete Form 2106 or claim any of your expenses on your return.

However, if your actual expenses are more than the federal rate, you can complete Form 2106 and deduct those excess expenses. You must report on Form 2106 your reimbursements up to the federal rate (as shown under code L in box 12 of your Form W-2) and all your expenses. You should be able to prove these amounts to the IRS.

Example.

Joe lives and works in Austin. In May, his employer sent him to San Diego for 4 days and paid the hotel directly for Joe’s hotel bill. The employer reimbursed Joe $75 a day for his meals and incidental expenses. The federal rate for San Diego is $64 a day.

Joe can prove that his actual meal expenses totaled $380. His employer’s accountable plan won’t pay more than $75 a day for travel to San Diego, so Joe doesn’t give his employer the records that prove that he actually spent $380. However, he does account for the time, place, and business purpose of the trip. This is Joe’s only business trip this year.

Joe was reimbursed $300 ($75 × 4 days), which is $44 more than the federal rate of $256 ($64 × 4 days). His employer includes the $44 as income on Joe’s Form W-2 in box 1. His employer also enters $256 under code L in box 12 of Joe’s Form W-2.

Joe completes Form 2106 to figure his deductible expenses. He enters the total of his actual expenses for the year ($380) on Form 2106. He also enters the reimbursements that weren’t included in his income ($256). His total deductible expense, before the 50% limit, is $124. After he figures the 50% limit on his unreimbursed meals and entertainment, he will include the balance, $62, as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040).

Returning Excess Reimbursements

Under an accountable plan, you are required to return any excess reimbursement or other expense allowances for your business expenses to the person paying the reimbursement or allowance. Excess reimbursement means any amount for which you didn’t adequately account within a reasonable period of time. For example, if you received a travel advance and you didn’t spend all the money on business-related expenses or you don’t have proof of all your expenses, you have an excess reimbursement.

For more information, see Adequate Accounting , earlier.

Travel advance.

You receive a travel advance if your employer provides you with an expense allowance before you actually have the expense, and the allowance is reasonably expected to be no more than your expense. Under an accountable plan, you are required to adequately account to your employer for this advance and to return any excess within a reasonable period of time.

If you don’t adequately account for or don’t return any excess advance within a reasonable period of time, the amount you don’t account for or return will be treated as having been paid under a nonaccountable plan (discussed later).

Unproven amounts.

If you don’t prove that you actually traveled on each day for which you received a per diem or car allowance (proving the elements described in Table 26-2), you must return this unproven amount of the travel advance within a reasonable period of time. If you don’t do this, the unproven amount will be considered paid under a nonaccountable plan (discussed later).

Per diem allowance more than federal rate.

If your employer’s accountable plan pays you an allowance that is higher than the federal rate, you don’t have to return the difference between the two rates for the period you can prove business-related travel expenses. However, the difference will be reported as wages on your Form W-2. This excess amount is considered paid under a nonaccountable plan (discussed later).

Example.

Your employer sends you on a 5-day business trip to Phoenix in March 2017 and gives you a $400 ($80 × 5 days) advance to cover your meals and incidental expenses. The federal per diem for meals and incidental expenses for Phoenix is $59. Your trip lasts only 3 days. Under your employer’s accountable plan, you must return the $160 ($80 × 2 days) advance for the 2 days you didn’t travel. For the 3 days you did travel, you don’t have to return the $63 difference between the allowance you received and the federal rate for Phoenix (($80 − $59) × 3 days). However, the $63 will be reported on your Form W-2 as wages.

Nonaccountable Plans

A nonaccountable plan is a reimbursement or expense allowance arrangement that doesn’t meet one or more of the three rules listed earlier under Accountable Plans .

In addition, even if your employer has an accountable plan, the following payments will be treated as being paid under a nonaccountable plan.

Excess reimbursements you fail to return to your employer.
Reimbursement of nondeductible expenses related to your employer’s business. See Reimbursement of nondeductible expensesunder Accountable Plans, earlier.

If you aren’t sure if the reimbursement or expense allowance arrangement is an accountable or nonaccountable plan, ask your employer.

Reporting your expenses under a nonaccountable plan.

Your employer will combine the amount of any reimbursement or other expense allowance paid to you under a nonaccountable plan with your wages, salary, or other pay. Your employer will report the total in box 1 of your Form W-2.

You must complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ and itemize your deductions to deduct your expenses for travel, transportation, meals, or entertainment. Your meal and entertainment expenses will be subject to the 50% limit discussed earlier under Entertainment Expenses . Also, your total expenses will be subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit that applies to most miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).

Example.

Kim’s employer gives her $1,000 a month ($12,000 for the year) for her business expenses. Kim doesn’t have to provide any proof of her expenses to her employer, and Kim can keep any funds that she doesn’t spend.

Kim is being reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan. Her employer will include the $12,000 on Kim’s Form W-2 as if it were wages. If Kim wants to deduct her business expenses, she must complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ and itemize her deductions.

Completing Forms 2106 and 2106-EZ

This section briefly describes how employees complete Forms 2106 and 2106-EZ. Table 26-3 explains what the employer reports on Form W-2 and what the employee reports on Form 2106. The instructions for the forms have more information on completing them.

If you are self-employed, don’t file Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. Report your expenses on Schedule C, C-EZ, or F (Form 1040). See the instructions for the form that you must file.

Form 2106-EZ.

You may be able to use the shorter Form 2106-EZ to claim your employee business expenses. You can use this form if you meet all the following conditions.

You are an employee deducting expenses attributable to your job.
You weren’t reimbursed by your employer for your expenses (amounts included in box 1 of your Form W-2 aren’t considered reimbursements).
If you are claiming car expenses, you use the standard mileage rate.

Car expenses.

If you used a car to perform your job as an employee, you may be able to deduct certain car expenses. These are generally figured on Form 2106, Part II, and then claimed on Form 2106, Part I, line 1, column A. Car expenses using the standard mileage rate can also be figured on Form 2106-EZ by completing Part II and Part I, line 1.

Transportation expenses.

Show your transportation expenses that didn’t involve overnight travel on Form 2106, line 2, column A, or on Form 2106-EZ, Part I, line 2. Also include on this line business expenses you have for parking fees and tolls. Don’t include expenses of operating your car or expenses of commuting between your home and work.

Table 26-3. Reporting Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses and Reimbursements

IF the type of reimbursement (or other expense allowance) arrangement is under…	THEN the employer reports on Form W-2…	AND the employee reports on Form 2106… *
An accountable plan with:
Actual expense reimbursement: Adequate accounting made and excess returned.	No amount.	No amount.
Actual expense reimbursement: Adequate accounting and return of excess both required butexcess not returned.	The excess amount as wages in box 1.	No amount.
Per diem or mileage allowance up to the federal rate: Adequate accounting made and excess returned.	No amount.	All expenses and reimbursements only if excess expenses are claimed. Otherwise, form isn’t filed.
Per diem or mileage allowance up to the federal rate: Adequate accounting and return of excess both required butexcess not returned.	The excess amount as wages in box 1. The amount up to the federal rate is reported only in box 12—it is not reported in box 1.	No amount.
Per diem or mileage allowance exceeds the federal rate: Adequate accounting up to the federal rate only and excess not returned.	The excess amount as wages in box 1. The amount up to the federal rate is reported only in box 12—it isn’t reported in box 1.	All expenses (and reimbursement reported on Form W-2, box 12) only if expenses in excess of the federal rate are claimed. Otherwise, form isn’t required.
A nonaccountable plan with:
Either adequate accounting or return of excess, or both, not required by plan.	The entire amount as wages in box 1.	All expenses.
No reimbursement plan:	The entire amount as wages in box 1.	All expenses.
* You may be able to use Form 2106-EZ. See Completing Forms 2106 and 2106-EZ , earlier.

Employee business expenses other than meals and entertainment.

Show your other employee business expenses on Form 2106, lines 3 and 4, column A, or Form 2106-EZ, lines 3 and 4. Don’t include expenses for meals and entertainment on those lines. Line 4 is for expenses such as gifts, educational expenses (tuition and books), office-in-the-home expenses, and trade and professional publications.

If line 4 expenses are the only ones you are claiming, you received no reimbursements (or the reimbursements were all included in box 1 of your Form W-2), and the Special Rules discussed later don’t apply to you, don’t complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. Claim these amounts directly on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21. List the type and amount of each expense on the dotted lines and include the total on line 21.

Meal and entertainment expenses.

Show the full amount of your expenses for business-related meals and entertainment on Form 2106, line 5, column B. Include meals while away from your tax home overnight and other business meals and entertainment. Enter 50% of the line 8, column B, meal and entertainment expenses on line 9, column B.

If you file Form 2106-EZ, enter the full amount of your meals and entertainment on the line to the left of line 5 and multiply the total by 50% (0.50). Enter the result on line 5.

“Hours of service” limits.

If you are subject to the Department of Transportation’s “hours of service” limits, use 80% instead of 50% for meals while away from your tax home.

Reimbursements.

Enter on Form 2106, line 7, the amounts your employer (or third party) reimbursed you that weren’t included in box 1 of your Form W-2. (You can’t use Form 2106-EZ.) This includes any reimbursement reported under code L in box 12 of Form W-2.

Allocating your reimbursement.

If you were reimbursed under an accountable plan and want to deduct excess expenses that weren’t reimbursed, you may have to allocate your reimbursement. This is necessary if your employer pays your reimbursement in the following manner.

Pays you a single amount that covers meals and/or entertainment, as well as other business expenses.
Doesn’t clearly identify how much is for deductible meals and/or entertainment.

You must allocate that single payment so that you know how much to enter on Form 2106, line 7, column A and column B.

Example.

Rob’s employer paid him an expense allowance of $12,000 this year under an accountable plan. The $12,000 payment consisted of $5,000 for airfare and $7,000 for entertainment and car expenses. Rob’s employer didn’t clearly show how much of the $7,000 was for the cost of deductible entertainment. Rob actually spent $14,000 during the year ($5,500 for airfare, $4,500 for entertainment, and $4,000 for car expenses).

Since the airfare allowance was clearly identified, Rob knows that $5,000 of the payment goes in column A, line 7 of Form 2106. To allocate the remaining $7,000, Rob uses the worksheet from the instructions for Form 2106. His completed worksheet follows.

Reimbursement Allocation Worksheet (keep for your records)

1.	Enter the total amount of reimbursements your employer gave you that weren’t reported to you in box 1 of Form W-2	$7,000
2.	Enter the total amount of your expenses for the periods covered by this reimbursement	8,500
3.	Of the amount on line 2, enter your total expense for meals and entertainment	4,500
4.	Divide line 3 by line 2. Enter the result as a decimal (rounded to at least three places)	0.529
5.	Multiply line 1 by line 4. Enter the result here and in column B, line 7	3,703
6.	Subtract line 5 from line 1. Enter the result here and in column A, line 7	$3,297

On line 7 of Form 2106, Rob enters $8,297 ($5,000 airfare and $3,297 of the $7,000) in column A and $3,703 (of the $7,000) in column B.

After you complete the form.

After you have completed your Form 2106 or 2106-EZ, follow the directions on that form to deduct your expenses on the appropriate line of your tax return. For most taxpayers, this is line 21 of Schedule A (Form 1040). However, if you are a government official paid on a fee basis, a performing artist, an Armed Forces reservist, or a disabled employee with impairment-related work expenses, see Special Rules , later.

Limits on employee business expenses.

Your employee business expenses may be subject to either of the limits described next. These limits are figured in the following order on the specified form.

Limit on meals and entertainment.

Certain meal and entertainment expenses are subject to a 50% limit. If you are an employee, you figure this limit on line 9 of Form 2106 or line 5 of Form 2106-EZ. See 50% Limit underEntertainment Expenses, earlier.

Limit on miscellaneous itemized deductions.

If you are an employee, deduct employee business expenses (as figured on Form 2106 or 2106-EZ) on line 21 of Schedule A (Form 1040). Most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including employee business expenses, are subject to a 2% limit. This limit is figured on line 26 of Schedule A (Form 1040).

Limit on total itemized deductions.

Total itemized deductions may be limited if your adjusted gross income is over $313,800 if filing as married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er); $287,650 if head of household; $261,500 if single; or $156,900 if married filing separately. This limit is figured on the Itemized Deductions Worksheet found in the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040).

Special Rules

This section discusses special rules that apply to Armed Forces reservists, government officials who are paid on a fee basis, performing artists, and disabled employees with impairment-related work expenses.

Armed Forces reservists traveling more than 100 miles from home.

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 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 federal rate is explained earlier under Per Diem and Car Allowances . Any expenses in excess of these amounts can be claimed only as a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the 2% limit.

Member of a reserve component.

You are a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States if you are in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard Reserve, the Army National Guard of the United States, the Air National Guard of the United States, or the Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service.

How to report.

If you have reserve-related travel that takes you more than 100 miles from home, you should first complete Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ. Then include your expenses for reserve travel over 100 miles from home, up to the federal rate, from Form 2106, line 10, or Form 2106-EZ, line 6, in the total on Form 1040, line 24. Subtract this amount from the total on Form 2106, line 10, or Form 2106-EZ, line 6, and deduct the balance as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21.

You can’t deduct expenses of travel that doesn’t take you more than 100 miles from home as an adjustment to gross income. Instead, you must complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ and deduct those expenses as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21.

Officials paid on a fee basis.

Certain fee-basis officials can claim their employee business expenses whether or not they itemize their other deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).

Fee-basis officials are persons who are employed by a state or local government and who are paid in whole or in part on a fee basis. They can deduct their business expenses in performing services in that job as an adjustment to gross income rather than as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.

If you are a fee-basis official, include your employee business expenses from Form 2106, line 10, or Form 2106-EZ, line 6, on Form 1040, line 24.

Expenses of certain performing artists.

If you are a performing artist, you may qualify to deduct your employee business expenses as an adjustment to gross income rather than as a miscellaneous itemized deduction. To qualify, you must meet all of the following requirements.

During the tax year, you perform services in the performing arts as an employee for at least two employers.
You receive at least $200 each from any two of these employers.
Your related performing-arts business expenses are more than 10% of your gross income from the performance of those services.
Your adjusted gross income isn’t more than $16,000 before deducting these business expenses.

Special rules for married persons.

If you are married, you must file a joint return unless you lived apart from your spouse at all times during the tax year.

If you file a joint return, you must figure requirements (1), (2), and (3) separately for both you and your spouse. However, requirement (4) applies to your and your spouse’s combined adjusted gross income.

Where to report.

If you meet all of the above requirements, you should first complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. Then you include your performing-arts-related expenses from line 10 of Form 2106 or line 6 of Form 2106-EZ in the total on line 24 of Form 1040.

If you don’t meet all of the above requirements, you don’t qualify to deduct your expenses as an adjustment to gross income. Instead, you must complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ and deduct your employee business expenses as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21.

Impairment-related work expenses of disabled employees.

If you are an employee with a physical or mental disability, your impairment-related work expenses aren’t subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit that applies to most other employee business expenses. After you complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ, enter your impairment-related work expenses from Form 2106, line 10, or Form 2106-EZ, line 6, on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28, and identify the type and amount of this expense on the line next to line 28. Enter your employee business expenses that are unrelated to your disability from Form 2106, line 10, or Form 2106-EZ, line 6, on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21.

Impairment-related work expenses are your allowable expenses for attendant care at your workplace and other expenses you have in connection with your workplace that are necessary for you to be able to work. For more information, see chapter 21.

27. Tax Benefits for Work-Related Education

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Standard mileage rate. Generally, if you claim a business deduction for work-related education and you drive your car to and from school, the amount you can deduct for miles driven from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017, is 53.5 cents a mile. For more information, see Transportation Expenses under What Expenses Can Be Deducted, later.

Introduction

This chapter discusses work-related education expenses you may be able to deduct as business expenses.

To claim such a deduction, you must:

Itemize your deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040) if you are an employee;
File Schedule C (Form 1040), Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040), or Schedule F (Form 1040) if you are self-employed; and
Have expenses for education that meet the requirements discussed under Qualifying Work-Related Education, later.

If you are an employee and can itemize your deductions, you may be able to claim a deduction for the expenses you pay for your work-related education. Your deduction will be the amount by which your qualifying work-related education expenses plus other job and certain miscellaneous expenses (except for impairment-related work expenses of disabled individuals) is greater than 2% of your adjusted gross income. See chapter 28.

If you are self-employed, you deduct your expenses for qualifying work-related education directly from your self-employment income.

Your work-related education expenses may also qualify you for other tax benefits, such as the American opportunity and lifetime learning credits (see chapter 35). You may qualify for these other benefits even if you do not meet the requirements listed earlier.

Also, your work-related education expenses may qualify you to claim more than one tax benefit. Generally, you may claim any number of benefits as long as you use different expenses to figure each one.

When you figure your taxes, you may want to compare these tax benefits so you can choose the method(s) that give you the lowest tax liability.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

463Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses
970Tax Benefits for Education

Form (and Instructions)

2106Employee Business Expenses
2106-EZUnreimbursed Employee Business Expenses
Schedule A (Form 1040)Itemized Deductions

Qualifying Work-Related Education

You can deduct the costs of qualifying work-related education as business expenses. This is education that meets at least one of the following two tests.

The education is required by your employer or the law to keep your present salary, status, or job. The required education must serve a bona fide business purpose of your employer.

The education maintains or improves skills needed in your present work.

However, even if the education meets one or both of the above tests, it is not qualifying work-related education if it:

Is needed to meet the minimum educational requirements of your present trade or business, or
Is part of a program of study that will qualify you for a new trade or business.

You can deduct the costs of qualifying work-related education as a business expense even if the education could lead to a degree.

Use Figure 27-A as a quick check to see if your education qualifies.

Education Required by Employer or by Law

Once you have met the minimum educational requirements for your job, your employer or the law may require you to get more education. This additional education is qualifying work-related education if all three of the following requirements are met.

It is required for you to keep your present salary, status, or job.
The requirement serves a bona fide business purpose of your employer.
The education is not part of a program that will qualify you for a new trade or business.

When you get more education than your employer or the law requires, the additional education can be qualifying work-related education only if it maintains or improves skills required in your present work. See Education To Maintain or Improve Skills , later.

Example.

You are a teacher who has satisfied the minimum requirements for teaching. Your employer requires you to take an additional college course each year to keep your teaching job. If the courses will not qualify you for a new trade or business, they are qualifying work-related education even if you eventually receive a master’s degree and an increase in salary because of this extra education.

Education To Maintain or Improve Skills

If your education is not required by your employer or the law, it can be qualifying work-related education only if it maintains or improves skills needed in your present work. This could include refresher courses, courses on current developments, and academic or vocational courses.

Example.

You repair televisions, radios, and stereo systems for XYZ Store. To keep up with the latest changes, you take special courses in radio and stereo service. These courses maintain and improve skills required in your work.

Maintaining skills vs. qualifying for new job.

Education to maintain or improve skills needed in your present work is not qualifying education if it will also qualify you for a new trade or business.

Education during temporary absence.

If you stop working for a year or less in order to get education to maintain or improve skills needed in your present work and then return to the same general type of work, your absence is considered temporary. Education that you get during a temporary absence is qualifying work-related education if it maintains or improves skills needed in your present work.

Example.

You quit your biology research job to become a full-time biology graduate student for 1 year. If you return to work in biology research after completing the courses, the education is related to your present work even if you do not go back to work with the same employer.

Education during indefinite absence.

If you stop work for more than a year, your absence from your job is considered indefinite. Education during an indefinite absence, even if it maintains or improves skills needed in the work from which you are absent, is considered to qualify you for a new trade or business. Therefore, it is not qualifying work-related education.

Education To Meet Minimum Requirements

Education you need to meet the minimum educational requirements for your present trade or business is not qualifying work-related education. The minimum educational requirements are determined by:

Laws and regulations;
Standards of your profession, trade, or business; and
Your employer.

Once you have met the minimum educational requirements that were in effect when you were hired, you do not have to meet any new minimum educational requirements. This means that if the minimum requirements change after you were hired, any education you need to meet the new requirements can be qualifying education.

You have not necessarily met the minimum educational requirements of your trade or business simply because you are already doing the work.

Example 1.

You are a full-time engineering student. Although you have not received your degree or certification, you work part-time as an engineer for a firm that will employ you as a full-time engineer after you finish college. Although your college engineering courses improve your skills in your present job, they are also needed to meet the minimum job requirements for a full-time engineer. The education is not qualifying work-related education.

Example 2.

You are an accountant and you have met the minimum educational requirements of your employer. Your employer later changes the minimum educational requirements and requires you to take college courses to keep your job. These additional courses can be qualifying work-related education because you have already satisfied the minimum requirements that were in effect when you were hired.

Requirements for Teachers

States or school districts usually set the minimum educational requirements for teachers. The requirement is the college degree or the minimum number of college hours usually required of a person hired for that position.

If there are no requirements, you will have met the minimum educational requirements when you become a faculty member. The determination of whether you are a faculty member of an educational institution must be made on the basis of the particular practices of the institution. You generally will be considered a faculty member when one or more of the following occurs.

You have tenure.
Your years of service count toward obtaining tenure.
You have a vote in faculty decisions.
Your school makes contributions for you to a retirement plan other than social security or a similar program.

Example 1.

The law in your state requires beginning secondary school teachers to have a bachelor’s degree, including 10 professional education courses. In addition, to keep the job a teacher must complete a fifth year of training within 10 years from the date of hire. If the employing school certifies to the state Department of Education that qualified teachers cannot be found, the school can hire persons with only 3 years of college. However, to keep their jobs, these teachers must get a bachelor’s degree and the required professional education courses within 3 years.

Under these facts, the bachelor’s degree, whether or not it includes the 10 professional education courses, is considered the minimum educational requirement for qualification as a teacher in your state.

If you have all the required education except the fifth year, you have met the minimum educational requirements. The fifth year of training is qualifying work-related education unless it is part of a program of study that will qualify you for a new trade or business.

Figure 27-A. Does Your Work-Related Education Qualify?

Figure 27-A. Does Your Work-Related Education Qualify?”

Please click here for the text description of the image.

Example 2.

Assume the same facts as in Example 1 except that you have a bachelor’s degree and only six professional education courses. The additional four education courses can be qualifying work-related education. Although you do not have all the required courses, you have already met the minimum educational requirements.

Example 3.

Assume the same facts as in Example 1 except that you are hired with only 3 years of college. The courses you take that lead to a bachelor’s degree (including those in education) are not qualifying work-related education. They are needed to meet the minimum educational requirements for employment as a teacher.

Example 4.

You have a bachelor’s degree and you work as a temporary instructor at a university. At the same time, you take graduate courses toward an advanced degree. The rules of the university state that you can become a faculty member only if you get a graduate degree. Also, you can keep your job as an instructor only as long as you show satisfactory progress toward getting this degree. You have not met the minimum educational requirements to qualify you as a faculty member. The graduate courses are not qualifying work-related education.

Certification in a new state.

Once you have met the minimum educational requirements for teachers for your state, you are considered to have met the minimum educational requirements in all states. This is true even if you must get additional education to be certified in another state. Any additional education you need is qualifying work-related education. You have already met the minimum requirements for teaching. Teaching in another state is not a new trade or business.

Example.

You hold a permanent teaching certificate in State A and are employed as a teacher in that state for several years. You move to State B and are promptly hired as a teacher. You are required, however, to complete certain prescribed courses to get a permanent teaching certificate in State B. These additional courses are qualifying work-related education because the teaching position in State B involves the same general kind of work for which you were qualified in State A.

Education That Qualifies You for a New Trade or Business

Education that is part of a program of study that will qualify you for a new trade or business is not qualifying work-related education. This is true even if you do not plan to enter that trade or business.

If you are an employee, a change of duties that involves the same general kind of work is not a new trade or business.

Example 1.

You are an accountant. Your employer requires you to get a law degree at your own expense. You register at a law school for the regular curriculum that leads to a law degree. Even if you do not intend to become a lawyer, the education is not qualifying because the law degree will qualify you for a new trade or business.

Example 2.

You are a general practitioner of medicine. You take a 2-week course to review developments in several specialized fields of medicine. The course does not qualify you for a new profession. It is qualifying work-related education because it maintains or improves skills required in your present profession.

Example 3.

While working in the private practice of psychiatry, you enter a program to study and train at an accredited psychoanalytic institute. The program will lead to qualifying you to practice psychoanalysis. The psychoanalytic training does not qualify you for a new profession. It is qualifying work-related education because it maintains or improves skills required in your present profession.

Bar or CPA Review Course

Review courses to prepare for the bar examination or the certified public accountant (CPA) examination are not qualifying work-related education. They are part of a program of study that can qualify you for a new profession.

Teaching and Related Duties

All teaching and related duties are considered the same general kind of work. A change in duties in any of the following ways is not considered a change to a new business.

Elementary school teacher to secondary school teacher.
Teacher of one subject, such as biology, to teacher of another subject, such as art.
Classroom teacher to guidance counselor.
Classroom teacher to school administrator.

What Expenses Can Be Deducted?

If your education meets the requirements described earlier under Qualifying Work-Related Education , you can generally deduct your education expenses as business expenses. If you are not self-employed, you can deduct business expenses only if you itemize your deductions.

You cannot deduct expenses related to tax-exempt and excluded income.

Deductible expenses.

The following education expenses can be deducted.

Tuition, books, supplies, lab fees, and similar items.
Certain transportation and travel costs.
Other education expenses, such as costs of research and typing when writing a paper as part of an educational program.

Nondeductible expenses.

You cannot deduct personal or capital expenses. For example, you cannot deduct the dollar value of vacation time or annual leave you take to attend classes. This amount is a personal expense.

Unclaimed reimbursement.

If you do not claim reimbursement that you are entitled to receive from your employer, you cannot deduct the expenses that apply to that unclaimed reimbursement.

Example.

Your employer agrees to pay your education expenses if you file a voucher showing your expenses. You do not file a voucher, and you do not get reimbursed. Because you did not file a voucher, you cannot deduct the expenses on your tax return.

Transportation Expenses

If your education qualifies, you can deduct local transportation costs of going directly from work to school. If you are regularly employed and go to school on a temporary basis, you can also deduct the costs of returning from school to home.

Temporary basis.

You go to school on a temporary basis if either of the following situations applies to you.

Your attendance at school is realistically expected to last 1 year or less and does indeed last for 1 year or less.
Initially, your attendance at school is realistically expected to last 1 year or less, but at a later date your attendance is reasonably expected to last more than 1 year. Your attendance is temporary up to the date you determine it will last more than 1 year.

Note.

If you are in either situation (1) or (2), your attendance is not temporary if facts and circumstances indicate otherwise.

Attendance not on a temporary basis.

You do not go to school on a temporary basis if either of the following situations applies to you.

Your attendance at school is realistically expected to last more than 1 year. It does not matter how long you actually attend.
Initially, your attendance at school is realistically expected to last 1 year or less, but at a later date your attendance is reasonably expected to last more than 1 year. Your attendance is not temporary after the date you determine it will last more than 1 year.

Deductible Transportation Expenses

If you are regularly employed and go directly from home to school on a temporary basis, you can deduct the round-trip costs of transportation between your home and school. This is true regardless of the location of the school, the distance traveled, or whether you attend school on nonwork days.

Transportation expenses include the actual costs of bus, subway, cab, or other fares, as well as the costs of using your car. Transportation expenses do not include amounts spent for travel, meals, or lodging while you are away from home overnight.

Example 1.

You regularly work in a nearby town, and go directly from work to home. You also attend school every work night for 3 months to take a course that improves your job skills. Since you are attending school on a temporary basis, you can deduct your daily round-trip transportation expenses in going between home and school. This is true regardless of the distance traveled.

Example 2.

Assume the same facts as in Example 1 except that on certain nights you go directly from work to school and then home. You can deduct your transportation expenses from your regular work site to school and then home.

Example 3.

Assume the same facts as in Example 1 except that you attend the school for 9 months on Saturdays, nonwork days. Since you are attending school on a temporary basis, you can deduct your round-trip transportation expenses in going between home and school.

Example 4.

Assume the same facts as in Example 1 except that you attend classes twice a week for 15 months. Since your attendance in school is not considered temporary, you cannot deduct your transportation expenses in going between home and school. If you go directly from work to school, you can deduct the one-way transportation expenses of going from work to school. If you go from work to home to school and return home, your transportation expenses cannot be more than if you had gone directly from work to school.

Using your car.

If you use your car (whether you own or lease it) for transportation to school, you can deduct your actual expenses or use the standard mileage rate to figure the amount you can deduct. The standard mileage rate for miles driven from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017, is 53.5 cents a mile. Whichever method you use, you can also deduct parking fees and tolls. See chapter 26 for information on deducting your actual expenses of using a car.

Travel Expenses

You can deduct expenses for travel, meals (see 50% limit on meals , later), and lodging if you travel overnight mainly to obtain qualifying work-related education.

Travel expenses for qualifying work-related education are treated the same as travel expenses for other employee business purposes. For more information, see chapter 26.

You cannot deduct expenses for personal activities, such as sightseeing, visiting, or entertaining.

Mainly personal travel.

If your travel away from home is mainly personal, you cannot deduct all of your expenses for travel, meals, and lodging. You can deduct only your expenses for lodging and 50% of your expenses for meals during the time you attend the qualified educational activities.

Whether a trip’s purpose is mainly personal or educational depends upon the facts and circumstances. An important factor is the comparison of time spent on personal activities with time spent on educational activities. If you spend more time on personal activities, the trip is considered mainly educational only if you can show a substantial nonpersonal reason for traveling to a particular location.

Example 1.

John works in Newark, New Jersey. He traveled to Chicago to take a deductible 1-week course at the request of his employer. His main reason for going to Chicago was to take the course.

While there, he took a sightseeing trip, entertained some friends, and took a side trip to Pleasantville for a day.

Since the trip was mainly for business, John can deduct his round-trip airfare to Chicago. He cannot deduct his transportation expenses of going to Pleasantville. He can deduct only the meals (subject to the 50% limit) and lodging connected with his educational activities.

Example 2.

Sue works in Boston. She went to a university in Michigan to take a course for work. The course is qualifying work-related education.

She took one course, which is one-fourth of a full course load of study. She spent the rest of the time on personal activities. Her reasons for taking the course in Michigan were all personal.

Sue’s trip is mainly personal because three-fourths of her time is considered personal time. She cannot deduct the cost of her round-trip train ticket to Michigan. She can deduct one-fourth of the meals (subject to the 50% limit) and lodging costs for the time she attended the university.

Example 3.

Dave works in Nashville and recently traveled to California to take a 2-week seminar. The seminar is qualifying work-related education.

While there, he spent an extra 8 weeks on personal activities. The facts, including the extra 8-week stay, show that his main purpose was to take a vacation.

Dave cannot deduct his round-trip airfare or his meals and lodging for the 8 weeks. He can deduct only his expenses for meals (subject to the 50% limit) and lodging for the 2 weeks he attended the seminar.

Cruises and conventions.

Certain cruises and conventions offer seminars or courses as part of their itinerary. Even if the seminars or courses are work related, your deduction for travel may be limited. This applies to:

Travel by ocean liner, cruise ship, or other form of luxury water transportation; and
Conventions outside the North American area.

For a discussion of the limits on travel expense deductions that apply to cruises and conventions, see Luxury Water Travel and Conventions in chapter 1 of Pub. 463.

50% limit on meals.

You can deduct only 50% of the cost of your meals while traveling away from home to obtain qualifying work-related education. You cannot have been reimbursed for the meals.

Employees must use Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ to apply the 50% limit.

Travel as Education

You cannot deduct the cost of travel as a form of education even if it is directly related to your duties in your work or business.

Example.

You are a French language teacher. While on sabbatical leave granted for travel, you traveled through France to improve your knowledge of the French language. You chose your itinerary and most of your activities to improve your French language skills. You cannot deduct your travel expenses as education expenses. This is true even if you spent most of your time learning French by visiting French schools and families, attending movies or plays, and engaging in similar activities.

No Double Benefit Allowed

You cannot do either of the following.

Deduct work-related education expenses as business expenses if you benefit from these expenses under any other provision of the law (see chapter 35).
Deduct work-related education expenses paid with tax-free scholarship, grant, or employer-provided educational assistance.

Adjustments to Qualifying Work-Related Education Expenses

If you pay qualifying work-related education expenses with certain tax-free funds, you cannot claim a deduction for those amounts. You must reduce the qualifying expenses by the amount of such expenses allocable to the tax-free educational assistance.

Tax-free educational assistance includes:

The tax-free part of scholarships and fellowship grants (see chapter 1 of Pub. 970),
The tax-free part of Pell grants (see chapter 1 of Pub. 970),
The tax-free part of employer-provided educational assistance (see chapter 11 of Pub. 970),
Veterans’ educational assistance (see chapter 1 of Pub. 970), and
Any other nontaxable (tax-free) payments (other than gifts or inheritances) received for education assistance.

Amounts that do not reduce qualifying work-related education expenses.

Do not reduce the qualifying work-related education expenses by amounts paid with funds the student receives as:

Payment for services, such as wages;
A loan;
A gift;
An inheritance; or
A withdrawal from the student’s personal savings.

Also, do not reduce the qualifying work-related education expenses by any scholarship or fellowship grant reported as income on the student’s return or any scholarship which, by its terms, cannot be applied to qualifying work-related education expenses.

Reimbursements

How you treat reimbursements depends on the arrangement you have with your employer.

There are two basic types of reimbursement arrangements—accountable plans and nonaccountable plans. You can tell the type of plan you are reimbursed under by the way the reimbursement is reported on your Form W-2.

For information on how to treat reimbursements under both accountable and nonaccountable plans, see Reimbursements in chapter 26.

Deducting Business Expenses

Self-employed persons and employees report business expenses differently.

The following information explains what forms you must use to deduct the cost of your qualifying work-related education as a business expense.

Self-Employed Persons

If you are self-employed, report the cost of your qualifying work-related education on the appropriate form used to report your business income and expenses (generally, Schedule C, C-EZ, or F). If your educational expenses include expenses for a car or truck, travel, or meals, report those expenses the same way you report other business expenses for those items. See the instructions for the form you file for information on how to complete it.

Employees

If you are an employee, you can deduct the cost of qualifying work-related education only if you:

Did not receive (and were not entitled to receive) any reimbursement from your employer;
Were reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan (amount is included in box 1 of Form W-2); or
Received reimbursement under an accountable plan, but the amount received was less than your expenses for which you claimed reimbursement.

If either (1) or (2) applies, you can deduct the total qualifying cost. If (3) applies, you can deduct only the qualifying costs that were more than your reimbursement.

In order to deduct the cost of your qualifying work-related education as a business expense, include the amount with your deduction for any other employee business expenses on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21. (Special rules for expenses of certain performing artists and fee-basis officials and for impairment-related work expenses are explained later.)

This deduction (except for impairment-related work expenses of disabled individuals) is subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit that applies to most miscellaneous itemized deductions. See chapter 28 for more information.

Form 2106 or 2106-EZ.

To figure your deduction for employee business expenses, including qualifying work-related education, you generally must complete Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ.

Form not required.

Do not complete either Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ if:

Amounts included in box 1 of your Form W-2 are not considered reimbursements; and
You are not claiming travel, transportation, meal, or entertainment expenses.

If you meet both of these requirements, enter the expenses directly on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21. (Special rules for expenses of certain performing artists and fee-basis officials and for impairment-related work expenses are explained later.)

Using Form 2106-EZ.

This form is shorter and easier to use than Form 2106. Generally, you can use this form if:

All reimbursements, if any, are included in box 1 of your Form W-2; and
You are using the standard mileage rate if you are claiming vehicle expenses.

If you do not meet both of these requirements, use Form 2106.

Performing Artists and Fee-Basis Officials

If you are a qualified performing artist, or a state (or local) government official who is paid in whole or in part on a fee basis, you can deduct the cost of your qualifying work-related education as an adjustment to gross income rather than as an itemized deduction.

Include the cost of your qualifying work-related education with any other employee business expenses on Form 1040, line 24. You do not have to itemize your deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040), and, therefore, the deduction is not subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit. You must complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ to figure your deduction, even if you meet the requirements described earlier under Form not required .

For more information on qualified performing artists, see chapter 6 of Pub. 463.

Impairment-Related Work Expenses

If you are disabled and have impairment-related work expenses that are necessary for you to be able to get qualifying work-related education, you can deduct these expenses on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28. They are not subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit. To deduct these expenses, you must complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ even if you meet the requirements described earlier under Form not required .

For more information on impairment-related work expenses, see chapter 6 of Pub. 463.

Recordkeeping

You must keep records as proof of any deduction claimed on your tax return. Generally, you should keep your records for 3 years from the date of filing the tax return and claiming the deduction.

For specific information about keeping records of business expenses, see Recordkeeping in chapter 26.

28. Miscellaneous Deductions

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as the California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Standard mileage rate. The 2017 rate for business use of a vehicle is 53.5 cents a mile.

Introduction

This chapter explains which expenses you can claim as miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). You must reduce the total of most miscellaneous itemized deductions by 2% of your adjusted gross income. This chapter covers the following topics.

Deductions subject to the 2% limit.
Deductions not subject to the 2% limit.
Expenses you can’t deduct.

You must keep records to verify your deductions. You should keep receipts, canceled checks, substitute checks, financial account statements, and other documentary evidence. For more information on recordkeeping, see What Records Should I Keep? in chapter 1.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Publication

463Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses
525Taxable and Nontaxable Income
529Miscellaneous Deductions
535Business Expenses
587Business Use of Your Home (Including Use by Daycare Providers)
946How To Depreciate Property

Form (and Instructions)

Schedule A (Form 1040)Itemized Deductions
2106Employee Business Expenses
2106-EZUnreimbursed Employee Business Expenses

Deductions Subject to the 2% Limit

You can deduct certain expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A
(Form 1040). You can claim the amount of expenses that is more than 2% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). You figure your deduction on Schedule A by subtracting 2% of your AGI from the total amount of these expenses. Your AGI is the amount on Form 1040, line 38.

Generally, you apply the 2% limit after you apply any other deduction limit. For example, you apply the 50% (or 80%) limit on business-related meals and entertainment (discussed in chapter 26) before you apply the 2% limit.

Deductions subject to the 2% limit are discussed in the three categories in which you report them on Schedule A (Form 1040).

Unreimbursed employee expenses (line 21).
Tax preparation fees (line 22).
Other expenses (line 23).

Unreimbursed Employee Expenses (Line 21)

Generally, you can deduct on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21, unreimbursed employee expenses that are:

Paid or incurred during your tax year,
For carrying on your trade or business of being an employee, and
Ordinary and necessary.

An expense is ordinary if it’s common and accepted in your trade, business, or profession. An expense is necessary if it’s appropriate and helpful to your business. An expense doesn’t have to be required to be considered necessary.

Examples of unreimbursed employee expenses are listed next. The list is followed by discussions of additional unreimbursed employee expenses.

Business bad debt of an employee.
Education that is work related. See chapter 27.
Legal fees related to your job.
Licenses and regulatory fees.
Malpractice insurance premiums.
Medical examinations required by an employer.
Occupational taxes.
Passport for a business trip.
Subscriptions to professional journals and trade magazines related to your work.
Travel, transportation, entertainment, and gifts related to your work. See chapter 26.

Business Liability Insurance

You can deduct insurance premiums you paid for protection against personal liability for wrongful acts on the job.

Damages for Breach of Employment Contract

If you break an employment contract, you can deduct damages you pay your former employer that are attributable to the pay you received from that employer.

Depreciation on Computers

You can claim a depreciation deduction for a computer that you use in your work as an employee if its use is:

For the convenience of your employer, and
Required as a condition of your employment.

For more information about the rules and exceptions to the rules affecting the allowable deductions for a home computer, see Pub. 529.

Dues to Chambers of Commerce and Professional Societies

You may be able to deduct dues paid to professional organizations (such as bar associations and medical associations) and to chambers of commerce and similar organizations, if membership helps you carry out the duties of your job. Similar organizations include:

Boards of trade,
Business leagues,
Civic or public service organizations,
Real estate boards, and
Trade associations.

Lobbying and political activities.

You may not be able to deduct that part of your dues that is for certain lobbying and political activities. See Dues used for lobbying under Nondeductible Expenses, later.

Educator Expenses

If you were an eligible educator in 2017, you can deduct up to $250 of qualified expenses you paid in 2017 as an adjustment to gross income on Form 1040, line 23, rather than as a miscellaneous itemized deduction. If you file Form 1040A, you can deduct these expenses on line 16. If you and your spouse are filing jointly and both of you were eligible educators, the maximum deduction is $500. However, neither spouse can deduct more than $250 of his or her qualified expenses.

Home Office

If you use a part of your home regularly and exclusively for business purposes, you may be able to deduct a part of the operating expenses and depreciation of your home.

You can claim this deduction for the business use of a part of your home only if you use that part of your home regularly and exclusively:

As your principal place of business for any trade or business;
As a place to meet or deal with your patients, clients, or customers in the normal course of your trade or business; or
In the case of a separate structure not attached to your home, in connection with your trade or business.

The regular and exclusive business use must be for the convenience of your employer and not just appropriate and helpful in your job. See Pub. 587 for more detailed information and a worksheet.

Job Search Expenses

You can deduct certain expenses you have in looking for a new job in your present occupation, even if you don’t get a new job. You can’t deduct these expenses if:

You’re looking for a job in a new occupation,
There was a substantial break between the ending of your last job and your looking for a new one, or
You’re looking for a job for the first time.

Employment and outplacement agency fees.

You can deduct employment and outplacement agency fees you pay in looking for a new job in your present occupation.

Employer pays you back.

If, in a later year, your employer pays you back for employment agency fees, you must include the amount you receive in your gross income up to the amount of your tax benefit in the earlier year. SeeRecoveries in chapter 12.

Employer pays the employment agency.

If your employer pays the fees directly to the employment agency and you aren’t responsible for them, you don’t include them in your gross income.

Résumé.

You can deduct amounts you spend for preparing and mailing copies of a résumé to prospective employers if you’re looking for a new job in your present occupation.

Travel and transportation expenses.

If you travel to an area and, while there, you look for a new job in your present occupation, you may be able to deduct travel expenses to and from the area. You can deduct the travel expenses if the trip is primarily to look for a new job. The amount of time you spend on personal activity compared to the amount of time you spend in looking for work is important in determining whether the trip is primarily personal or is primarily to look for a new job.

Even if you can’t deduct the travel expenses to and from an area, you can deduct the expenses of looking for a new job in your present occupation while in the area.

You can choose to use the standard mileage rate to figure your car expenses. The 2017 rate for business use of a vehicle is 53.5 cents a mile. See chapter 26 for more information.

Licenses and Regulatory Fees

You can deduct the amount you pay each year to state or local governments for licenses and regulatory fees for your trade, business, or profession.

Occupational Taxes

You can deduct an occupational tax charged at a flat rate by a locality for the privilege of working or conducting a business in the locality. If you’re an employee, you can claim occupational taxes only as a miscellaneous deduction subject to the 2% limit; you can’t claim them as a deduction for taxes elsewhere on your return.

Repayment of Income Aid Payment

An “income aid payment” is one that is received under an employer’s plan to aid employees who lose their jobs because of lack of work. If you repay a lump-sum income aid payment that you received and included in income in an earlier year, you can deduct the repayment.

Research Expenses of a College Professor

If you’re a college professor, you can deduct research expenses, including travel expenses, for teaching, lecturing, or writing and publishing on subjects that relate directly to your teaching duties. You must have undertaken the research as a means of carrying out the duties expected of a professor and without expectation of profit apart from salary. However, you can’t deduct the cost of travel as a form of education.

Tools Used in Your Work

Generally, you can deduct amounts you spend for tools used in your work if the tools wear out and are thrown away within 1 year from the date of purchase. You can depreciate the cost of tools that have a useful life substantially beyond the tax year. For more information about depreciation, see Pub. 946.

Union Dues and Expenses

You can deduct dues and initiation fees you pay for union membership.

You can also deduct assessments for benefit payments to unemployed union members. However, you can’t deduct the part of the assessments or contributions that provides funds for the payment of sick, accident, or death benefits. Also, you can’t deduct contributions to a pension fund, even if the union requires you to make the contributions.

You may not be able to deduct amounts you pay to the union that are related to certain lobbying and political activities. See Lobbying Expenses under Nondeductible Expenses, later.

Work Clothes and Uniforms

You can deduct the cost and upkeep of work clothes if the following two requirements are met.

You must wear them as a condition of your employment.
The clothes aren’t suitable for everyday wear.

It isn’t enough that you wear distinctive clothing. The clothing must be specifically required by your employer. Nor is it enough that you don’t, in fact, wear your work clothes away from work. The clothing must not be suitable for taking the place of your regular clothing.

Examples of workers who may be able to deduct the cost and upkeep of work clothes are: delivery workers, firefighters, health care workers, law enforcement officers, letter carriers, professional athletes, and transportation workers (air, rail, bus, etc.).

Musicians and entertainers can deduct the cost of theatrical clothing and accessories that aren’t suitable for everyday wear.

However, work clothing consisting of white cap, white shirt or white jacket, white bib overalls, and standard work shoes, which a painter is required by his union to wear on the job, isn’t distinctive in character or in the nature of a uniform. Similarly, the costs of buying and maintaining blue work clothes worn by a welder at the request of a foreman aren’t deductible.

Protective clothing.

You can deduct the cost of protective clothing required in your work, such as safety shoes or boots, safety glasses, hard hats, and work gloves.

Examples of workers who may be required to wear safety items are: carpenters, cement workers, chemical workers, electricians, fishing boat crew members, machinists, oil field workers, pipe fitters, steamfitters, and truck drivers.

Military uniforms.

You generally can’t deduct the cost of your uniforms if you’re on full-time active duty in the armed forces. However, if you’re an armed forces reservist, you can deduct the unreimbursed cost of your uniform if military regulations restrict you from wearing it except while on duty as a reservist. In figuring the deduction, you must reduce the cost by any nontaxable allowance you receive for these expenses.

If local military rules don’t allow you to wear fatigue uniforms when you’re off duty, you can deduct the amount by which the cost of buying and keeping up these uniforms is more than the uniform allowance you receive.

You can deduct the cost of your uniforms if you’re a civilian faculty or staff member of a military school.

Tax Preparation Fees (Line 22)

You can usually deduct tax preparation fees in the year you pay them. Thus, on your 2017 return, you can deduct fees paid in 2017 for preparing your 2016 return. These fees include the cost of tax preparation software programs and tax publications. They also include any fee you paid for electronic filing of your return.

Other Expenses (Line 23)

You can deduct certain other expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% limit. On Schedule A (Form 1040), line 23, you can deduct expenses that you pay:

To produce or collect income that must be included in your gross income;
To manage, conserve, or maintain property held for producing such income; or
To determine, contest, pay, or claim a refund of any tax.

You can deduct expenses you pay for the purposes in (1) and (2) above only if they are reasonably and closely related to these purposes. Some of these other expenses are explained in the following discussions.

If the expenses you pay produce income that is only partially taxable, see Tax-Exempt Income Expenses , later, under Nondeductible Expenses.

Appraisal Fees

You can deduct appraisal fees if you pay them to figure a casualty loss or the fair market value of donated property.

Casualty and Theft Losses

You can deduct a casualty or theft loss as a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the 2% limit if you used the damaged or stolen property in performing services as an employee. First report the loss in Section B of Form 4684, Casualties and Thefts. You may also have to include the loss on Form 4797, Sales of Business Property, if you’re otherwise required to file that form. To figure your deduction, add all casualty or theft losses from this type of property included on Form 4684, lines 32 and 38b, or Form 4797, line 18a. For other casualty and theft losses, see chapter 25.

Clerical Help and Office Rent

You can deduct office expenses, such as rent and clerical help, that you have in connection with your investments and collecting the taxable income on them.

Credit or Debit Card Convenience Fees

You can deduct the convenience fee charged by the card processor for paying your income tax (including estimated tax payments) by credit or debit card. The fees are deductible in the year paid.

Depreciation on Home Computer

You can deduct depreciation on your home computer if you use it to produce income (for example, to manage your investments that produce taxable income). You generally must depreciate the computer using the straight line method over the Alternative Depreciation System (ADS) recovery period. But if you work as an employee and also use the computer in that work, see Pub. 946.

Excess Deductions of an Estate

If an estate’s total deductions in its last tax year are more than its gross income for that year, the beneficiaries succeeding to the estate’s property can deduct the excess. Don’t include deductions for the estate’s personal exemption and charitable contributions when figuring the estate’s total deductions. The beneficiaries can claim the deduction only for the tax year in which, or with which, the estate terminates, whether the year of termination is a normal year or a short tax year. For more information, see Termination of Estate in Pub. 559.

Fees To Collect Interest and Dividends

You can deduct fees you pay to a broker, bank, trustee, or similar agent to collect your taxable bond interest or dividends on shares of stock. But you can’t deduct a fee you pay to a broker to buy investment property, such as stocks or bonds. You must add the fee to the cost of the property.

You can’t deduct the fee you pay to a broker to sell securities. You can use the fee only to figure gain or loss from the sale. See the Instructions for Form 8949 for information on how to report the fee.

Hobby Expenses

You can generally deduct hobby expenses, but only up to the amount of hobby income. A hobby isn’t a business because it isn’t carried on to make a profit. See Activity not for profit in chapter 12 under Other Income.

Indirect Deductions of Pass-Through Entities

Pass-through entities include partnerships, S corporations, and mutual funds that aren’t publicly offered. Deductions of pass-through entities are passed through to the partners or shareholders. The partners or shareholders can deduct their share of passed-through deductions for investment expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% limit.

Example.

You’re a member of an investment club that is formed solely to invest in securities. The club is treated as a partnership. The partnership’s income is solely from taxable dividends, interest, and gains from sales of securities. In this case, you can deduct your share of the partnership’s operating expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% limit. However, if the investment club partnership has investments that also produce nontaxable income, you can’t deduct your share of the partnership’s expenses that produce the nontaxable income.

Publicly offered mutual funds.

Publicly offered mutual funds don’t pass deductions for investment expenses through to shareholders. A mutual fund is “publicly offered” if it’s:

Continuously offered pursuant to a public offering,
Regularly traded on an established securities market, or
Held by or for at least 500 persons at all times during the tax year.

A publicly offered mutual fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV, Dividends and Distributions, or a substitute form, showing the net amount of dividend income (gross dividends minus investment expenses). This net figure is the amount you report on your return as income. You can’t further deduct investment expenses related to publicly offered mutual funds because they are already included as part of the net income amount.

Information returns.

You should receive information returns from pass-through entities.

Partnerships and S corporations.

These entities issue Schedule K-1, which lists the items and amounts you must report and identifies the tax return schedules and lines to use.

Nonpublicly offered mutual funds.

These funds will send you a Form 1099-DIV, or a substitute form, showing your share of gross income and investment expenses. You can claim the expenses only as a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the 2% limit.

Investment Fees and Expenses

You can deduct investment fees, custodial fees, trust administration fees, and other expenses you paid for managing your investments that produce taxable income.

Legal Expenses

You can usually deduct legal expenses that you incur in attempting to produce or collect taxable income or that you pay in connection with the determination, collection, or refund of any tax.

You can also deduct legal expenses that are:

Related to either doing or keeping your job, such as those you paid to defend yourself against criminal charges arising out of your trade or business;
For tax advice related to a divorce, if the bill specifies how much is for tax advice and it’s determined in a reasonable way; or
To collect taxable alimony.

You can deduct expenses of resolving tax issues relating to profit or loss from business (Schedule C or C-EZ), rentals or royalties (Schedule E), or farm income and expenses (Schedule F) on the appropriate schedule. You deduct expenses of resolving nonbusiness tax issues on Schedule A (Form 1040). See Tax Preparation Fees , earlier.

Loss on Deposits

For information on whether, and if so, how, you may deduct a loss on your deposit in a qualified financial institution, see Loss on Deposits in chapter 25.

Repayments of Income

If you had to repay an amount that you included in income in an earlier year, you may be able to deduct the amount you repaid. If the amount you had to repay was ordinary income of $3,000 or less, the deduction is subject to the 2% limit. If it was more than $3,000, see Repayments Under Claim of Right under Deductions Not Subject to the 2% Limit, later.

Repayments of Social Security Benefits

For information on how to deduct your repayments of certain social security benefits, see Repayments More Than Gross Benefits in chapter 11.

Safe Deposit Box Rent

You can deduct safe deposit box rent if you use the box to store taxable income-producing stocks, bonds, or investment-related papers and documents. You can’t deduct the rent if you use the box only for jewelry, other personal items, or tax-exempt securities.

Service Charges on Dividend Reinvestment Plans

You can deduct service charges you pay as a subscriber in a dividend reinvestment plan. These service charges include payments for:

Holding shares acquired through a plan,
Collecting and reinvesting cash dividends, and
Keeping individual records and providing detailed statements of accounts.

Trustee’s Administrative Fees for IRA

Trustee’s administrative fees that are billed separately and paid by you in connection with your individual retirement arrangement (IRA) are deductible (if they are ordinary and necessary) as a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the 2% limit. For more information about IRAs, see chapter 17.

Deductions Not Subject to the 2% Limit

You can deduct the items listed below as miscellaneous itemized deductions. They aren’t subject to the 2% limit. Report these items on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28.

List of Deductions

Each of the following items is discussed in detail after the list (except where indicated).

Amortizable premium on taxable bonds.
Casualty and theft losses from income- producing property.
Federal estate tax on income in respect of a decedent.
Gambling losses up to the amount of gambling winnings.
Impairment-related work expenses of persons with disabilities.
Loss from other activities from Schedule K-1 (Form 1065-B), box 2.
Losses from Ponzi-type investment schemes. See Losses from Ponzi-type investment schemesunder Theft in chapter 25.
Repayments of more than $3,000 under a claim of right.
Unrecovered investment in an annuity.

Amortizable Premium on Taxable Bonds

In general, if the amount you pay for a bond is greater than its stated principal amount, the excess is bond premium. You can elect to amortize the premium on taxable bonds. The amortization of the premium is generally an offset to interest income on the bond rather than a separate deduction item.

Part of the premium on some bonds may be a miscellaneous deduction not subject to the 2% limit. For more information, see Amortizable Premium on Taxable Bonds in Pub. 529, and Bond Premium Amortization in chapter 3 of Pub. 550, Investment Income and Expenses.

Casualty and Theft Losses of Income-Producing Property

You can deduct a casualty or theft loss as a miscellaneous itemized deduction not subject to the 2% limit if the damaged or stolen property was income-producing property (property held for investment, such as stocks, notes, bonds, gold, silver, vacant lots, and works of art). First, report the loss in Form 4684, Section B. You may also have to include the loss on Form 4797, if you’re otherwise required to file that form. To figure your deduction, add all casualty or theft losses from this type of property included on Form 4684, lines 32 and 38b, or Form 4797, line 18a. For more information on casualty and theft losses, see chapter 25.

Federal Estate Tax on Income in Respect of a Decedent

You can deduct the federal estate tax attributable to income in respect of a decedent that you as a beneficiary include in your gross income. Income in respect of the decedent is gross income that the decedent would have received had death not occurred and that wasn’t properly includible in the decedent’s final income tax return. See Pub. 559 for more information.

Gambling Losses up to the Amount of Gambling Winnings

You must report the full amount of your gambling winnings for the year on Form 1040, line 21. You deduct your gambling losses for the year on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28. You can’t deduct gambling losses that are more than your winnings.

You can’t reduce your gambling winnings by your gambling losses and report the difference. You must report the full amount of your winnings as income and claim your losses (up to the amount of winnings) as an itemized deduction. Therefore, your records should show your winnings separately from your losses.

Diary of winnings and losses. You must keep an accurate diary or similar record of your losses and winnings.

Your diary should contain at least the following information.

The date and type of your specific wager or wagering activity.
The name and address or location of the gambling establishment.
The names of other persons present with you at the gambling establishment.
The amount(s) you won or lost.

See Pub. 529 for more information.

Impairment-Related Work Expenses

If you have a physical or mental disability that limits your being employed, or substantially limits one or more of your major life activities, such as performing manual tasks, walking, speaking, breathing, learning, and working, you can deduct your impairment-related work expenses.

Impairment-related work expenses are ordinary and necessary business expenses for attendant care services at your place of work and for other expenses in connection with your place of work that are necessary for you to be able to work.

Self-employed.

If you’re self-employed, enter your impairment-related work expenses on the appropriate form (Schedule C, C-EZ, E, or F) used to report your business income and expenses.

Loss From Other Activities From Schedule K-1 (Form 1065-B), Box 2

If the amount reported in Schedule K-1 (Form 1065-B), box 2, is a loss, report it on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28. It isn’t subject to the passive activity limitations.

Repayments Under Claim of Right

If you had to repay more than $3,000 that you included in your income in an earlier year because at the time you thought you had an unrestricted right to it, you may be able to deduct the amount you repaid or take a credit against your tax. See Repayments in chapter 12 for more information.

Unrecovered Investment in Annuity

A retiree who contributed to the cost of an annuity can exclude from income a part of each payment received as a tax-free return of the retiree’s investment. If the retiree dies before the entire investment is recovered tax free, any unrecovered investment can be deducted on the retiree’s final income tax return. See chapter 10 for more information about the tax treatment of pensions and annuities.

Nondeductible Expenses

Examples of nondeductible expenses are listed next. The list is followed by discussions of additional nondeductible expenses.

List of Nondeductible Expenses

Broker’s commissions that you paid in connection with your IRA or other investment property.
Burial or funeral expenses, including the cost of a cemetery lot.
Capital expenses.
Fees and licenses, such as car licenses, marriage licenses, and dog tags.

Hobby losses, but see Hobby Expenses, earlier.
Home repairs, insurance, and rent.
Illegal bribes and kickbacks. See Bribes and kickbacks in chapter 11 of Pub. 535.

Losses from the sale of your home, furniture, personal car, etc.
Personal disability insurance premiums.
Personal, living, or family expenses.
The value of wages never received or lost vacation time.

Adoption Expenses

You can’t deduct the expenses of adopting a child, but you may be able to take a credit for those expenses. See chapter 38.

Campaign Expenses

You can’t deduct campaign expenses of a candidate for any office, even if the candidate is running for reelection to the office. These include qualification and registration fees for primary elections.

Legal fees.

You can’t deduct legal fees paid to defend charges that arise from participation in a political campaign.

Check-Writing Fees on Personal Account

If you have a personal checking account, you can’t deduct fees charged by the bank for the privilege of writing checks, even if the account pays interest.

Club Dues

Generally, you can’t deduct the cost of membership in any club organized for business, pleasure, recreation, or other social purpose. This includes business, social, athletic, luncheon, sporting, airline, hotel, golf, and country clubs.

You can’t deduct dues paid to an organization if one of its main purposes is to:

Conduct entertainment activities for members or their guests, or
Provide members or their guests with access to entertainment facilities.

Dues paid to airline, hotel, and luncheon clubs aren’t deductible.

Commuting Expenses

You can’t deduct commuting expenses (the cost of transportation between your home and your main or regular place of work). If you haul tools, instruments, or other items in your car to and from work, you can deduct only the additional cost of hauling the items such as the rent on a trailer to carry the items.

Fines or Penalties

You can’t deduct fines or penalties you pay to a governmental unit for violating a law. This includes an amount paid in settlement of your actual or potential liability for a fine or penalty (civil or criminal). Fines or penalties include parking tickets, tax penalties, and penalties deducted from teachers’ paychecks after an illegal strike.

Health Spa Expenses

You can’t deduct health spa expenses, even if there is a job requirement to stay in excellent physical condition, such as might be required of a law enforcement officer.

Home Security System

You can’t deduct the cost of a home security system as a miscellaneous deduction. However, you may be able to claim a deduction for a home security system as a business expense if you have a home office. See Home Officeunder Unreimbursed Employee Expenses, earlier, and Security system under Figuring the Deduction in Pub. 587.

Investment-Related Seminars

You can’t deduct any expenses for attending a convention, seminar, or similar meeting for investment purposes.

Life Insurance Premiums

You can’t deduct premiums you pay on your life insurance. You may be able to deduct, as alimony, premiums you pay on life insurance policies assigned to your former spouse. See chapter 18 for information on alimony.

Lobbying Expenses

You generally can’t deduct amounts paid or incurred for lobbying expenses. These include expenses to:

Influence legislation;
Participate or intervene in any political campaign for, or against, any candidate for public office;
Attempt to influence the general public, or segments of the public, about elections, legislative matters, or referendums; or
Communicate directly with covered executive branch officials in any attempt to influence the official actions or positions of those officials.

Lobbying expenses also include any amounts paid or incurred for research, preparation, planning, or coordination of any of these activities.

Dues used for lobbying.

If a tax-exempt organization notifies you that part of the dues or other amounts you pay to the organization are used to pay nondeductible lobbying expenses, you can’t deduct that part. SeeLobbying Expenses in Pub. 529 for information on exceptions.

Lost or Mislaid Cash or Property

You can’t deduct a loss based on the mere disappearance of money or property. However, an accidental loss or disappearance of property can qualify as a casualty if it results from an identifiable event that is sudden, unexpected, or unusual. See chapter 25.

Example.

A car door is accidentally slammed on your hand, breaking the setting of your diamond ring. The diamond falls from the ring and is never found. The loss of the diamond is a casualty.

Lunches With Co-workers

You can’t deduct the expenses of lunches with co-workers, except while traveling away from home on business. See chapter 26 for information on deductible expenses while traveling away from home.

Meals While Working Late

You can’t deduct the cost of meals while working late. However, you may be able to claim a deduction if the cost of meals is a deductible entertainment expense, or if you’re traveling away from home. See chapter 26 for information on deductible entertainment expenses and expenses while traveling away from home.

Personal Legal Expenses

You can’t deduct personal legal expenses such as those for the following.

Custody of children.
Breach of promise to marry suit.
Civil or criminal charges resulting from a personal relationship.
Damages for personal injury, except for certain unlawful discrimination and whistleblower claims.
Preparation of a title (or defense or perfection of a title).
Preparation of a will.
Property claims or property settlement in a divorce.

You can’t deduct these expenses even if a result of the legal proceeding is the loss of income-producing property.

Political Contributions

You can’t deduct contributions made to a political candidate, a campaign committee, or a newsletter fund. Advertisements in convention bulletins and admissions to dinners or programs that benefit a political party or political candidate aren’t deductible.

Professional Accreditation Fees

You can’t deduct professional accreditation fees such as the following.

Accounting certificate fees paid for the initial right to practice accounting.
Bar exam fees and incidental expenses in securing initial admission to the bar.
Medical and dental license fees paid to get initial licensing.

Professional Reputation

You can’t deduct expenses of radio and TV appearances to increase your personal prestige or establish your professional reputation.

Relief Fund Contributions

You can’t deduct contributions paid to a private plan that pays benefits to any covered employee who can’t work because of any injury or illness not related to the job.

Residential Telephone Service

You can’t deduct any charge (including taxes) for basic local telephone service for the first telephone line to your residence, even if it’s used in a trade or business.

Stockholders’ Meetings

You can’t deduct transportation and other expenses you pay to attend stockholders’ meetings of companies in which you own stock but have no other interest. You can’t deduct these expenses even if you’re attending the meeting to get information that would be useful in making further investments.

Tax-Exempt Income Expenses

You can’t deduct expenses to produce tax-exempt income. You can’t deduct interest on a debt incurred or continued to buy or carry
tax-exempt securities.

If you have expenses to produce both taxable and tax-exempt income, but you can’t identify the expenses that produce each type of income, you must divide the expenses based on the amount of each type of income to determine the amount that you can deduct.

Example.

During the year, you received taxable interest of $4,800 and tax-exempt interest of $1,200. In earning this income, you had total expenses of $500 during the year. You can’t identify the amount of each expense item that is for each income item. Therefore, 80% ($4,800/$6,000) of the expense is for the taxable interest and 20% ($1,200/$6,000) is for the tax-exempt interest. You can deduct, subject to the 2% limit, expenses of $400 (80% of $500).

Travel Expenses for Another Individual

You generally can’t deduct travel expenses you pay or incur for a spouse, dependent, or other individual who accompanies you (or your employee) on business or personal travel unless the spouse, dependent, or other individual is an employee of the taxpayer, the travel is for a bona fide business purpose, and such expenses would otherwise be deductible by the spouse, dependent, or other individual. See chapter 26 for more information on deductible travel expenses.

Voluntary Unemployment Benefit Fund Contributions

You can’t deduct voluntary unemployment benefit fund contributions you make to a union fund or a private fund. However, you can deduct contributions as taxes if state law requires you to make them to a state unemployment fund that covers you for the loss of wages from unemployment caused by business conditions.

Wristwatches

You can’t deduct the cost of a wristwatch, even if there is a job requirement that you know the correct time to properly perform your duties.

29. Limit on Itemized Deductions

What’s New

At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would do the following.

Provide additional tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and tax relief for those affected by other 2017 disasters, such as California wildfires.
Extend certain tax benefits that expired at the end of 2016 and that currently can’t be claimed on your 2017 tax return.
Change certain other tax provisions.

To learn whether this legislation was enacted, resulting in changes that affect your 2017 tax return, go to Recent Developments at IRS.gov/Pub17.

Disaster tax relief. Disaster relief was enacted for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, including a provision that may allow you to treat certain gifts made by cash or check as qualified contributions not subject to the limit on itemized deductions. See Pub. 976, Disaster Relief, for more information.

Introduction

This chapter discusses the overall limit on itemized deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). The following topics are included.

Who is subject to the limit.
Which itemized deductions are limited.
How to figure the limit.

Useful Items – You may want to see:

Forms (and Instructions)

Schedule A (Form 1040)Itemized Deductions

Are You Subject to the Limit?

You are subject to the limit on certain itemized deductions if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is more than $313,800 if married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), $287,650 if head of household, $261,500 if single, or $156,900 if married filing separately. Your AGI is the amount on Form 1040, line 38.

Which Itemized Deductions Are Limited?

The following Schedule A (Form 1040) deductions are subject to the overall limit on itemized deductions.

Taxes paid—line 9.
Interest paid*—lines 10, 11, and 12.
Gifts to charity (other than qualified contributions)—line 19.
Job expenses and certain miscellaneous deductions—line 27.
Other miscellaneous deductions—line 28, excluding gambling and casualty or theft losses.

*If Congress extends the deduction for mortgage insurance premiums, any amount included on line 13 will be included in this list of amounts subject to the overall limit on itemized deductions.

Which Itemized Deductions Aren’t Limited?

The following Schedule A (Form 1040) deductions aren’t subject to the overall limit on itemized deductions. However, they are still subject to other applicable limits.

Medical and dental expenses—line 4.
Investment interest expense—line 14.
Gifts by cash or check that you elect to treat as qualified contributions—included on line 16.
Casualty and theft losses of personal use property—line 20.
Casualty and theft losses of income-producing property—included on line 28.
Gambling losses—included on line 28.

How Do You Figure the Limit?

If you are subject to the limit, the total of all your itemized deductions is reduced by the smaller of:

80% of your itemized deductions that are subject to the overall limit (see Which Itemized Deductions Are Limited, earlier); or
3% of the amount by which your AGI exceeds $313,800 if married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), $287,650 if head of household, $261,500 if single, or $156,900 if married filing separately.

Before you figure the overall limit on itemized deductions, you first must complete Schedule A (Form 1040), lines 1 through 28, including any related forms (such as Form 2106, Form 4684, etc.).

The overall limit on itemized deductions is figured after you have applied any other limit on the allowance of any itemized deduction. These other limits include charitable contribution limits (chapter 24), the limit on certain meal and entertainment expenses (chapter 26), and the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit on certain miscellaneous deductions (chapter 28).

Itemized Deductions Worksheet.

After you have completed Schedule A (Form 1040) through line 28, you can use the Itemized Deductions Worksheet in the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040) to figure your limit. Enter the result on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 29. Keep the worksheet for your records.

You should compare the amount of your standard deduction to the amount of your itemized deductions after applying the limit. Use the greater amount when completing Form 1040, line 40. See chapter 20 for information on how to figure your standard deduction.

Example

For tax year 2017, Bill and Terry Willow are filing a joint return on Form 1040. Their adjusted gross income on line 38 is $325,500. Their Schedule A itemized deductions are as follows:

Taxes paid—line 9	$ 17,900
Interest paid*—lines 10, 11, and 12	45,000
Investment interest expense—line 14	41,000
Gifts to charity—line 19	21,000
Job expenses—line 27	17,240
Total	$142,140
*If Congress extends the deduction for mortgage insurance premiums, any amount on line 13 will be included in the total amount of interest paid.

The Willows’ investment interest expense deduction ($41,000 from Schedule A (Form 1040), line 14) isn’t subject to the overall limit on itemized deductions.

To figure their overall limit, the Willows use the Itemized Deductions Worksheet in the Schedule A (Form 1040) instructions. They figure that the smaller of 80% of their itemized deductions that are subject to the overall limit and 3% of the amount by which their adjusted gross income exceeds $313,800 is $351. Of their $142,140 total itemized deductions, the Willows can deduct only $141,789 ($142,140 – $351). They enter $141,789 on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 29.