What kind of work expenses can you deduct on your taxes?

Asked by: Dr. Dayne Windler I  |  Last update: October 23, 2025
Score: 5/5 (62 votes)

You can deduct only 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 is common and accepted in your trade, business, or profession.

What expenses can I report in my taxes?

You can deduct these expenses whether you take the standard deduction or itemize:
  • Alimony payments.
  • Business use of your car.
  • Business use of your home.
  • Money you put in an IRA.
  • Money you put in health savings accounts.
  • Penalties on early withdrawals from savings.
  • Student loan interest.
  • Teacher expenses.

What expenses are 100% deductible?

What Is a 100 Percent Tax Deduction?
  • Furniture purchased entirely for office use is 100 percent deductible in the year of purchase.
  • Office equipment, such as computers, printers and scanners are 100 percent deductible.
  • Business travel and its associated costs, like car rentals, hotels, etc. is 100 percent deductible.

How much of your cell phone bill can you deduct?

What can I deduct for cell phone use? You can 30% of the data, messaging, and talk costs related to business. ¹ To deduct the expense, you would need to calculate the business-use percentage of the cell phone on a month-by-month basis.

What expenses qualify for deductions?

Personal deductions

Qualified residence interest. State and local income or sales taxes and property taxes up to an aggregate of USD 10,000. Medical expenses, certain casualty, disaster, and theft losses, and charitable contributions, subject to limitations.

What is a Tax Write-Off and Tax Deduction for Small Businesses?

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What work expenses are tax-deductible?

You can deduct only 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 is common and accepted in your trade, business, or profession.

How to get $7000 tax refund?

Who can claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)?
  1. Have investment income of less than $11,600 in tax year 2024.
  2. Have a valid Social Security number by the due date of your 2024 return.
  3. Be a U.S. citizen or resident alien for the entire year.
  4. Not file Form 2555 (foreign earned income)

Can I write off my internet bill if I work from home?

Calculating Your Internet Deduction. Internet expenses associated with your home office are deductible on the “Utilities” line of Form 8829. Expenses associated with an office in the home either are considered a direct expense or an indirect expense.

Is car insurance tax deductible?

If you only use your car for personal use, then you likely can't deduct your car insurance premiums from your taxable income. Generally, you need to use your vehicle for business-related reasons (other than as an employee) to deduct part of your car insurance premiums as a business expense.

What percent of my internet bill can I write off?

For example, pretend you use your internet for client communications 40% of the time, and for Netflix, TikTok, and online shopping the other 60% of the time. You can only write off 40% of your internet bill.

How to get a $10,000 tax refund?

CAEITC
  1. Be 18 or older or have a qualifying child.
  2. Have earned income of at least $1.00 and not more than $30,000.
  3. Have a valid Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for yourself, your spouse, and any qualifying children.
  4. Living in California for more than half of the tax year.

Can you write-off clothes for work?

Work clothes are tax deductible if your employer requires you to wear them everyday but they cannot be worn as everyday wear, such as a uniform. However, if your employer requires you to wear suits – which can be worn as everyday wear – you cannot deduct their cost even if you never wear the suits outside of work.

What is the most common deductible?

$500 is the most common car insurance deductible. Not every type of car insurance coverage uses a deductible. A higher car deductible can lower your insurance premium. You pick your deductible when buying insurance.

What household expenses can you claim on taxes?

Deductible house-related expenses
  • Insurance including fire and comprehensive coverage and title insurance.
  • The amount applied to reduce the principal of the mortgage.
  • Wages paid to domestic help.
  • Depreciation.
  • The cost of utilities, such as gas, electricity or water.
  • Most settlement or closing costs.

Can a car be a tax write-off?

If you use your car only for business purposes, you may deduct its entire cost of ownership and operation (subject to limits discussed later). However, if you use the car for both business and personal purposes, you may deduct only the cost of its business use.

How to increase tax refund?

4 ways to increase your tax refund come tax time
  1. Consider your filing status. Believe it or not, your filing status can significantly impact your tax liability. ...
  2. Explore tax credits. Tax credits are a valuable source of tax savings. ...
  3. Make use of tax deductions. ...
  4. Take year-end tax moves.

What can I write-off on my taxes?

And don't forget startup, advertising, and retirement plan costs.
  • Retirement Plan Contributions Deduction. ...
  • Self-Employment Tax Deduction. ...
  • Home Office Deduction. ...
  • Health Insurance Premiums Deduction. ...
  • Internet and Phone Bills Deduction. ...
  • Meals Deduction. ...
  • Travel Deduction. ...
  • Vehicle Use Deduction.

Is it better to write-off gas or mileage?

Writing off mileage by the standard IRS mileage method requires less documentation and hence is simpler. However, if you own a vehicle that has a high road tax, or uses a lot of fuel, writing off the gas and other expenses can give you a higher tax deduction and actually cover your business mileage costs.

Can I write-off health insurance?

Health insurance tax deductions for the self-employed

Most self-employed individuals who pay for health, dental, and qualified long-term care can deduct the cost of premiums. Premium payments made for spouse and dependent coverage can also be tax-deductible.

Can I claim my cell phone bill on my taxes?

You can qualify for a cell phone tax deduction from cell phone charges incurred when the mobile phone is being used exclusively for business. There is not an IRS cell phone deduction for self employed people, exclusively.

How much of my electric bill can I write off?

Electricity and Gas Write-offs

The amount of the write-off for these utilities is determined by the percentage of the home that is used for business purposes. For example, if 20% of your home is used for business, you can write off 20% of your electricity and gas costs.

Can you write off rent on taxes?

Tax deductions for renters by state

California: If you paid rent for at least half of the year and make less than $50,746 for single filers or married filing separately (or $101,492 for married filing jointly, head of household, or qualified widower), you may be eligible for a tax credit of $60 – $120.

What disqualifies you from earned income credit?

You can't claim the EIC unless your investment income is $11,600 or less. If your investment income is more than $11,600, you can't claim the credit. Use Worksheet 1 in this chapter to figure your investment income.

What's the biggest tax refund ever?

In what could be the most amazing tax move ever, a Georgia woman filed a $94 MILLION tax refund! You have to make over $1.6 billion dollars in income to pay $94 million taxes with Georgia's 6% state income tax rate. Sure, it's possible to make $1.6+ billion dollars, but probably not by this woman.

How to easily calculate tax refund?

Simple Summary. Every year, your refund is calculated as the amount withheld for federal income tax, minus your total federal income tax for the year.