Can I Claim Home to Work Travel As a Deduction? It seems that everyone is looking for ways to find those extra few deduction dollars these days, and one of the most popular places where people look for opportunities is in their travel expenses. Now, as travel expenses can be quite costly, given the price of gas these days, it is natural to try and claim back some of those travel expenses between home and work. However, there are quite a few details you should be aware of before you start claiming deductions to make sure that you stay on the right side of the law.

Claiming travel expenses between home and work in many situations is completely acceptable, but there are also plenty of instances where it is not considered a valid deduction. To keep yourself, your company, and your bank account protected, make sure you are aware of these key guidelines before claiming expenses on your next tax form. You may claim home to work travel expenses if…

• You travel directly from one job to a second job
• You work from home and then travel to an alternative location where you are also working for the same company or employer
• You travel consistently throughout the day to different sites, such as a government inspector, etc.
• Your job requires the transportation and storage at another site of bulky equipment
• Your job requires you to travel from your workplace to another site, such as a client’s company or home

That being said, there are also some examples of commonly claimed home to work travel expenses that are not allowed, including if…

• You are required to travel between your workplace and home more than once per day
• You work in an on-call situation, where your employer may contact you and request that you come in to work
• You occasionally work at home, but it is not necessarily your formal workplace
• Your job requires you to work outside of “normal” business hours, such as overtime shifts
• Your home or workplace is not located near public transportation access points
• Your job occasionally requires you to do minor tasks in between work and home, such as dropping off mail or running small errands
• You work from home in one business, but then travel to work for a different company or employer

These may seem like somewhat negotiable or flexible concepts, and while some of them are, depending on the details of your specific job, it is essential to understand what is and is not allowed on your formal tax form.

Claiming expenses related to working from home is an entirely different issue, although most people curious about home to work travel expenses also want more information about what can be claimed as deductions when your home is technically your workplace. The different situations and guidelines for that topic will be covered in another article.

One of the best ways to make sure that you are following all the appropriate legal guidelines is to contact a professional. We would be happy to help you navigate the waters of home to work travel deductions. Contact us at XXXX.