Tax Question
 

I am doing my own taxes this year and have for the past little while. This is the first year that I have spent a significant amount of time commuting. (used to live in base.) Question 1. Can money spent on a crashpad be deducted as a personal business expense, as well as money spent on food while at the crashpad? (not perdiem, strictly money spent while waiting by the phone.) Question 2. Can bus and taxi fares be deducted when using them to get from point A to B? (scheduling assigns trip in LGA and you are at JFK and vs):confused:

I know as pilots, it is our priviledge (or curse) to live in one city and be based in another. I was just wondering if some of these expenses incurred (sp?) in your base but not your home town could be written off?

Thanks in advance for the help.

You cannot deduct commuting expenses (crashpad, etc.).

unless it is temporary, such as a temporary displacement. Then the rules are different.

Thanks for the replies. I was hoping to write it off, but thought it might not be allowed. Thanks again.

Apologies in advance...
 

if I sound like an AH. If it isn't worth it to you to drop 50-200 bucks on some software or a tax preparer, you should probably just take the standard deduction, mail it in, and enjoy the time you're not spending on taxes.

WW

No apologies needed. I bought Turbo Tax and have used it the last three years. I only had the question about the crashpad stuff. The regular per diem stuff was a piece of cake....I am very comfortable in figuring that part out, I was just seeing if I could add just a little bit more to the equation.

For those wondering why I don't pay a "professional" to do it.......let's just say bad experiences. I used a well know pilot tax service, that is ran by a pilot and for two years in a row, I caught mistakes on my returns that cost me lost refunds. Both years I had to go back to this person and have an amendment filed to get my full return. Lets just say pain in the butt, by the time you get the info and file the ammendment, and then wait months to get your return.

Thanks for the suggestion.:)

If you stayed at a hotel for work you would deduct it. Why can't you deduct a crashpad? It is a work related expense. If you didn't work you wouldn't have spent that money. I'm deducting it. . . .

"That boy's as sharp as a bag full of wet mice."

Foghorn Leghorn