Many people seek to change their job when summer turns to fall. If you look for a new job in the same line of work, you may be able to deduct some of your job hunting costs.
Here are some key tax facts you should know about if you search for a new job:
- Same Occupation – Your expenses must be for a job search in your current line of work. You can’t deduct expenses for a job search in a new occupation.
- Résumé Costs – You can deduct the cost of preparing and mailing your résumé.
- Travel Expenses – If you travel to look for a new job, you may be able to deduct the cost of the trip. To deduct the cost of the travel to and from the area, the trip must be mainly to look for a new job. You may still be able to deduct some costs if looking for a job is not the main purpose of the trip.
- Placement Agency – You can deduct some job placement agency fees you pay to look for a job.
- First Job – You can’t deduct job search expenses if you’re looking for a job for the first time.
- Work-Search Break – You can’t deduct job search expenses if there was a long break between the end of your last job and the time you began looking for a new one.
- Reimbursed Costs – Reimbursed expenses are not deductible.
- Schedule A – You usually deduct your job search expenses on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. You’ll claim them as a miscellaneous deduction. You can deduct the total miscellaneous deductions that are more than two percent of your adjusted gross income.