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 fee-basis officials, certain performing artists, 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 do not 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 Publication 535 if you are a sole proprietor, or in Publication 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.

Employee. 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 both of the following conditions.

1. You were not reimbursed by your employer for your expenses (amounts included in box 1 of your Form W-2 are not considered reimbursements).
2. 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 did not 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 business gifts, and the rules for certain individuals (such as performing artists), discussed later under Special Rules , do not apply to you, do not complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. Instead, claim the amount of your deductible business gifts directly on line 20 of Schedule A (Form 1040).

Statutory employees. If you received a Form W-2 and the "Statutory employee" box in box 15 was checked, you report your income and expenses related to that income on Schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040). Do not 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 do not claim it, you cannot 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 cannot 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.

If you received an advance, allowance, or reimbursement for your expenses, how you report this amount and your expenses depends on whether the reimbursement was paid to 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 are not 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 do not 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 Standard meal allowance. ) 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 three of the following rules.

1. 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.
2. You must adequately account to your employer for these expenses within a reasonable period of time.
3. 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.

The definition of 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.

1. You receive an advance within 30 days of the time you have an expense.
2. You adequately account for your expenses within 60 days after they were paid or incurred.
3. You return any excess reimbursement within 120 days after the expense was paid or incurred.
4. 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 should not include any reimbursements in your income in box 1 of your Form W-2. If your expenses equal your reimbursement, you do not 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 three 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 three 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 are not deductible. The reimbursements you receive for the nondeductible expenses do not 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 are not 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 cannot 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 three 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 28-2, earlier, for details you need to enter in your record and documents you need to prove certain expenses.)

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 do not 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 for 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 four of the following conditions apply.

1. Your employer reasonably limits payments of the travel expenses to those that are ordinary and necessary in the conduct of the trade or business.
2. The allowance is similar in form to and not more than the federal rate (defined later).
3. You prove the time (dates), place, and business purpose of your expenses to your employer (as explained in Table 28-2 ) within a reasonable period of time.
4. You are not related to your employer (as defined earlier under Who can use the standard meal allowance? ). 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 are not based on reasonably accurate estimates of travel costs (including recognition of cost differences in different areas for per diem amounts), you will not be considered to have accounted to your employer. In this case, you must be able to prove your expenses to the IRS.

The federal rate. The federal rate can be figured using any one of the following methods.

1. For per diem amounts:
   1. The regular federal per diem rate.
   2. The standard meal allowance.
   3. The high-low rate.
2. For car expenses:
   1. The standard mileage rate.
   2. A fixed and variable rate (FAVR).

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. (Employers can get Publication 1542, which gives the rates in the continental United States for the current year.)

The standard meal allowance. The standard meal allowance (discussed earlier) is the federal rate for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). The rate for most small localities in the United States is $30. Most major cities and many other localities qualify for higher rates. The rates for all localities within the continental United States are listed in Publication 1542.

You receive an allowance only for meals and incidental expenses when your employer does one of the following.

1. Provides you with lodging (furnishes it in kind).
2. Reimburses you, based on your receipts, for the actual cost of your lodging.
3. Pays the hotel, motel, etc., directly for your lodging.
4. Does not 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.
5. Computes the allowance on a basis similar to that used in computing your compensation, such as number of hours worked or miles traveled.

High-low rate. This is a simplified method of computing 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 2000 is $201 (including $42 for M&IE) for certain high-cost locations. All other areas have a per diem amount of $124 (including $34 for M&IE). (Employers can get Publication 1542, which gives the areas eligible for the $201 per diem amount under the high-low method for all or part of the year.)

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.

1. Method 1:
   1. For the day you depart, add of the standard meal allowance amount for that day.
   2. For the day you return, add of the standard meal allowance amount for the preceding day.
2. Method 2: Prorate the standard meal allowance using any method that you consistently apply and that is in accordance with reasonable business practice.

The standard mileage rate. This is a set rate per mile that you can use to compute your deductible car expenses. For 2000, the standard mileage rate is 32 cents a mile for all business miles. This rate is adjusted periodically.

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 two facts affect your reporting.

1. The federal rate.
2. 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 will not be included in box 1 of your Form W-2. You do not 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 do not have to prove that amount.

Example. Nicole drives 10,000 miles a year 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 20 cents a mile.

Since Nicole’s $3,250 expenses computed under the standard mileage rate (10,000 miles × 32 cents) are more than her $2,000 reimbursement (10,000 miles × 20 cents), she itemizes her deductions to claim the excess expenses. Nicole completes Form 2106 (showing all of her expenses and reimbursements) and enters $1,250 ($3,250 − $2,000) 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 in box 13 of your Form W-2. This amount is not 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 do not 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, generally, deduct those excess expenses. You must report on Form 2106 your reimbursements up to the federal rate (as shown in box 13 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. His employer sent him to San Diego for 4 days and paid the hotel directly for Joe’s hotel bill. The employer reimbursed Joe $50 a day for his meals and incidental expenses. The federal rate for San Diego is $46 a day.

Joe can prove that his actual meal expenses totaled $290. His employer’s accountable plan will not pay more than $50 a day for travel to San Diego, so Joe does not give his employer the records that prove that he actually spent $290. 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 $200 ($50 × 4 days), which is $16 more than the federal rate of $184 ($46 × 4 days). The employer includes the $16 as income on Joe’s Form W-2 in box 1. The employer also enters $184 in box 13 of Joe’s Form W-2, along with a code L.

Joe completes Form 2106 to figure his deductible expenses. He enters the total of his actual expenses for the year ($290) on Form 2106. He also enters the reimbursements that were not included in his income ($184). His total deductible expense, before the 50% limit, is $106. After he figures the 50% limit on his unreimbursed meals and entertainment, he will include the balance, $53, as an itemized deduction.

Returning Excess Reimbursements

Under an accountable plan, you are required to return any excess reimbursement for your business expenses to the person paying the reimbursement or allowance. Excess reimbursement means any amount for which you did not adequately account within a reasonable period of time. For example, if you received a travel advance and you did not spend all the money on business-related expenses, or if you do not have proof of all your expenses, you have an excess reimbursement.

"Adequate accounting" and "reasonable period of time" were discussed 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 do not adequately account for or do not return any excess advance within a reasonable period of time, the amount you do not account for or return will be treated as having been paid under a nonaccountable plan (discussed later).

Unproved amounts. If you do not prove that you actually traveled on each day for which you received a per diem or car allowance (proving the elements described in Table 28-2 ), you must return this unproved amount of the travel advance within a reasonable period of time. If you do not do this, the unproved amount is 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 do not 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 and gives you a $225 ($45 × 5 days) advance to cover your meals and incidental expenses. The federal per diem for meals and incidental expenses for Phoenix is $42. Your trip lasts only 3 days. Under your employer’s accountable plan, you must return the $90 ($45 × 2 days) advance for the 2 days you did not travel. You do not have to return the $9 difference between the allowance you received and the federal rate for Phoenix [($45 − $42) × 3 days]. However, the $9 will be reported on your Form W-2 as wages.

Nonaccountable Plans

A nonaccountable plan is a reimbursement or expense allowance arrangement that does not 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.

1. Excess reimbursements you fail to return to your employer.
2. Reimbursement of nondeductible expenses related to your employer’s business. See Reimbursement of nondeductible expenses earlier under Accountable Plans.

If you are not 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.

Example. Kim’s employer gives her $500 a month ($6,000 for the year) for her business expenses. Kim does not have to provide any proof of her expenses to her employer, and Kim can keep any funds that she does not spend.

Kim is being reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan. Her employer will include the $6,000 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 28-3 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.

Table 28-3. Reporting Travel, etc.

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 both of the following conditions.

1. You were not reimbursed for your expenses or, if you were reimbursed, the reimbursement was included in your income (box 1 of your Form W-2).
2. If you claim 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 in Part II of Form 2106, and then claimed on line 1, Column A, of Part I of Form 2106. Car expenses using the standard mileage rate can also be figured on Form 2106-EZ by completing Part II and line 1 of Part I.

Local transportation expenses. Show your local business transportation expenses that did not involve overnight travel on line 2, Column A, of Form 2106 or on line 2, Part I, of Form 2106-EZ. Also include on this line business expenses you have for parking fees and tolls. Do not include expenses of operating your car or expenses of commuting between your home and work.

Employee business expenses other than meals and entertainment. Show your other employee business expenses on lines 3 and 4, Column A, of Form 2106 or lines 3 and 4 of Form 2106-EZ. Do not include expenses for meals and entertainment on those lines. Line 4 is for expenses such as business 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 do not apply to you, do not complete Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. Claim these amounts directly on line 20 of Schedule A (Form 1040). List the type and amount of each expense on the dotted lines and include the total on line 20.

Meal and entertainment expenses. Show the full amount of your expenses for business-related meals and entertainment on line 5, Column B, of Form 2106. Include meals while away from your tax home overnight and other business meals and entertainment. Enter 50% of the line 8 meal and entertainment expenses on line 9, Column B, of Form 2106.

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%. 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 60% instead of 50%.

Reimbursements. Enter on line 7 of Form 2106 the amounts your employer (or third party) reimbursed you that were not included in box 1 of your Form W-2. (You cannot use Form 2106-EZ.) This includes any reimbursement reported under code L in box 13 of Form W-2.

Allocating your reimbursement. If you were reimbursed under an accountable plan and want to deduct excess expenses that were not reimbursed, you may have to allocate your reimbursement. This is necessary if your employer pays your reimbursement in the following manner:

1. Pays you a single amount that covers meals and/or entertainment, as well as other business expenses, and
2. Does not clearly identify how much is for deductible meals and/or entertainment.

You must allocate the reimbursement so that you know how much to enter in Column A and Column B of line 7 of Form 2106.

Example. Rob’s employer paid him an expense allowance of $5,000 this year under an accountable plan. The $5,000 payment consisted of $2,000 for airfare and $3,000 for entertainment and car expenses. The employer did not clearly show how much of the $3,000 was for the cost of deductible entertainment. Rob actually spent $6,500 during the year ($2,000 for airfare, $2,000 for entertainment, and $2,500 for car expenses).

Since the airfare allowance was clearly identified, Rob knows that $2,000 of the payment goes in Column A, line 7 of Form 2106. To allocate the remaining $3,000, Rob uses the worksheet from the instructions for Form 2106. His completed worksheet follows.

On line 7 of Form 2106, Rob enters $3,668 ($2,000 airfare and $1,668 of the $3,000) in Column A and $1,332 (of the $3,000) 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 20 of Schedule A (Form 1040). However, if you are a government official paid on a fee basis, a performing artist, 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 any of the three limits described next. These limits are figured in the following order on the specified form.

1. Limit on meals and entertainment. Certain meal and entertainment expenses are subject to a 50% limit. Employees figure this limit on line 9 of Form 2106 or line 5 of Form 2106-EZ. See 50% Limit under Entertainment Expenses, earlier.

2. Limit on miscellaneous itemized deductions. Employees deduct employee business expenses (as figured on Form 2106 or 2106-EZ) on line 20 of Schedule A (Form 1040). Most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including employee business expenses, are subject to a 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit. This limit is figured on line 25 of Schedule A (Form 1040).

3. Limit on total itemized deductions. If your adjusted gross income (line 34 of Form 1040) is more than $128,950 ($64,475 if you are married filing separately), the total of certain itemized deductions, including employee business expenses, may be limited. See chapter 22 for more information on this limit.

Special Rules

This section discusses special rules that apply only to government officials who are paid on a fee basis, performing artists, and disabled employees with impairment-related work expenses.

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 line 10 of Form 2106 or line 6 of Form 2106-EZ in the total on line 32 of Form 1040. Write "FBO" and the amount of your employee business expenses in the space to the left of line 32 of Form 1040.

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.

1. During the tax year, you perform services in the performing arts for at least two employers.
2. You receive at least $200 each from any two of these employers.
3. Your related performing-arts business expenses are more than 10% of your gross income from the performance of those services.
4. Your adjusted gross income is not 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 32 of Form 1040. Write "QPA" and the amount of your performing-arts-related expenses in the space to the left of line 32 of Form 1040.

If you do not meet all of the above requirements, you do not 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 line 20 of Schedule A (Form 1040).

Impairment-related work expenses of disabled employees. If you are an employee with a physical or mental disability, your impairment-related work expenses are not 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 line 10 of Form 2106 or line 6 of Form 2106-EZ on line 27 of Schedule A (Form 1040), and identify the type and amount of this expense on the dotted line next to line 27. Enter your employee business expenses that are unrelated to your disability from line 10 of Form 2106 or line 6 of Form 2106-EZ on line 20 of Schedule A.

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 23.

Illustrated Example

Bill Wilson is an employee of Fashion Clothing Co. in Manhattan, NY. In a typical week, Bill leaves his home on Long Island on Monday morning and drives to Albany to exhibit the Fashion line for 3 days to prospective customers. Then he drives to Troy to show Fashion’s new line of merchandise to Town Department Store, an old customer. While in Troy, he talks with Tom Brown, purchasing agent for Town Department Store, to discuss the new line. He later takes John Smith of Attire Co. out to dinner to discuss Attire Co.’s buying Fashion’s new line of clothing.

Bill purchased his car on January 3, 1997. He uses the standard mileage rate for car expense purposes. He records his total mileage, business mileage, parking fees, and tolls for the year. Bill timely records his expenses and other pertinent information in a travel expense log (not shown). He obtains receipts for his expenses for lodging and for any other expenses of $75 or more.

During the year, Bill drove a total of 25,000 miles of which 20,000 miles were for business. He answers all the questions in Part II of Form 2106. He figures his car expense to be $6,500 (20,000 business miles × 32 cents standard mileage rate).

His total employee business expenses are shown in the following table.

Bill received an allowance of $3,600 ($300 per month) to help offset his expenses. Bill did not have to account to his employer for the reimbursement, and the $3,600 was included as income in box 1 of his Form W-2.

Because Bill’s reimbursement was included in his income and he is using the standard mileage rate for his car expenses, he files Form 2106-EZ with his tax return. His filled-in form is shown on the next page. Form 2106-EZ, Page 1, for Bill Wilson

Previous| First | Next

Publication Index | IRS-Forms Main | Home