Construction worker tax deductions? (Kansas)?

Are you buying a house with a mortgage? If you are not then all the advice other posters have given, no matter how accurate, is meaningless.

rather than listen to "I have heard' it might be wise to go to www.irs.gov where there are publications that relate to the questions you are asking

but let me tell you this, commuting, driving to and from where you work is not deductible, the mileage you incur going from your office where you get the assignment to the job, is deductible and yes, you keep a contemporaneous log of those miles

as for tools when you say there are not enough to go around? are you an employee or an independent contractor? as an employee the company should provide tools for you to use

however

tools you need to perform your work are deductible

clothes are another thing, if they can be worn on the street they are not deductible-meaning you would change when you go to to work and change again when you quit, never wearing these clothes off the job site

now to the real crux all this(as an employee) would be entered on your Sch A and if all that form totaled does not exceed your standard deduction,forget the whole thing

Your employer will not lose money. You have no impact on him. This assumes you are an EMPLOYEE

1.) Yes, these tools can be claimed, however, it usually doesn't fetch you a benefit. If you make $30,000, you must spend over $600 to even THINK about getting a benefit. If you don't have a house, the probability this will get you a benefit is slim to none.

2.) Mileage.....maybe. The IRS holds that "commuting" is nondeductible. If you travel all over the place and do not have a normal place you go to, or stay within the city, the IRS holds you get NO mileage per Rev. Rul. 99-7.

The IRS code is structured to make it difficult for employees to claim expenses, especially if you don't have a home.

But hey, if Camp's tax proposal passes, you get nothing, but a higher standard deduction. The trickle down effect at its finest.

These are "Unreimbursed Employee Expenses" and are reported on Schedule A - Itemized Deductions. They are also subject to a 2% "floor"; meaning the amount over 2% of your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) is actually deductible.

So, If your AGI (last number on page 1 of your 1040) is, for example, $30,000, the "floor" is $600. So the $601st dollar and up is what's actually deductible.

Itemized Deductions also include Medical (subject to 10% "floor"), State Income OR Sales Tax, Personal Property Tax, RE Tax, Mortgage Interest, Charitable Donations (Receipts Required), Miscellaneous Deductions (Union Dues, Safe Deposit Box Fee, Tax Prep, etc).

IF all your Itemized Deductions exceeds the Standard Deduction, this method benefits you. Otherwise, you just use the Standard Deduction.

"heard that driving my vehicle to job sites can also be deducted"

"meeting at the job site "

Once you arrive at work, any business related mileage during the day is deductible. You MUST keep a detailed log of the trip, the purpose and other details to be able to have it stand up to IRS scrutiny.

But your first trip (TO work) and your last trip (Home) are your commute; commuting is part of life and not deductible. So "meeting at the job site" is your commute.

"will my employer be notified"

No, this is strictly your responsibility as an employee.

If you are an employee (W-2) and not an independent contrator, you can deduct the tools, etc only if you itemize, and then only the amount tha's over 2% of your income. Your travel from home to work and back home is commuting expense and is NOT deductible.

Your employer isn't notified of any deduictions and they don't affect his tax.

You are allowed to deduct tools and equipment you need for your job - however you must itemize your deductions, which means you would not get the standard $6,100 deduction. SO, in order to deduct these items, you would need to have spent more than $6,100 on them during the year (plus whatever other deductions you can muster up).

Driving to and from a work site is not a deductible expense. If you drove to the office and then drove to the work site, that would be deductible (you would need to log your miles - and then take the standard allowance).