Questions on claiming expenses on Taxes
 

I've read some of the posts on here on what you can claim. Can you advise on:
I don't want to stretch things too far, but want to know what most officials are doing.

Things I have definitely claimed:

• Mileage
• Officials Gear (shirts, pants, shoes)
• Tailoring (hemming, patches, etc.)
• Officiating camp registration
• Dues/Assessments/Fines

[*]Food (actual receipts or credit card statements from before games)[*]Drinks (Gatorade & others prior to games)[/LIST]

What do you think of these? I know many of these are used for other things that basketball officiating, so that's why I'm asking

• Auto repairs in season (brakes, new tires, oil changes)
• Medical (cold/flu over the counter, prescriptions, doctor's appts, etc.)
• Cell phone (pro-rated?)
• Bluetooth for handsfree driving (required in NJ)
• Internet bill
• Home printer
• Laundry ( I know that's been questioned for $5 a week)

Oh..and good news...got my first sectional games for state playoffs, and doing a regional semi-final for Junior College. Waiting to hear about the NCAA's for Division III.:D

-KG

Congratulations on your games. I'd recommend seeking tax advice from a tax professional.

Thanks MB. I will call up my brother in law who is a CPA. I just wanted to get a perspective from what fellow officials have done. I know the more you claim that is not black/white, the IRS may come a knockin'. I've heard other people claim grooming such as haircuts, GPS purchases, etc.

Good luck to you all in the playoff season!

-KG

I Assume That You Report All Your Referee Income ???
 

Be careful here. I've heard a lot of different views regarding mileage. Are you traveling to the game from your day job? Do you claim one way, or round trip, mileage?

After work I always go home to pick up my bag and then I travel to the game site. I never go from my day job straight to the game. (Are my pants on fire?) I give my accountant round trip mileage. What he does with it, I don't know, and I don't care. My accountant also suggests that I claim $5.00 per week, during the season, for laundry.

I'll double check with my accountant on Sunday. It's visiting day at the prison. That reminds me, I need to buy a file, and bake a cake.

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Disclaimer: Not a tax attorney

The items that I have highlighted in RED you can NOT (except if you claim actual auto expenses, you can NOT claim mileage). I claim all drycleaning and $5 per load of laundry. Food has to be job related, i.e., having a meal after the game with your partner to discuss rules.

If you are making loan payments on the car you use for officiating, then you can claim the pro-rated amount of interest on the loan.

MTD, Sr.

What's The Real Story On Mileage ???
 

I've heard a lot of different things about mileage. Can anybody straighten me out, please?

Home to game? (one way)
Home to game, and back home? (round trip)
Primary "day" job to game? (one way)
Primary "day" job to game, and back home? (kind of a round trip)

Inquiring minds want to know how to stay out of prison.

Billy-

My tax person has me claim mileage from my location to the game site and directly to home. Usually this is from work to the site and then to home. This will be pretty much a moot point this year though since they reimburse us for mileage here.

Don't forget to claim any tolls. We have quite a few toll roads here that are the most direct route to games and they add up.

I personally don't bother with things such as cell phone usage because the amount I could claim would be very small and it's not worth the hassle of tracking.

My Mechanic Gave Me Some Great Stock Tips ...
 

And I'm going to take tax advice from a structural engineer? Tell me what bridges I can safely drive over in the Greater Toledo, Ohio, area, and I'll listen with bated breath. But tax advice? I don't know?

Yeah, Real Lucky ???
 

Thanks.

No tolls here in Connecticut. Not even one. But we've got an income tax, a sales tax, a gasoline tax, house taxes, car taxes, etc. Aren't we lucky not to have to pay tolls?

We have all of those except for income tax. We have (relatively) cheap gas, too!

Salt, Meet Wound ...
 

Yeah. Go ahead. Rub it in.

$2.89 per gallon for regular, self serve, credit card.

BillyMac. You can claim round trip mileage. You can claim it directly from home or work. If you drive from work to home, then to the game, you cannot claim the work-to-home portion.

You can claim mileage to games, to meetings, to camps, etc.

KGeorge:

I'm not a CPA -- I just work for one :D I do have one suggestion, though: I might want to check with a professional about the fines you mentioned. I know that tax fines and penalties aren't deductible, so I'm not sure if that would extrapolate to fines assessed against your game fees by your assignor or officials' association.

I'm pretty sure you still need to claim the mileage reimbursement as income and then take the deduction. The $ may or may not come out the same depending on whether the remimbursement amount is the same as the deductable amount (they are not for most people around here because the mileage pay is from a central point and is not at the full IRS rate). If for no other reason, it would serve to dot the I's and cross the T's should there ever be a question about whether you reported all of your income. No need giving the IRS a reason to cause you grief.