Has anyone had their employer incorrectly include travel expenses for education in their W-2? My company added all my hotel and flight costs for a training program to my taxable income, and I think they're handling it wrong based on what people are saying here.

I'm dealing with a similar situation and wanted to share what I learned after consulting with a tax professional. The distinction between educational assistance benefits (Section 127) and business expense reimbursements is crucial here. For your $4900 course, if it's provided under your employer's qualified educational assistance program, it falls under the $5250 annual exclusion and won't be taxable income. The travel and lodging expenses are handled separately - they don't count toward the $5250 limit at all. If your employer reimburses travel expenses under an accountable plan (you provide receipts, return excess funds, and the expenses have a business connection), those reimbursements are typically not taxable and are treated as business expense reimbursements rather than educational benefits. The key question is whether your training maintains or improves skills for your current job. If yes, the travel expenses can qualify as deductible business expenses when reimbursed properly. If the education is to qualify you for a new career, the travel expenses would likely be taxable. I'd recommend checking with your HR department about how they're classifying these reimbursements on your W-2. Many employers mistakenly include travel reimbursements as taxable income when they should be treated as business expense reimbursements.

One thing to watch out for - some cities have agreements where they credit you for taxes paid to other municipalities, but others don't. If your home city and your employer's city don't have a reciprocal agreement, you might end up owing taxes to both places and then having to file for a refund from the employer's city. I had this happen and ended up owing an extra $1,400 to my home city even though my employer had been withholding for a different city all year. Total nightmare. Make sure you check if your cities have tax reciprocity!

This is such a frustrating situation, and you're absolutely right to be concerned about double taxation! I went through something similar when I started working remotely for a company based in a different state. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given - make sure you keep detailed records of when you started working remotely and any communications with your employer about your work location. Some local tax offices will want proof of when the remote work arrangement began to determine how much of the year you're entitled to a refund for. Also, Pennsylvania has some quirks with local taxes that you should be aware of. Many PA municipalities contract with third-party collectors (like Berkheimer or Jordan Tax Service) rather than handling taxes directly. You might need to file your refund claim with the collector, not the city itself. Check your paystub to see who's actually collecting the tax - it should be listed there. The good news is that PA generally has clear guidance on telecommuting tax situations since it's so common there. Your employer should definitely be able to update your withholding location once you provide them with the proper documentation. Don't let them tell you it's "too complicated" - they deal with remote workers all the time now!

Has anyone actually looked at the specific Brazil-US tax treaty recently? I think Article 22 was modified in the last protocol. If I remember correctly, Brazilian students in the US can exclude up to $8,000 per year of income related to their studies or training, but only for a maximum of 5 years. Also, don't forget to file Form 8843 alongside your tax return next year! It's required for all international students regardless of whether you earned income or not.

I'm actually a tax professional who works with international students regularly, and I need to clarify some misinformation in this thread. First, @Mateo Silva is correct - the Brazil-US tax treaty does NOT have a student exemption provision like many other countries do. Brazilian students cannot exclude internship income under the current treaty terms. Second, regarding the W-4 form: Yes, you should write "NRA" at the top, but more importantly, you need to understand that as a non-resident alien, you cannot use the standard W-4 worksheet. You'll typically have much higher withholding because you can't claim the standard deduction. For your internship, you'll likely be subject to the flat 30% withholding rate on your income unless your employer can apply graduated rates (which requires additional documentation). This is significantly higher than what US citizens pay. My recommendation: Contact your university's international student services office immediately. They should have resources specifically for students from Brazil and can help you understand exactly what forms you need. Don't rely on third-party tools for something this important - get official guidance from your school's advisors who work with Brazilian students regularly. Also, start preparing for a potentially large tax refund next year since the withholding will likely be higher than your actual tax liability when you file your return.

Has anyone actually asked their HR department about this? Before diving into IRS definitions, your company's plan administrator should be able to tell you what they'll accept. My company specifically lists approved vendors for our commuter benefits program, and rideshare services aren't included regardless of vehicle size. The plan administrator ultimately decides what expenses they'll process through the program based on their interpretation of the rules. Our company allows regular public transit, registered vanpools, and qualified parking, but specifically excludes taxis, Uber, and Lyft (even XL versions). You might be overthinking this if you haven't checked your company's specific policy documentation first. Even if there's a technical argument that could be made, if your benefits administrator doesn't approve it, you won't be able to use the pre-tax dollars for it.

UberXL definitely doesn't qualify and here's why from my experience as someone who tried this exact thing last year: 1) Uber/Lyft are considered "taxi services" by the IRS regardless of vehicle size 2) The "commuter highway vehicle" definition requires REGULAR use for commuting (your 4-5 times/month wouldn't qualify) 3) The UberOne pass isn't a "transit pass" in the IRS definition because it doesn't directly entitle you to transportation - it just gives discounts I found this out the hard way after submitting UberXL receipts to our benefits administrator and having them rejected. When I appealed, they pointed to IRS Publication 15-B which clarifies these distinctions. Your best bet is to use the qualified mass transit options for regular commuting, and just pay out-of-pocket for those occasional UberXL rides. Not worth the hassle of trying to force them into the qualified transportation benefit.

Something nobody has mentioned yet - check if your state has more favorable treatment for in-kind donations than the federal government. I'm in Pennsylvania, and our state has some additional deductions for certain types of in-kind professional services to qualifying organizations. Also, while the discount itself isn't deductible, don't forget that all your normal business expenses related to these events are still fully deductible business expenses. You're not getting a charitable deduction, but you are reducing your taxable income by those costs.

My husband's consulting company handles this by separating their work into two distinct parts: full-price services rendered (which they get paid for completely) and then they make cash donations completely separate from the service contracts. Works much better for tax purposes and the non-profits still get the benefit. The paperwork is cleaner for both sides too. The non-profits get to report actual cash donations and his company gets the legitimate deduction.