Can I claim sunscreen as a tax deduction for construction work?

This is an interesting question about work-related expenses! Generally, for something to be tax deductible as an unreimbursed employee expense, it needs to be ordinary and necessary for your business or profession. The challenge with sunscreen is that the IRS typically views it as a personal care item, similar to soap or shampoo. Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, you might have been able to deduct this as an unreimbursed employee expense if it exceeded 2% of your adjusted gross income. However, those deductions were suspended from 2018 through 2025. If you're self-employed (like an independent contractor rather than an employee), you might have more flexibility to deduct business expenses, including specialized sunscreen if it's specifically for work purposes and not personal use.

After reading this thread, I wanted to share something that helped me with a similar tax situation. I was confused about whether I could deduct specialty work gloves for my job, and found this site called https://taxr.ai that was super helpful. I uploaded photos of my receipts and a description of my situation, and they analyzed everything and told me exactly what was deductible. What's cool is they look at all your documentation and give you specific tax guidance based on your particular work situation. They might be able to tell you exactly how the sunscreen would be handled in your case with the whole construction/outdoor work scenario.

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai that was mentioned earlier! I decided to try it for my restaurant work expenses (special non-slip shoes, uniforms, etc). I was honestly surprised - they reviewed everything and explained that while I couldn't deduct most items as a W-2 employee, they found that some of my expenses qualified under a specific provision I didn't know about. They also showed me how to approach my employer about reimbursement for certain items with the right documentation. Super helpful and saved me from making some mistakes on my return that probably would have raised flags. Definitely worth checking out if you have unusual work expenses like this sunscreen situation.

Have you considered asking your employer to reimburse you or provide sunscreen as safety equipment? When I had trouble getting a clear answer about some work expenses, I ended up calling the IRS directly to get an official ruling. Of course, that meant being on hold for literally 3+ hours. Eventually found this service called https://claimyr.com that got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with clarified exactly what documentation I would need to potentially claim my work expenses. Might be worth checking with them directly about your specific sunscreen situation since it seems like a gray area.

I have to eat my words from my earlier comment. After waiting on hold with the IRS for almost 2 hours yesterday about a different tax issue, I decided to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Not gonna lie, I thought it was going to be a complete scam. But it actually worked! I got a call back in about 20 minutes and was connected right to an IRS agent. The agent told me that for things like specialized sunscreen, they generally aren't deductible for W-2 employees anymore, but if your employer requires it as safety equipment, they should either provide it or reimburse you. Might be worth showing your boss the OSHA guidelines on sun protection for outdoor workers. Anyway, just wanted to report back that the service actually did what it claimed. Saved me a massive headache.

My brother is a roofer in Arizona and his company actually provides sunscreen to all employees as required safety equipment. You might want to check if your employer is required by OSHA or state regulations to provide sun protection. If they are and they're not doing it, you might have leverage to get them to cover it rather than trying to deduct it.

Why not just ask your employer to buy the sunscreen in bulk for the crew? My company started doing this after several of us brought it up as a safety issue. Way cheaper for them to buy it in gallon pumps than for each of us to buy individual bottles, and then there's no tax question to worry about.

One alternative to consider - if you're buying high-end sunscreen specifically for work, could you maybe use a cheaper brand just for work and save the good stuff for personal use? I know it's not ideal but might save you some money while you work on getting your employer to provide it or finding out if there's some obscure tax situation where you can deduct it.

As someone who's dealt with similar work expense questions, I'd definitely recommend the employer route first before worrying about tax deductions. Construction companies are usually pretty responsive to safety-related requests, especially when you can point to potential liability issues. You might also want to document your sunscreen purchases and keep receipts just in case the tax laws change after 2025 when some of those suspended deductions might come back. Even if you can't use them now, having good records could be helpful later. Another thought - if you end up having any skin issues from sun exposure at work, those medical expenses might be deductible if they're significant enough. Not that anyone wants to deal with that, but it's worth knowing your options.

I work for a tax preparation service and see questions like this all the time. The unfortunate reality is that as a W-2 employee, you're pretty much out of luck for deducting the sunscreen under current tax law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act really limited options for unreimbursed employee expenses. However, I'd strongly encourage you to approach this from the workplace safety angle that others have mentioned. In California's extreme heat, employers have heightened responsibilities under Cal/OSHA regulations. You could frame this as a heat illness prevention measure - prolonged sun exposure contributes to heat-related illnesses, and sunscreen is a basic protective measure. I'd suggest putting together a brief proposal for your supervisor highlighting: 1) The cost-effectiveness of bulk sunscreen vs individual purchases, 2) Potential liability reduction for the company, and 3) How it fits into existing safety protocols. Most construction companies would rather spend a few hundred dollars on sunscreen than deal with workers' comp claims or OSHA citations. If they refuse, at least keep detailed records of your purchases. Tax laws could change, and having good documentation never hurts.