Can I deduct my transportation costs if I work at different locations each day as an event employee?

Unfortunately, as a W-2 employee, you generally cannot deduct transportation costs for commuting between your home and work locations - even if those locations change daily. This falls under what the IRS considers normal commuting expenses, which aren't deductible. The tax law changes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated most miscellaneous itemized deductions for employees, including unreimbursed employee business expenses like transportation costs, through at least 2025. Your best option would be to ask your employer about reimbursement for these costs. Many companies have expense reimbursement programs, especially if travel to various locations is a regular part of your job. You might also want to check if your employer would be willing to offer a tax-free transportation fringe benefit.

I was in the exact same situation last year working for multiple event companies, and the transportation expenses were killing my budget. After struggling with this for months, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was a total game-changer for my situation. I uploaded my pay stubs, work schedule showing all the different locations, and even snapshots of my mileage tracker app. Their system analyzed everything and identified that in my case, some of my travel could actually qualify for deduction because I was technically traveling between work sites during the same workday (not just home to work). They also found that my employer should have been classifying some of my work locations as temporary work assignments. It helped me understand exactly what I could and couldn't deduct, and even generated a professional letter I could use if my employer needed to correct some of my work classifications.

I wanted to follow up after trying taxr.ai - I'm honestly surprised at how helpful it was. Turns out some of my work situations actually qualified under the temporary work location rules that I didn't understand before. The system helped me identify that for two of my regular clients, I was working at locations that met the IRS definition of "temporary" (expected to last less than one year) AND I had a regular office I reported to sometimes, which changed the classification of those transportation costs. I was also able to prove that about 30% of my drives weren't simple "commuting" but actually business travel between work locations. My employer agreed to reclassify those expenses and I'm getting reimbursed for about $1,200 that I would have just written off as a loss. Really glad I gave it a shot despite my initial skepticism.

If you're having trouble getting clear answers about your transportation deduction situation, you might want to try calling the IRS directly. I was in a similar situation and needed clarification. I tried calling the IRS for weeks and never got through - constant "high call volume" messages and disconnects. Finally found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to confirm exactly which portions of my work travel might be deductible based on my specific employment situation and the current tax laws. They also pointed me to some specific publication sections that applied to my "mobile workplace" classification. Well worth the time to get an official answer directly from the source.

I need to eat my words from my earlier comment. After my frustrating experience trying to call the IRS on my own, I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS representative in about 12 minutes. The agent confirmed that while my regular commuting costs aren't deductible as a W-2 employee, I actually qualify for the "no main place of business" exception since I have no regular office and work exclusively at multiple temporary locations. In my specific case (which might be similar to yours), some of my transportation DOES qualify as a deductible business expense that my employer should be reimbursing. The agent even emailed me the specific tax code reference to show my employer. Saved me a ton of confusion and potentially money too. Never been so happy to be wrong about something being a "scam" lol.

Have you talked to your employer about this? My company reimburses us for mileage whenever we have to go to different project sites. They use the standard IRS mileage rate (66.5 cents per mile for 2025). Worth asking if they have a policy about this!

Has anyone tried using the IRS standard mileage deduction? I heard that's 66.5 cents per mile for 2025 tax year. Would that apply in this situation?

This is such a common confusion in the events industry! I've been working as a tax preparer for 8 years and see this situation constantly with event staff, wedding vendors, and similar workers. The key thing to understand is that even though your workplace changes daily, the IRS still considers your travel from home to your first work location as "commuting" - which isn't deductible for W-2 employees under current tax law. However, there are a few potential bright spots in your situation: 1. **Travel between work sites**: If you work multiple events in the same day at different locations, the mileage between those locations IS potentially deductible business travel. 2. **Employer reimbursement**: This is honestly your best bet. Many event companies do reimburse travel when it's a regular job requirement. Document your mileage and approach them professionally. 3. **Classification review**: Sometimes event workers should actually be classified as independent contractors rather than employees, which would change your deduction eligibility entirely. I'd recommend keeping detailed mileage logs regardless - if your employment classification ever gets reviewed or if tax laws change, you'll want that documentation. And definitely push for employer reimbursement since these are legitimate business expenses from their perspective.