Can I write off hotel stays for monthly work travel when I'm an employee not a contractor?

8 Unfortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the deduction for unreimbursed employee business expenses starting in 2018. Prior to that, employees could deduct qualifying expenses that exceeded 2% of their adjusted gross income on Schedule A. As a W-2 employee, you generally cannot deduct these hotel expenses on your federal return, even if they seem necessary for your job. The IRS views this as a personal choice since your employer doesn't require the overnight stay. Your best option would be to talk with your employer about either: 1) Establishing an accountable plan where they reimburse you for these expenses (which wouldn't be taxable to you) 2) Negotiating a slight salary increase to offset these costs 3) Exploring if remote work can be arranged for some of the required office days Some states still allow deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses on state returns, so check if your state offers this benefit.

12 After dealing with a similar situation (I travel to our regional office twice monthly - about 3 hours away), I discovered taxr.ai https://taxr.ai and it totally changed how I handle my work expenses. Their system analyzed my situation and found several tax-saving opportunities I wasn't aware of. In my case, while I couldn't deduct the hotel stays directly as an employee, they identified that I qualified for a partial deduction related to my side consulting work that sometimes overlapped with these trips. The AI reviews your documents and tax situation to find these kinds of nuanced opportunities that regular tax software misses. Their document analysis also helped me figure out exactly what documentation I needed to keep for potential audit protection. Way more helpful than the generic advice I got elsewhere.

23 I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai. Despite my initial skepticism, I decided to give it a try with my complicated mix of W-2 income and side gig work. The system actually identified several legitimate deductions I was missing! What impressed me was how it analyzed my specific work arrangement and found that portions of my travel expenses could be allocated to my side business when I conducted any business activities during those trips. It wasn't about magic loopholes but about correctly allocating expenses between personal, W-2 work, and self-employment activities. The documentation guidance was super helpful too - showed me exactly what records to keep for each type of expense. Definitely worth checking out if you have a mixed employment situation like the original poster.

7 If you're still hoping to get answers directly from the IRS about your specific situation, good luck reaching them! I spent weeks trying to get through their phone lines about a similar travel expense question. After wasting hours on hold, I found Claimyr https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed what others have said - W-2 employees generally can't deduct these expenses anymore, but they walked me through some alternatives specific to my state tax return. They also explained exactly how to properly document these expenses if I ever transitioned to self-employment or if the tax laws change again. Saved me hours of frustration and gave me definitive answers straight from the source.

16 I need to follow up on my skeptical comment. I actually tried Claimyr last week when I needed to resolve an issue with my tax transcript that was holding up my mortgage approval. I was shocked when my phone rang about 20 minutes after signing up, and it was legitimately the IRS on the line. The agent resolved my transcript issue in about 10 minutes. The whole experience was nothing like my previous attempts to reach them (where I'd waste an entire afternoon on hold only to have the call drop). For the original question about hotel deductions - the IRS agent confirmed what others said about employee expenses being non-deductible now, but suggested I look into whether my state still allows these deductions. Turns out my state does still permit certain unreimbursed employee expense deductions, which I never would have known without getting that official confirmation.

5 Another option to consider - ask your employer for a "work from home stipend" instead of direct reimbursement for hotels. Many companies offer these now (mine gives $150/month) to cover home internet, utilities, etc. for remote workers. While not specifically for your hotel, this type of stipend could offset some of those costs. From my experience in HR, these are easier for companies to approve since they're becoming standard practice, unlike one-off hotel reimbursements which might create precedents they don't want.

25 Have you considered just working remotely on those monthly office days? I was in a similar situation with a 2.5hr commute and eventually just stopped going to the office entirely. I would join the meetings virtually while everyone else was in person. Management initially pushed back but eventually realized I was actually more productive this way. Maybe propose it as a 3-month trial? Worst case, they say no and you're in the same situation. Best case, you save $2400 a year on hotels plus all that driving time.

I'm in a very similar situation - my office is about 3.5 hours away and I have to visit twice a month. After reading through all these responses, I think the key takeaway is that as W-2 employees, we're pretty much out of luck for deducting these hotel costs on federal taxes since the 2017 tax law changes. However, I'd strongly recommend checking your state tax laws. I just looked into mine and discovered that my state still allows unreimbursed employee expense deductions above a certain threshold. It's not much, but every bit helps when you're spending thousands annually on work-related travel. The suggestion about negotiating with your employer is spot on. I'm planning to present a business case showing the total cost of these monthly trips (hotels, gas, wear on my car, plus the productivity loss from travel days) and propose either reimbursement or allowing me to attend virtually more often. Companies are usually more receptive when you frame it as a business efficiency issue rather than just asking for money. Keep all your receipts and mileage logs anyway - tax laws could change, or you might transition to contractor status in the future where these would become deductible business expenses.

Based on my experience as a tax professional, unfortunately the advice you've received is correct - W-2 employees cannot deduct unreimbursed business expenses like hotel stays on federal returns since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect in 2018. However, I'd suggest a few additional strategies that haven't been fully explored: 1) **Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for Transportation** - Some employers offer commuter FSAs that can cover certain transit costs with pre-tax dollars. While this typically applies to public transit and parking, it's worth asking HR if your situation qualifies. 2) **Negotiate a "Travel Allowance"** - Instead of asking for reimbursement, propose a monthly travel allowance that's built into your compensation. This gives your employer predictable costs and you guaranteed coverage. 3) **Document Everything for Potential Job Changes** - If you ever become a contractor or start a side business, these same expenses could become deductible. Keep meticulous records of dates, business purposes, and all related costs. 4) **Consider the Total Cost Analysis** - When presenting to your employer, include not just hotel costs but also the productivity impact. Those 7+ hour drive days likely result in reduced work output that has real business costs. The state tax angle mentioned by others is definitely worth investigating - some states still allow these deductions even though federal law changed.

One additional angle worth exploring - have you looked into whether your company offers any flexible work arrangement policies that could help reduce these monthly trips? Many employers have started implementing "hybrid work" guidelines that allow employees to substitute some in-person requirements with virtual participation. You might be able to propose attending every other monthly meeting virtually, cutting your hotel costs in half. Also, if your role involves specific tasks that require office access (like equipment, files, or face-to-face collaboration), consider batching multiple months' worth of office work into longer but less frequent visits. Instead of monthly overnight trips, you could potentially do quarterly 2-3 day trips, which might be more cost-effective and easier for your employer to justify reimbursing. The key is presenting it as a business efficiency improvement rather than just a cost-saving request. Show how reducing travel frequency could increase your overall productivity and reduce the company's indirect costs from your travel days.