Do I have to report a temporary workplace relocation on my taxes?

This is a great question about temporary workplace expenses! Under current tax rules, commuting expenses (getting to and from your regular workplace) aren't deductible. However, your situation is a bit different. When you temporarily work at a location away from your regular workplace, those expenses might be deductible - but there are specific requirements. For this to qualify, the temporary assignment needs to be expected to last less than one year, and it must be far enough from your regular workplace that you can't reasonably commute daily. The key issue is that your relocation was voluntary rather than required by your employer. Generally, to deduct these expenses, the temporary assignment would need to be for your employer's convenience or requirement, not your personal choice. Since you chose to work in Oregon rather than at the nearest location (which would have been the company's preference), these would likely be considered personal expenses rather than business necessities. Unfortunately, after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, employees can no longer deduct unreimbursed job expenses on Schedule A anyway, so even if these qualified as legitimate business expenses, you wouldn't be able to deduct them as an employee.

I had a really similar situation last year and spent hours trying to figure out the tax implications. After going around in circles with online research, I finally used https://taxr.ai to analyze my situation. I uploaded my receipts and a letter from my employer about the temporary assignment, and it gave me a detailed breakdown of what I could and couldn't claim. The analysis showed me that while regular employees can't deduct these expenses anymore, I could still document everything in case my company provided any reimbursement later (which would be non-taxable if it qualified as a working condition fringe benefit). The tool also pointed out some company-specific benefits I didn't know about that partially offset my costs.

Just wanted to follow up and say I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here! It was actually super helpful for my situation with multiple 1099s and some complicated deductions. The breakdown they provided cleared up so much confusion, especially around my home office deduction which I've always been nervous about claiming. The document analysis was way more thorough than I expected - it even flagged some potential deductions I was missing related to my side business. Definitely worth it compared to the generic advice I've gotten elsewhere!

If you're having trouble getting clear answers about your tax situation, I'd recommend trying to speak directly with the IRS. I know that sounds like a nightmare, but I used https://claimyr.com to get through to them when I had a similar question about temporary work locations across state lines. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I spent weeks trying to get through on my own with no luck, but with Claimyr I had an actual IRS agent on the phone within about 15 minutes. The agent was able to tell me exactly how to handle my situation with temporary work in multiple states, and it saved me from making a mistake that could have triggered an audit.

OK I need to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it, I got frustrated enough with my own situation (had questions about a CP2000 notice) that I decided to try it anyway. Used the service yesterday and got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent actually pulled up my file and walked me through exactly what I needed to do to resolve the notice without penalties. Saved me at least $800 in fees I would have paid to a tax resolution service. Would never have gotten this resolved otherwise since I've been trying to call for weeks with no success.

The other commenters covered the tax deduction part, but I want to address the reporting question. You should definitely keep records of where you worked and for how long, especially for situations crossing state lines. Even though both Florida and Oregon don't have income tax, if you had worked in a state that does have income tax (like California or New York), you would potentially need to file a nonresident state tax return for the income earned while physically working there. Some states have reciprocity agreements or minimum thresholds before filing is required, but the rules vary widely. For future reference, always document these temporary work locations carefully - dates, locations, and any communication from your employer about the arrangement. This documentation can be crucial if questions come up later.

Your company should issue you a W-2 that includes ALL of your wages for the year, regardless of which location you worked at. Since both states have no income tax, your federal taxes won't change. One thing nobody's mentioned - check if there are any local city taxes that might apply! Some cities have their own income taxes even in states without state income tax. For example, some Oregon cities have local taxes even though the state doesn't.