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Publication 529 - Introductory Material

Table of Contents

What's New

Credit or debit card convenience fees paid. If you pay your income tax (including estimated tax payments) by credit or debit card, you can deduct the convenience fee charged by the card processor. See Credit or Debit Card Convenience Fees later.

Limit on itemized deductions. For 2009, if your adjusted gross income is more than $166,800 ($83,400 if you are married filing separately), you may have to reduce the amount of certain itemized deductions, including most miscellaneous deductions. For more information and a worksheet, see the instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040), line 29, or Schedule A (Form 1040NR), line 17.

Losses from Ponzi-type investments. Special rules apply to theft losses from Ponzi-type investment arrangements. See Form 4684 and Instructions for more information.

Standard mileage rate. The 2009 rate for business use of a vehicle is 55 cents per mile.

Reminders

Photographs of missing children. The Internal Revenue Service is a proud partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Photographs of missing children selected by the Center may appear in this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank. You can help bring these children home by looking at the photographs and calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) if you recognize a child.

Introduction

This publication explains which expenses you can claim as miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040 or Form 1040NR). You must reduce the total of most miscellaneous itemized deductions by 2% of your adjusted gross income. This publication covers the following topics.

  • Deductions subject to the 2% limit.

  • Deductions not subject to the 2% limit.

  • Expenses you cannot deduct.

  • How to report your deductions.

Some of the deductions previously discussed in this publication are adjustments to income rather than miscellaneous deductions. These include certain employee business expenses that must be listed on Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ and some that are entered directly on Form 1040. Those deductions, which are discussed in Publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses, include employee business expenses of officials paid on a fee basis and performing artists.

Note.

Generally, nonresident aliens are allowed miscellaneous itemized deductions to the extent they are directly related to effectively connected income.

You must keep records to verify your deductions. You should keep receipts, canceled checks, substitute checks, financial account statements, and other documentary evidence. For more information on recordkeeping, see Publication 552, Recordkeeping for Individuals.

Comments and suggestions.   We welcome your comments about this publication and your suggestions for future editions.

  You can write to us at the following address:


Internal Revenue Service
Individual Forms and Publications Branch
SE:W:CAR:MP:T:I
1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526
Washington, DC 20224

  We respond to many letters by telephone. Therefore, it would be helpful if you would include your daytime phone number, including the area code, in your correspondence.

  You can email us at *taxforms@irs.gov. (The asterisk must be included in the address.) Please put “Publications Comment” on the subject line. Although we cannot respond individually to each email, we do appreciate your feedback and will consider your comments as we revise our tax products.

Ordering forms and publications.   Visit www.irs.gov/formspubs to download forms and publications, call 1-800-829-3676, or write to the address below and receive a response within 10 days after your request is received.


National Distribution Center
Internal Revenue Service
1201 N. Mitsubishi Motorway
Bloomington, IL 61705-6613

Tax questions.   If you have a tax question, check the information available on www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-1040. We cannot answer tax questions sent to either of the addresses on this page.

Useful Items - You may want to see:

Publication

  • 463 Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses

  • 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income

  • 535 Business Expenses

  • 587 Business Use of Your Home (Including Use by Daycare Providers)

  • 946 How To Depreciate Property

Form (and Instructions)

  • Schedule A (Form 1040) Itemized Deductions

  • 2106 Employee Business Expenses

  • 2106-EZ Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses

See How To Get Tax Help near the end of this publication for information about getting these publications and forms.

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