Six Tax Benefits for Job Seekers

The top challenge in our economy is getting people back to work.

There are millions of taxpayers taxpayers who are spending the summer months searching for employment, so I thought I would pass along these tidbits from the Internal Revenue Service on job search expenses that can be deducted.

Hopefully, these are helpful:

1. To qualify for a deduction, the expenses must be spent on a job search in your current occupation. You may not deduct expenses incurred while looking for a job in a new occupation.

2. You can deduct employment and outplacement agency fees you pay while looking for a job in your present occupation. If your employer pays you back in a later year for employment agency fees, you must include the amount you receive in your gross income up to the amount of your tax benefit in the earlier year.

3. You can deduct amounts you spend for preparing and mailing copies of your résumé to prospective employers as long as you are looking for a new job in your present occupation.

4. If you travel to an area to look for a new job in your present occupation, you may be able to deduct travel expenses to and from the area. You can only deduct the travel expenses if the trip is primarily to look for a new job. The amount of time you spend on personal activity compared to the amount of time you spend looking for work is important in determining whether the trip is primarily personal or is primarily to look for a new job.

5. You cannot deduct job search expenses if there was a substantial break between the end of your last job and the time you begin looking for a new one.

6. You cannot deduct job search expenses if you are looking for a job for the first time.

For more information about job search expenses, see IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions at IRS.gov or call 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Construction employment declining in 49 states and D. C.

Construction employment in forty-nine states and the District of Columbia declined between February 2009 and February 2010, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.

As construction job losses extend into their third year, the new data highlights the need to expand the Build America Bond program, trade group officials noted. “With only one exception, the construction jobs picture varies from bleak to bad all across the country,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in a statement. “We can’t afford to turn our back on any opportunity to boost investments in infrastructure and construction.”

Alaska was the only state to see an increase in construction employment (0.6 percent, 100 jobs) between February 2009 and February 2010.

Association officials urged the U.S. Senate to authorize an expansion of a range of infrastructure bonding programs including Build America Bonds, which were first made available as part of the stimulus package and have been used to provide over $70 billion to finance 834 different infrastructure projects.

Click here for state-by-state construction employment data.