i am in law enforcement if i dont have a house is there a way i can claim my uniforms / equipment and our son?

Question

ok obviously by the answers i am getting yall dont seem to understand the question or maybe i asked the wrong question i should say is it possible to fill out long form without a house i never have done long form prior to being inmy house

Answer 1

Hi, I understand what you're asking. You are a police officer and thus have unreimbursed work expenses that you want to deduct on your itemized Schedule A form, thereby filing the 1040 long form.

The deductibility of your unreimbursed work expenses depends on your filing status, and the amounts you can claim in total.

The IRS will give you a standard deduction depending on the filing status you choose; single, HOH, Married filing joint, MFS etc. To itemize using your unreimbursed work expenses you must be able to exceed the standard deduction the feds give you. (example: MFJ gets a standard deduction of $10,300, the couple do not own a home--so no mortgage interest or real estate taxes to deduct on Sch. A....they must have over 10,300 in charitables and unreimbursed work expenses in order to justify going long form and itemizing).

But wait! That's not the end of it....unreimbursed work expenses such as uniforms, cleaning, training, ammo, qual fees, boots, shoe shines, patches, batteries for flashlights, and mileage at 44.5 cents per mile is first subject to 2% withholding. This means that #1...total up all of your taxable income....#2 subtract any adjustments to income such as tuition and fees etc. = AGI (adjusted gross income).

I know, it's confusing....but bare with me....On Sch A (itemized deductions), you may take 100% owed by you and paid by you for taxes, mortgage interest, points, contributions of cash, clothing donations etc. but on medical out of pocket the total paid out by you must first exceed 7.5% of your AGI. On unreimbursed work expenses the total out of your pocket must exceed 2% of your Adjusted Gross Income to matter at all and be considered deductible.
The totals from Form 2106 and Sch. A, must then exceed the standard deduction given you by the IRS for your filing status.

Whew!
Hopefully this makes sense to you. I'll check back later if you need a more concise response or you may look at the following sites for more info. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes, you can file a full 1040. Mortgage interest on a house (the only interest deductible) is only one entry on the sch A that you fill out to itemize deductions. Get the 1040 form and sch A and instruction bood therefor and read the section on deductions. If you are single the standard deduction is 5,150 head of household is 7,550 and married filing joint is 10,300. If your itemized deductions excede these base amounts then definitely itemize. If not then take the standard. Whichever gives you the best refund. Claiming your son has nothing to do with standard deduction or itemizing. If he is your dependent then you can claim him for all he can get you.

Answer 3

You can itemize your deductions no matter whether or not you have a house. The reason people think of having a house to itemize is that few people have enough deductions to itemize if they don't have mortgage interest and property taxes. This year you get $5150 as a standard deduction if you're single, $10,300 if you're married filing jointly. If your itemized deductions don't total more than that, you're better off just taking the standard deduction. See instructions for 1040 Schedule A to see what itemized deductions are available.

As far as claiming your son, you don't have to itemize to do that. You can claim him if he meets all the rules for you to do so.

Good luck.

Answer 4

The standard deduction for 2007 are $10,300 for MFJ, $7,550 for HOH, and $5,150 for single. To take your uniforms and equipment you would need itemized deduction greater than which ever of those filing status apply to you. The uniform/ equipment deduction is also reduced by by 2% of your AGI. Bottom line is that very few people that do not claim mortgage interest and property taxes have enough deductions to exceed the standard deductions for their filing status.
You can claim your son (under 19 years old) as an exemption if he lived with you and did not support himself.

Answer 5

Regardless if you have a house or not, you should be able to claim all three of those on your taxes. Your uniforms/equipment are needed in order for you to perform your job and they can be deducted. Your son would qualify for you to receive the child tax credit providing he is living in your household and you support him. The amount depends on what state your in.

Answer 6

You could..but you would have to file the long form and list all your deductions....the total deductions allowed would have to exceed the standard deduction the Gov't gives...otherwise it's pretty useless.
BTW...you can also claim the cleaning costs associated with the uniform.

Answer 7

I believe uniform, etc that you need to purchase to keep your job is tax deductible. Your son will be a dependent and there is also a child tax credit. You sound like you have never filed a tax before.

Answer 8

Claiming dependents and uniforms, etc needed for work has nothing to do with having a house. They are entirely seperate matters.

Answer 9

A cop looking for a tax break... that would be funny if your paycheck wasn't paid by taxes in the first place. Get a real job.

Answer 10

You are clearly the most ignorant user on here. Obviously the smartest part of you ran down your mother's leg.