Can I write off “work clothes” (professional) and what are the rules about writing off medical expenses?
First, monogrammed is not a legal requirement for writing off clothing used for work. Ernst & Young’s Tax Law books give a nice breakdown. As does the IRS websites FAQs. The primary thing is that they are purchased ONLY for work. The key is that your employer must have a printed policy that requires a certain type of clothing and only that clothing can be claimed. This is where keeping records comes into play. If you want to keep the records you can even claim shaving kits and haircuts if your employers policy requires you to be shaven or have your hair cut to a certain standard. Most people, however do not spend enough in clothing in a year to justify itemized deducton. My suggestion is that you try keeping the records for a year and then bring them in to a tax company when you file next year. When you sit down with the Tax person, they will give you a comparison of Itemized deductions compared to Standard deductions. You can also try a program like TaxCut to compare the two. Just rem
