ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Job-seeking expense tax deductions

Okay kiddo, let's talk about taxes and job-seeking.

Do you know what a tax deduction is? Well, taxes are money that we pay to the government to help pay for things like schools, hospitals, and roads. And a tax deduction is a way to subtract certain expenses from the amount of money you have to pay in taxes.

Now, when you're trying to find a job, you might spend some money on things like printing out resumes, buying a new suit, or travelling to job interviews. These are called job-seeking expenses.

And the good news is, sometimes you can deduct these expenses from your taxes! That means you can subtract the amount of money you spent on job-seeking from the amount of money you have to pay on taxes.

But, there are some rules you need to follow. First, you can only deduct expenses if you're looking for a job in the same field that you already have experience in. For example, if you used to work as a teacher, you can deduct job-seeking expenses related to finding another teaching job. But, you can't deduct expenses for looking for a job in a completely different field, like trying to become a chef.

Second, you have to keep really good records of everything you spend on job-seeking. That means keeping receipts, keeping track of mileage if you drove to an interview, and writing down all the dates and times of your job-seeking activities.

Finally, you can only deduct job-seeking expenses if you itemize your tax deductions. This means you list out all the expenses you want to deduct on your tax forms, instead of taking the standard deduction.

So, in summary, if you spend money on things like resumes, suits, and travel while looking for a job in the same field you already have experience in, you might be able to deduct those expenses from your taxes. Just make sure you keep good records and itemize your deductions!