Federal Tax Return - Fast Pass Deduction ?
 

Any Accountants or CPA's out there, or a savy Forum member ?

I'm sending in my personal Federal Tax Return today electronically.

Before I send,
I was told that I can make a deduction for my Mass. Fast Pass tolls?
Actualy this was stated on my Fast Pass statement !

Does anyone know where this deduction is taken on the Federal tax form.

Thanks !

I'm no accountant, however your question intrigued me. I found that you can in some states deduct your tolls, but I found nothing on the federal level, so that isn't as clear cut, but I'm sure there are ways to roll that in if you say own your own business. Anyways, if you want to deduct it on your MASS form here is how you do it.. this was taken from the non-resident form, you may want to check the others if this form doesn't apply to you. Pay attention to the bold text. There are limits (of course). It's filed with a schedule Y form.

Line 15. Commuter Deduction
A deduction is allowed for certain amounts paid by
an individual for tolls paid for through an E-ZPass
account or for weekly or monthly transit com-
muter passes for MBTA transit, bus, commuter rail
or commuter boat, not including amounts reim-
bursed or otherwise deductible.
In the case of a single person or a married person
filing a separate return or a head of household,
this deduction applies only to the portion of such
expended amount that exceeds $150, and the
total amount deducted cannot exceed $750. In
the case of a married couple filing a joint return,
this deduction applies only to the portion of such
amount expended by each individual that exceeds
$150, and the total amount deducted cannot ex-
ceed $750 for each individual. Also, one spouse
cannot transfer his or her excess deduction to the
other spouse; separate worksheets must be com-
pleted to calculate the deduction. See TIR 06-14
for additional information.
The deduction is allowed where an individual pur-
chases an MBTA pass for a dependent who is
claimed on that individual’s tax return, provided
the dependent does not also claim the deduction.
However, the total amount deducted cannot ex-
ceed $750 for each individual taxpayer who is fil-
ing a return. In the case of married taxpayers
filing a joint return, the total amount deducted
cannot exceed $750 per taxpayer; thus, the maxi-
mum deduction for a joint return is $1,500


If only I could deduct my NH tolls I pay to drive into MA everyday on my way to work. That would be nice.

Every time I've seen this questioned answered by someone claiming to prepare taxes, the answer is tolls can only be deducted as a business expense. This means not for regular commuting or personal driving.

The tax laws do change every year. I blew though it but Turbo-Tax has a section for 'other taxes.' If you don't see it mentioned there (or in whatever program you choose) I'd discourage you from claiming it without professional advice.

Good luck!

That interesting because it seems like this doesn't distinguish between a business expense and just a personal expense. Also it is paid out based on individual return, so in my "professional" amateur option it looks like you can. That said last thing I'd do is just assume you can without consulting somebody who knows for sure. That excerpt I included came off the personal non resident return form instructions.

Thanks MAXUM and Kamper for the info.

The amount of tolls is so low, and not related to a business expense.
That said, I'm just not going to bother with noting anywhere on Federal form, less a flag be raised.


I thnk you are correct and this can be taken as a deduction on the Mass state form, however, that doesn't help me being a NH resident ! :)

Deduction is for commuting costs
 

Taking the posting by Maxum a step further, here is the info from Mass.gov regarding the commuter discount, which covers ezpass tolls, commuter rail, and MBTA pass costs.

Wish they had that when I was looking into working in Boston, commuting in from Billerica MA, back in the late 80's. I may have stayed in MA rather than move to NY if they had it. Oh well, that was then and this is now...

Here is the link to the Commuter Discount per Mass.gov :

http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/...n.html#General

Since the amount is low, I wouldn't either. I don't even take the generic 'donations' deduction any more because I never get receipts when I drop money on those buckets or boots.

When you do get 'expert' advice you want to be sure they're current. My wife had help from a former CPA relative a few years ago and was advised to claim mileage from our house to some students she tutored on weekends. The IRS contacted her this year and it's going to be expensive. As I said earlier, the laws do change.

Depending on the situation, this can be supported. As in any case, "facts and circumstances" dictate what can be treated as deductible v. non-deductible. Mileage in general is typically not fun to support though when examined by the IRS because usually want to see daily logs. Good luck.

Bigdog - sent you a PM a few days ago with a generic response to your question above.