Tax Deductions for Volunteer Fire/EMS

[WuLabsWuTecH]

So we're being reclassified this year for all of the volunteer firefighters and EMTs and we will be given a 1099.

What we are being told is that this means we are essentially not-employed by the department anymore (I guess our old classification was that we were employed but got a stipend instead of wages?) and that we should hang onto meal receipts and log mileage and laundry and such for tax deduction purposes

Does anyone know if there is a list anywhere of how much you can deduct as standard expenses? I would like to figure out if it's going to be worth my time to keep receipts or just deduct the standard expenses. What the guys said (but couldn't cite any sources for) was that:
mileage is 56 cents a mile
meals are $15 per 24 hour shift
uniforms are dollar for dollar above our uniform allowance
equipment that we buy personally but only use at the department is 80%
laundry (was at a rate that no one could remember, but since we have laundry machines at the station, this might not be applicable to us)

Am I missing anything? And is there a table or list anywhere of this info? I'm dug through irs.gov but I don't think I'm looking in the right areas!

Thanks!

 

[kal0220]

Try downloading Publication 17 from the IRS site. It has lots of information on filing your individual taxes.

 

[mgr22]

You say you're getting a 1099; if that's for income you earned as a self-employed contractor (1099-Misc), you can deduct many kinds of expenses against that. You should follow the suggestion about reviewing IRS or third-party (e.g. Lasser) publications because tax returns are based on many individual factors. However, in general, as a contractor, you should be able to deduct business mileage in 2014 at $.56/mile, uniform purchase and cleaning costs, and equipment, dollar for dollar. Meals are tricky; read the rules on that.

You report self-employed income and expenses on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ, depending on your earnings. Your profit or loss helps determine your gross income. The standard deduction has nothing to do with that.

None of the above applies if you're an employee instead of a contractor.

Even if you're not earning any self-employed income, you can still deduct expenses associated with volunteering. In that case, the mileage rate drops to $.14/mile. Also, you'll need a written acknowledgment from your agency for each expense over $250.

 

[unleashedfury]

In all honesty, to avoid conflicts or drama with the IRS when My taxes get that complicated I would see a CPA.. Certified Public accountant especially one that offers income tax services. Most of them do services relatively inexpensive 100 dollars at most from my experience. I'd avoid places like commercial tax services Jackson Hewitt, H&R block since they are overpriced