Can TN visa legal fees be tax exempted?

[dracore 0]

Hello,

I am currently on TN status. I have incurred legal fees to obtain the TN visa. I've been doing a lot of searching on the web but I'm still not sure whether I can claim this legal expense as a deductible on my US tax return. Similarly, I don't know if I can claim this on my Canadian tax return either.

Any insight into this would be helpful.

Thanks

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

No. Legal fees should be paid by your company though, no?

Edited July 15, 2013 by Harpa Timsah

[dracore 0]

No. Legal fees should be paid by your company though, no?

Not necessarily. Although a company can offer to pay for legal fees, not all of them do/will. I hired my own lawyer because I didn't want to risk messing up my application by using those visa kits you buy online.

As such I believe it is possible to claim the fees as tax exempt because they are necessary for employment... but I'm not entirely sure.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Legal fees are personal expenses which cannot be deducted from your taxes.

[Harsh_77 718]

Personally I dont think the visa fee would be tax exempt but, I am no CPA.

Not sure if you claim in canadian side not on US side as far as I know.

[Darnell 8,478]

you could certainly try - include it in with your moving expenses section . There's a special section for moving expenses, when moving because of work. There's also an IRS SChedule to go over (it's a form, really) ..

but it would be a tax deduction.

not a tax exemption.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Darnell

[dracore 0]

you could certainly try - include it in with your moving expenses section . There's a special section for moving expenses, when moving because of work. There's also an IRS SChedule to go over (it's a form, really) ..

but it would be a tax deduction.

not a tax exemption.

Oh shoot that's exactly what I was thinking -- tax deduction. But I wrote it as 'tax exemption' which is totally wrong.

[aaron2020 11,651]

you could certainly try - include it in with your moving expenses section . There's a special section for moving expenses, when moving because of work. There's also an IRS SChedule to go over (it's a form, really) ..

but it would be a tax deduction.

not a tax exemption.

Getting a visa is not a moving expense. It is a personal expense.

[Darnell 8,478]

the deduction would be claimed when you file taxes.

it's not the season for filing taxes, so you have some time to study and become aware of all of the IRS forms and schedules..

It's fun !!! (this learning...)

[dracore 0]

the deduction would be claimed when you file taxes.

it's not the season for filing taxes, so you have some time to study and become aware of all of the IRS forms and schedules..

It's fun !!! (this learning...)

I can make readjustments to my 2012 tax return if necessary