Does traveling one day a week to an alternate facility count as a normal commute?

Question

The IRS is clear that your normal commute from home to your usual office is not tax-deductible. But let's say, once every week, I have have to travel directly to an alternate office, start my workday there, and then return home. Not that it necessarily matters, but this alternate office is much further from my home than my main office.
Is my commute to this alternate office every week deductible?

Fattie · Answer

To begin with, are you self-employed?  In the US, I'm almost certain "normal" non-self-employed people can not deduct business travel at all.  (Your employer would be paying the costs of it.) And not any form of commuting. So it's No all the way down.

If you are self-employed.  In my opinion, yes, it's a deduction.  I'm guessing you probably can not get away with saying your home is your principal place of business, but, given that, the "unusual" office you go to occasionally is a worksite trip - and it's a normal expense (ie, a deduction). No mystery, straightforward.

{If your principal place of business was indeed your home office, not that company office, you could charge ALL travel - but that's like saying "If you could make-up fake receipts and charge them, you could charge them!"}

Does traveling one day a week to an alternate facility count as a normal commute?

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