If you are self employed (1099)

In short yes,

Assume you're a US person living and 1099 working in the US.

1. You buy a laptop (100 to a few thousand bucks)

2. Next year, when you use taxAct or whatever to fill in your tax return as a self-employed person there is (essentially) a slot where you say "I paid $400 for a laptop" and that is a deduction.

In short, there used to be some annoying crap where you had to (in short) deduct it over some years but (in short) for the coming tax return in 2021, you get to deduct the whole amount and you're done.

Do note that...

There's been no talk of providing me w/a company laptop

Email them with this language: "Howdy, how will you be supplying me a laptop to use for the project?"

See what they say.

In short, to repeat:

Was curious if buying a laptop to use, just for this job, could be used as a tax deduction in the US.

Yes. If you are self employed (1099).

If you are working as an independent contractor then this is an expense you can record on Schedule C offsetting your self employment income.

If you are working as an employee, this kind of expense used to be available as a "miscellaneous expense subject to the 2% floor" (which meant first, you elect to do itemized expenses instead of taking the standard deduction, and second, the total of the miscellaneous expenses would have to exceed 2% of your gross income before being deducted, so there are circumstances where it could reduce your taxes, but there's a lot upstream conditions working against it). However this category is restricted after 2019 to 4 specific employee types

Publication 529 - Main Contents

Deductions for Unreimbursed Employee Expenses

You can no longer claim any miscellaneous itemized deductions that are subject to the 2% of adjusted gross income limitation, including unreimbursed employee expenses. However, you may be able to deduct certain unreimbursed employee business expenses if you fall into one of the following categories of employment listed under Unreimbursed Employee Expenses next, or are an eligible educator as defined under Educator Expenses , later.

• Armed Forces reservists.
• Qualified performing artists.
• Fee-basis state or local government officials.
• Employees with impairment-related work expenses.