Deductible job looking expenses

[powerage]

Just saw a Block commercial, and it did get me thinking. I have never had this situation before.

Can a haircut be a deductible expense while looking for a job?

I say yes. Generally(thanks IRS!),you can only get a good job that pays well with a good company if you have a nice business haircut. I won't say that is fact, but we all know it is true the vast majority of the time.

I would take the deduction. And stand behind it 100%

If I am wrong, let me know.

[BHoffman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yd3Elm-X7c&feature=related

[S T]

Well

Something I found on a Tax Attorney site

Haircuts
There have been a number of taxpayers who have tried to deduct the cost of being well-coiffed as a job-related expense. The airline pilot who deducte d the cost of shoeshines also tried deducting the cost of his haircuts, citing his airline's strict grooming guidelines for crew members. In another case, an Alabama legal secretary tried to deduct the cost of going to the beauty parlor twice a week on grounds that her boss required her to be neatly coiffed at all times while at work. But while these people provided evidence that their hair-styling expenses were job-related, the courts have held that the costs aren't deductible, even if they are essential to keep one's job. In disallowing deductions for haircuts, the Tax Court often cites its decision in a 1969 case involving an enlisted man in the Army who tried deducting haircuts which he was required to have at least every two weeks.

"The fact that the Army may have required such grooming does not make the expenses therefore any less personal," the court said. "In setting standards for personal grooming, the Army is not unique. Many employers, expressly or otherwise, establish standards to which their employees are expected to conform. Men are to be clean shaven and are often required to wear suits, ties and clean shirts, and women are expected to be dressed attractively. To conform to these requirements, employees must make expenditures which would not be required if they were at home or not on the job. Nevertheless, such expenditures for general personal grooming are inherently personal in nature and cannot be considered as business expenses."

Sandy

[powerage]

Thanks. I guess I wouldn't deduct it then.