Moving Expenses: Meaning, Overview, Qualifications

What Are Moving Expenses?

Moving expenses, to the Internal Revenue Service, are costs that are incurred by a taxpayer related to relocating for a new job or being transferred to a new location. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) eliminated the deduction of moving expenses for tax years 2018 through 2025, except for members of the military on active duty who move as the result of a military order.

If you're a member of the military, keep reading to find out how the tax deduction for moving expenses works.

And, if you're in the military, you'll find this page riveting reading: It's the Tax Breaks for the Military page on the IRS website.

Understanding Moving Expenses

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the deduction for moving expenses, among many others. The act is in force through 2025, and there's no way to predict what will happen then.

In any case, active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces are still able to deduct moving expenses if they are incurred in response to a military order that requires a permanent change of station.

A permanent change of station includes one of three scenarios: 1) a move from your home to your first post of active duty, 2) a move from one permanent post to another, or 3) a move from the last active duty post to your home that occurs within one year of ending active duty or as allowed under joint travel regulations.

Qualifications for Moving Expenses

Members of the Armed Forces should use IRS Form 3903 to claim the cost of moving expenses as a deduction on their federal income taxes.

When trying to determine if your moving expenses qualify as tax-deductible, the key phrase to consider—at least in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)—is "reasonable costs" for moving yourself and your property.

Basic categories of qualifying costs include moving expenses, storage expenses, and travel expenses.

Moving Expenses

You can deduct certain expenses associated with moving your household goods and personal effects. Examples of these expenses include the cost of packing, crating, hauling a trailer, in-transit storage, and insurance.

Note that you cannot deduct expenses for moving furniture or other goods you purchased on the way from your old home to your new one.

Storage Expenses

You can deduct costs related to transporting, storing, and insuring your household goods and personal effects. These expenses must occur within any period of 30 consecutive days after your belongings were moved from your former home and before they were delivered to your new one.

Travel Expenses

Within certain limitations, you can deduct travel expenses from your old home to your new one. You can't deduct the cost of meals. You can deduct lodging expenses (with limitations), car expenses, and airfare.

If you use your car to take yourself, household members, or your household goods to your new home, you can calculate your expenses by deducting either of the following: 

• Your actual expenses—such as the amount you pay for gas and oil for your car—as long as you keep accurate documentation of each expense.
• Or, the standard mileage rate. That rate was 16 cents per mile for tax year 2021 and 18 cents per mile for tax year 2022.

Whichever method you use to figure out your expenses, you can deduct the parking fees and tolls you pay to move. You can't deduct the costs of repairs, maintenance, insurance, or depreciation for your car.

If you're planning to claim these deductions, keep good documentation of all the expenses that may qualify.

Nondeductible Moving Expenses

Some expenses that are generally not deductible include house-hunting trips, expenses of entering into or breaking a lease, and the costs involved in buying or selling a home. While traveling from your old home to your new home, you cannot deduct the cost of what the IRS deems as extravagant lodging or unnecessary side trips.

You can consult the instructions for IRS Form 3903, for details on nondeductible expenses.

If you paid for moving expenses and were later reimbursed by the government, you will not be able to claim these costs as a deduction on your taxes.