The U. S.  Congress has approved a measure that extends unemployment benefits  by 13 weeks to workers living in states with  jobless rates higher than 8.5%. Missourians easily met that criterion with a November employment rate of 9.5%.

  The Federal Reserve predicts unemployment will stay above 9% through the end of 2010.

  Such a slow place of hiring could force the Obama administration to spend as much as $70 billion this year to extend unemployment benefits. Economists estimate claims rose to 455,000 in the Christmas week from 452,000 the prior week.

Get Tax Credit for Job Search

Many taxpayers spend time during the summer months polishing their résumé and attending career fairs. If you are searching for a job this summer, you may be able to deduct some of your expenses on your tax return.

Here are the top six things the IRS wants you to know about deducting costs related to your job search.

1. In order to deduct job search costs, the expenses must be spent on a job search in your current occupation. You may not deduct expenses incurred while looking for a job in a new occupation.
   
   
2. You can deduct employment and outplacement agency fees you pay while looking for a job in your present occupation. If your employer pays you back in a later year for employment agency fees, you must include the amount you receive in your gross income up to the amount of your tax benefit in the earlier year.
   
   
3. You can deduct amounts you spend for preparing and mailing copies of a résumé to prospective employers as long as you are looking for a new job in your present occupation.
   
   
4. If you travel to an area to look for a new job in your present occupation, you may be able to deduct travel expenses to and from the area. You can only deduct the travel expenses if the trip is primarily to look for a new job. The amount of time you spend on personal activity compared to the amount of time you spend looking for work is important in determining whether the trip is primarily personal or is primarily to look for a new job.
   
   
5. You cannot deduct job search expenses if there was a substantial break between the end of your last job and the time you begin looking for a new one.
   
   
6. You cannot deduct job search expenses if you are looking for a job for the first time.
   

For more information about job search expenses, see IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions. This publication is available on the IRS Web site, IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Links:

• Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions
• Tax Topic 508, Miscellaneous Expenses
• Tax Topic 511, Business Travel Expenses

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