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Discover the top tax deductions for nurses in 2025! From uniforms and CEUs to mileage and travel nurse expenses, this comprehensive guide helps RNs, LPNs, and self-employed nurses maximize their tax savings.
As a nurse, your job is all about helping others—but when it comes to tax time, it’s important to help yourself too. Many nurses miss out on valuable tax deductions simply because they aren’t aware of what they’re entitled to claim. Whether you’re working in a hospital, clinic, travel nursing, or even operating as an independent contractor, understanding your tax deductions can make a huge difference in your refund—or how much you owe.
This guide will walk you through common and often overlooked tax deductions for nurses, so you can file with confidence.
Tax deductions lower your taxable income, which means you may end up paying less in taxes—or possibly getting a larger refund. Nurses often pay out-of-pocket for job-related expenses, and those can add up quickly. Fortunately, many of these costs may be deductible.
However, since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, employees can no longer claim unreimbursed job expenses as itemized deductions. But there are exceptions, especially if you’re self-employed, work as a travel nurse, or have side gigs in nursing.
If you’re required to wear a specific uniform or scrubs that are not suitable for everyday wear, the cost of purchasing and cleaning them may be deductible. This includes:
🧼 Tip: Keep receipts for uniform purchases and track laundry expenses related to your work clothing.
Nursing often requires ongoing education and professional development. If the course or certification maintains or improves skills required for your current job, it’s usually deductible.
Eligible expenses may include:
🎓 Note: Education that qualifies you for a new career (like going from RN to Nurse Practitioner) is not deductible under work-related education rules.
If you belong to any professional nursing organizations or subscribe to medical journals relevant to your work, you can likely deduct those fees.
📚 Pro tip: These are especially useful deductions for nurses who work as independent contractors or are required to maintain memberships for licensure.
Travel nurses may qualify for a wide variety of deductions, especially if they meet the criteria for having a tax home. If you maintain a primary residence (your tax home) and accept temporary assignments elsewhere, you may qualify for:
🧳 Reminder: If your contract exceeds 12 months in one location, it’s no longer considered temporary, and your travel deductions may be limited.
If you’re an independent nurse contractor, such as a home health nurse, telehealth nurse, or operate a nursing consultancy, you're considered self-employed—which opens the door to even more deductions.
You may be able to deduct:
💼 Tax Tip: You may also be able to deduct a portion of your health insurance premiums and contribute to a Self-Employed Retirement Plan like a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k).
Nurses often travel between job sites, patients’ homes, or to training locations. If you use your personal car for these trips (not including your regular commute), you may be able to deduct mileage.
🚗 How to Claim: Use either the standard mileage rate or actual expenses method. For 2024, the standard mileage rate is 67 cents per mile (check for the updated IRS rate for 2025 when filing).
If you purchase your own tools or supplies to perform your job and your employer doesn’t reimburse you, these may be deductible.
Common deductible items include:
🧾 Pro Tip: Keep a folder (digital or physical) of all your work-related receipts throughout the year.
If you’re a self-employed nurse who works from home—doing telehealth, running a consulting business, or managing your business—you may qualify for a home office deduction.
To qualify:
You can use the simplified option ($5 per square foot up to 300 square feet) or calculate actual expenses (portion of rent, utilities, internet, etc.).
If you use your phone or internet connection for work—whether to communicate with patients, log shifts, or manage your business—you can deduct a portion of these expenses.
📱 Examples:
Just be sure to separate personal and business use—only the business portion is deductible.
If you pay for your own professional liability insurance (aka malpractice insurance), this is a fully deductible business expense for self-employed nurses. For W-2 nurses, it's only deductible if required and not reimbursed by your employer—so be sure to check with HR.
💡 Tip: Keep a copy of your insurance policy and payment receipts in your records. In the event of an audit, clear documentation can help support your deduction.
You may need to renew your license regularly or apply for additional licenses in different states, especially if you’re a travel nurse.
These expenses are deductible and include:
If you’re self-employed or run a nursing-related side hustle, you can set up and contribute to retirement accounts like:
These contributions may reduce your taxable income and help you save for the future at the same time.
To avoid trouble with the IRS, it’s important to know what doesn’t qualify:
To make tax filing easier, keep organized records throughout the year. Use tools like:
Consider working with a tax professional who understands your industry to make sure you're getting every deduction you deserve.
Nursing is more than a job—it’s a demanding, hands-on profession that often requires you to spend your own money just to do your job well. But come tax season, those costs don’t have to be a burden.
By staying organized and informed about what you can deduct, you can keep more of your hard-earned income in your pocket. Whether you're staff, travel, or self-employed, you deserve every tax break you qualify for.
✅ Scrubs and uniforms
✅ Laundry/dry-cleaning expenses
✅ CEUs and certification fees
✅ Licensing and renewals
✅ Professional memberships and dues
✅ Medical tools and supplies
✅ Malpractice insurance
✅ Mileage logs
✅ Travel expenses (for travel nurses)
✅ Internet and phone (work portion)
✅ Home office details (if self-employed)
✅ Retirement contributions (if self-employed)
Consider working with Vincere Tax! We can help you maximize deductions, reduce audit risk, and stay compliant with IRS rules.
Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, W-2 employees—including staff nurses—can no longer deduct unreimbursed job expenses. However, travel nurses and self-employed nurses may still qualify for a variety of deductions.
Yes, if you're required to wear specific uniforms like scrubs that aren't suitable for everyday wear, and your employer doesn't reimburse you, the cost of purchasing and laundering them may be deductible.
If you qualify for a tax home, you may be able to deduct travel expenses such as lodging, meals, transportation, mileage, and licensing fees related to temporary assignments.
Yes, as long as the education maintains or improves your current nursing skills and isn’t required for a new occupation. This includes CEUs, BLS, ACLS, and license renewal fees.
Keep receipts, mileage logs, proof of education, licensure documents, and any unreimbursed expense records. Staying organized throughout the year can help ensure you maximize your deductions and reduce audit risk.
Being audited is comparable to being struck by lightning. You don't want to practice pole vaulting in a thunderstorm just because it's unlikely. Making sure your books are accurate and your taxes are filed on time is one of the best ways to keep your head down during tax season. Check out Vincere's take on tax season!
This post is just for informational purposes and is not meant to be legal, business, or tax advice. Regarding the matters discussed in this post, each individual should consult his or her own attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor. Vincere accepts no responsibility for actions taken in reliance on the information contained in this document.
For business tax planning articles, our tax resources provides valuable insights into how you can reduce your tax liability now, and in the future.
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