Get Foreign Moving Expenses

IRS rules on moving expenses changed when the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) went into effect in 2018. Through 2025, employer-paid relocation expenses are taxable—and unreimbursed moving expenses are no longer deductible.

Can I deduct moving expenses for my move abroad? If you have made your move overseas to start a new job or business, you may be able to deduct some expenses of your move. In order to be deductible, your moving expenses must have been paid or incurred in connection with starting a position at a new job location.

You can deduct the expenses of moving your household goods and personal effects, including expenses for hauling a trailer, packing, crating, in-transit storage, and insurance. You can't deduct expenses for moving furniture or other goods you bought on the way from your old home to your new home.

You cannot claim any of the following expenses: expenses for work done to make your old home more saleable. any loss from the sale of your home. travel expenses for house-hunting trips before you move.

You can claim travel costs such as vehicle, meals, and accommodation expenses incurred to move to a new home with your household members. For meals and vehicle expenses, you have the option of using either the detailed method to claim the actual amounts paid, or the simplified method to claim a flat-rate amount.

In order to be tax deductible, moving costs must be incurred in specific and relatively narrow circumstances. Our tax system allows taxpayers to claim a deduction only where: the move is made to get the taxpayer closer to his or her new place of work, whether that work is a transfer, a new job, or self-employment.

For tax years beginning after 2017, you can no longer deduct moving expenses unless you are a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and, due to a military order, you move because of a permanent change of station.