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Deducting vehicle milage

9K views 29 replies 13 participants last post by  Dennis Alwon 
#1 · (Edited)
So who does this? how do you do it? how do you log it? and what else do you deduct on your taxes?


I am asking as deduct mielage food clothing and tools. And got audited and the irs accepted none of it? Note I am an employee hired through a union hall and all my jobs are temporary lasting no longer then 10 months so far to date
 
#3 ·
keep receipts! usually your milage will be better than receipts for just gas, but you have to keep track of your mileage. changes from year to year but the irs has been pretty much keeping up with gas prices! (another conspiracy?):)
 
#4 ·
Are you talking personal income taxes or business taxes?

On my personal taxes, if I use my own vehicle for business use I keep track of the mileage and date(s) driven and use the standard IRS mileage rate for business use of a personal vehicle. I think for 2013 it's like 55 cents per mile or something. There are rules though; if you're commuting to or from work it generally doesn't count. If you're hauling company materials around though, then it would count.
 
#6 ·
So who does this? how do you do it? how do you log it? and what else do you deduct on your taxes?


I am asking as deduct mielage food clothing and tools. And got audited and the irs accepted none of it?
As an employee most of these are not deductible. driving to and from work is not deductible but if you use your vehicle for the benefit of your employer and they do not reimburse you then you can deduct those miles. Clothing has to be directly related to the job. Steel toed boots if required would be deductible a carhart coat would not. Tools are deductible in most cases of course all this is subject to the 2% rule
 
#25 · (Edited)
As an employee most of these are not deductible. driving to and from work is not deductible but if you use your vehicle for the benefit of your employer and they do not reimburse you then you can deduct those miles. Clothing has to be directly related to the job. Steel toed boots if required would be deductible a carhart coat would not. Tools are deductible in most cases of course all this is subject to the 2% rule
IRS MYTH!

I deducted my mileage to and from work in my personal truck for 13 years.

I had an accountant that did my taxes and she said it was not deductible. I showed her some IRS rules and she said "that goes against everything I was taught by the IRS". She said to go for it.

My tax returns were " delayed due to further review and evaluation prior to approval" 6 times during that 13 year period. They never questioned the mileage deductions.

At the most it was a "Gray Area" in the tax laws/rules. An area stuck between commuting and travel. It was based on not having a permanent work location. If I recall it was form 2106

The minimum I wrote of was around 25,000 and the most was 50,000 miles.

But then again I seemed to have a knack for pushing the limits with the "Man" when it came to taxes!
If you spend some time researching the IRS codes you will find they are full of loopholes and contridictions. Don't just roll over and drink the IRS Kool-Aid
 
#17 ·
Check the IRS website it will explain the milage deduction and how it applies . You can claim deductions but when you get audited the IRS cabn disallow them and you will owe money.

from the irs site

Although commuting costs are not deductible, some local transportation expenses are. Deductible local transportation expenses include the ordinary and necessary expenses of going from one workplace to another. If you have an office in your home that you use as your principal place of business for your employer, you may deduct the cost of traveling between your home office and work places
 
#21 ·
#24 ·
From what I've been told and what I've been doing, which also got me thru an audit, claim the mileage but keep a really good record of it. Then when you get audited the worst thing that happens is you owe the money for that year that you would have owed anyway. The best thing that happens is the auditor sees the log and doesn't argue it since it's small potatoes.
 
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