# Question about taxes/independent student



## collegecat2016 (Dec 21, 2016)

Hello all,

I drove for uber and made about $800 in 2016. I went back through my mileage log and it appears I have about 1400 miles to use as a standard deduction and a % of my car interest (which was $385) based off the TT formula. 

My question is - do I need to include all the expenses? What if I use less for mileage and don't include the interest on my car at all?

The reason I ask is because my return goes up about $80 when I cut the mileage in half and remove the car interest from the formula. It appears this is due tot he EITC that I qualify for because I wont be operating "at a loss" .. I already get $1000 from the government for being an independent student & this extra money would help cover the fee TT is charging for their software. 

My question basically is:

Is it legal to not list all expenses related to my job to get more money back on my taxes?


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

this is the first time I have ever heard of a mileage log hurting a tax situation...most drivers don't keep a log (hint hint)


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

collegecat2016 said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I drove for uber and made about $800 in 2016. I went back through my mileage log and it appears I have about 1400 miles to use as a standard deduction and a % of my car interest (which was $385) based off the TT formula.
> 
> ...


From the way I interpret the rules, ( I am not a tax professional) fudging on expenses to increase the EITC is clearly verboten. You would be filing an inaccurate return. You are supposed to claim all deductible expenses.
Read through this:
https://www.eitc.irs.gov/Tax-Preparer-Toolkit/faqs/income


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