# All about the miles...



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

I just wanted to ask. I know about counting miles while drive mode is on. But with Uber cutting rates in my home town, I commute to Boston to I can turn on Lyft too. It's just a short trip of about 23 miles commute (28minutes). Can I count those miles too. (???) I just look at it, as going to work for my full time job which for me is 35 miles (45 minutes). Which I cannot count for taxes. But since I am driving to get to the point were I turn on driver mode, I think they would count.

Thanks...


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Lyber Dan said:


> I just wanted to ask. I know about counting miles while drive mode is on. But with Uber cutting rates in my home town, I commute to Boston to I can turn on Lyft too. It's just a short trip of about 23 miles commute (28minutes). Can I count those miles too. (???) I just look at it, as going to work for my full time job which for me is 35 miles (45 minutes). Which I cannot count for taxes. But since I am driving to get to the point were I turn on driver mode, I think they would count.
> 
> Thanks...


Pay your taxes.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

From what I remember reading here there was a discussion in which at least one poster opined that you can turn on the app and be available for a ping as you make that 28 mile trip and count it as business mileage. The same way as you head home at the end of the shift. What I don't remember is if any of the tax pros gave their blessing to that idea.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Lyber Dan said:


> I just wanted to ask. I know about counting miles while drive mode is on. But with Uber cutting rates in my home town, I commute to Boston to I can turn on Lyft too. It's just a short trip of about 23 miles commute (28minutes). Can I count those miles too. (???) I just look at it, as going to work for my full time job which for me is 35 miles (45 minutes). Which I cannot count for taxes. But since I am driving to get to the point were I turn on driver mode, I think they would count.
> 
> Thanks...


Any miles you deduct have to be "business miles". Can you prove they were business miles? Did you accept pings? Did you make money? Or were you just driving or commuting? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself.


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## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

Does this help?


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## Nick781 (Dec 7, 2014)

UberTaxPro: I thought we can deduct all miles when the Uber app is on.


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## RightTurnClyde (Dec 9, 2015)

For tax purposes I base my business out of my "home office" i.e. my driveway. Keep a log of starting mileage and end of mileage (for my case driveway to driveway) when your done for each day when Uber'ing. Simple! Just be able to provide a log of miles/dates as proof for the IRS (I use the notepad on my phone which is printable). I don't cheat by mixing in personal miles so for me it's easy and honest.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Nick781 said:


> UberTaxPro: I thought we can deduct all miles when the Uber app is on.


If app on miles are "business miles" they're deductible.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> From what I remember reading here there was a discussion in which at least one poster opined that you can turn on the app and be available for a ping as you make that 28 mile trip and count it as business mileage. The same way as you head home at the end of the shift. What I don't remember is if any of the tax pros gave their blessing to that idea.


I would think that you'd have to be accepting and completing a good amount of pings almost every day on that 28 mile trip over the course of the year for that to fly.


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## Nick781 (Dec 7, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> If app on miles are "business miles" they're deductible.


So if we are driving to a client it is deductible. What about if we are driving around waiting for a ping.


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## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

Yes to both


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Nick781 said:


> So if we are driving to a client it is deductible. What about if we are driving around waiting for a ping.


The test is "business miles" . Driving around? maybe not. Driving to position yourself better to get more pings? yes


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## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

The question is that if it's related to the job your doing. Then yes, because it's part of your job to move to different locations. We are driving for a living, nothing tells us in Uber or Lyft's model to park our cars and wait for the next ping.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Lyber Dan said:


> The question is that if it's related to the job your doing. Then yes, because it's part of your job to move to different locations. We are driving for a living, nothing tells us in Uber or Lyft's model to park our cars and wait for the next ping.


"related to the job your doing" = business miles ??? Close but maybe more like " actively engaged in the work" = business miles


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> The test is "business miles" . Driving around? maybe not. Driving to position yourself better to get more pings? yes


Okay, then by your definition the OP driving the 14 miles (28 r/t) to get to Boston where he gets pings and the rates are higher, could deduct at least those miles.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Okay, then by your definition the OP driving the 14 miles (28 r/t) to get to Boston where he gets pings and the rates are higher, could deduct at least those miles.


only if he was online and accepted a substantial amount of pings during the r/t. I guess the question becomes was he working his way to Boston or commuting to Boston? Or, how many pings did he accept? I would say if he was online 100% of the miles and accepted and completed 90% or so of all pings along the way those miles would qualify as business miles. Just my opinion


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## Nick781 (Dec 7, 2014)

So how do I even record this stuff for the IRS...... I record start and stop but the IRS wants all the destinations... I log all the destinations I drive to get customers but what about driving to get pings or driving to customers... I need separate logs for that too? thats alot of documentation.


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## DRiver II (May 24, 2015)

Lyber Dan said:


> I just wanted to ask. I know about counting miles while drive mode is on. But with Uber cutting rates in my home town, I commute to Boston to I can turn on Lyft too. It's just a short trip of about 23 miles commute (28minutes). Can I count those miles too. (???) I just look at it, as going to work for my full time job which for me is 35 miles (45 minutes). Which I cannot count for taxes. But since I am driving to get to the point were I turn on driver mode, I think they would count.
> 
> Thanks...


interesting...

I firmly believe that if the app is on, and you're technically available to work as in drive and pickup pax, then any miles driven during that time count as deductible miles! It is not our fault if we do not get a request during that time. now if the IRS were so inclined to do costly investigations, I assume they could deny miles if you consistently denied requests during that commute time and time again.

actually an enterprising lawyer maybe cold argue that if a driver is driving for more than one TNC or delivery Co, said driver might technically be able to count those 'off' miles multiplied by the amount of TNCs/carriers he or she is driving for...

but that's going way too far IMO, although technically it could be argued.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Nick781 said:


> So how do I even record this stuff for the IRS...... I record start and stop but the IRS wants all the destinations... I log all the destinations I drive to get customers but what about driving to get pings or driving to customers... I need separate logs for that too? thats alot of documentation.


I believe you are making it more difficult and cumbersome than it has to be. Where did this bit about the IRS wanting destinations come from? I've never heard or read that, and have been doing this for 13 years. Get some sort of logbook or calendar, ( I use a Dayplanner) and note the odometer reading at the start and end of each shift you do. Note that it is for ride share, and subtract the the starting reading from the ending for the daily total. You don't need destinations or individual trips, as long as it is all business use, including dead miles.
If it is available daily, I would also note the pax miles shown by Uber/Lyft. If it were me, I would keep monthly totals, making it easier to add the miles up at the end of the year.
In case you are audited, they want to see that you kept a contemporaneous record of business miles, but a trip log for each pax would be burdensome, and not necessary.
Now let's see what the tax pros have to say.


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## Nick781 (Dec 7, 2014)

If you only have miles you will fail the audit


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Nick781 said:


> So how do I even record this stuff for the IRS...... I record start and stop but the IRS wants all the destinations... I log all the destinations I drive to get customers but what about driving to get pings or driving to customers... I need separate logs for that too? thats alot of documentation.


Uber keeps records of pickups and destinations for you. Destinations are required to prove business use unless the business use is obvious. I would say that TNC drivers business use is obvious in most cases. But just in case it's not obvious to your auditor you've got the uber records to back up your log. They even include maps!


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## Nick781 (Dec 7, 2014)

The information Uber provides is only on a map. Unless I go on the app. So I need Date, Start and stop, and destination. Written.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Nick781 said:


> The information Uber provides is only on a map. Unless I go on the app. So I need Date, Start and stop, and destination. Written.


Can't go wrong with that! 
Your trip summaries give time, date, duration and mileage. The maps provide origin and destination. Your mileage log includes total mileage and separates business from personal miles. All are kept contemporaneously. I would think that's all one would need.


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## Uber Kraus (Jun 10, 2015)

As soon as the app goes on the miles are deductible. Very simple.


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## ThaUBBA (Feb 13, 2016)

Uber Kraus said:


> As soon as the app goes on the miles are deductible. Very simple.


I'm no tax-magician but I'm fairly certain you can't just turn it on go to the store to buy yourself some groceries and reject rides while claiming those miles as deductions lol. Then again, the IRS and myself aren't exactly on each other friends list so I'm probably wrong with everything.


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## Uber Kraus (Jun 10, 2015)

ThaUBBA said:


> I'm no tax-magician but I'm fairly certain you can't just turn it on go to the store to buy yourself some groceries and reject rides while claiming those miles as deductions lol. Then again, the IRS and myself aren't exactly on each other friends list so I'm probably wrong with everything.


Meh. You are indeed wrong.


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