# Mileage tax question



## TJR (Apr 15, 2017)

I read that you need to write down the from and to locations for mileage deduction, is this true? Also do you need to list if the run was for either lyft or uber?


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Here is the way taxis have been doing this for decades and it works for them: 
http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/taxi.pdf
Uber does keep a record of your trip locations but if your going to use that as your record you better make sure you download or copy it to a safe place because it's still your responsibility not Ubers. You could find yourself locked out of your account and not able to retrieve the records some day. I don't know if Lyft keeps track of trips the same way Uber does.

No you don't need to differentiate between Uber and Lyft for mileage record keeping purposes. You're running a taxi, limo, transportation or whatever you want to call it business and Uber and Lyft are your customers.


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## TJR (Apr 15, 2017)

I do postmates and ubereats. I would track mileage from current location to food pickup then to customer. Do i need to write down the location of both pickup and dropoff location in my log?


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> Here is the way taxis have been doing this for decades and it works for them:
> http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/taxi.pdf
> Uber does keep a record of your trip locations but if your going to use that as your record you better make sure you download or copy it to a safe place because it's still your responsibility not Ubers. You could find yourself locked out of your account and not able to retrieve the records some day. I don't know if Lyft keeps track of trips the same way Uber does.
> 
> No you don't need to differentiate between Uber and Lyft for mileage record keeping purposes. You're running a taxi, limo, transportation or whatever you want to call it business and Uber and Lyft are your customers.


Is the breakdown by trip really necessary in the rideshare category? I realize it is probably convincing to have a detailed record, but I thought the start and end odometer readings and purpose would be sufficient. If the IRS wants the former, I'll bet 99% of the drivers are non-compliant.
I remember you were in the taxi business, so was that trip log to keep the drivers honest or was it required by the IRS?
As always, I defer to your experience in the business and your understanding of the IRS rules.


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## Lee239 (Mar 24, 2017)

I just log my starting miles and my ending miles per day, if I use my car for personal stuff then I start start and end again that day. 

It's so dead where I am I can do all my errands while the app is on.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Is the breakdown by trip really necessary in the rideshare category? I realize it is probably convincing to have a detailed record, but I thought the start and end odometer readings and purpose would be sufficient. If the IRS wants the former, I'll bet 99% of the drivers are non-compliant.
> I remember you were in the taxi business, so was that trip log to keep the drivers honest or was it required by the IRS?
> As always, I defer to your experience in the business and your understanding of the IRS rules.


That trip log was required by the state DOT and still is. Generally the DOT didn't bug me to much except for those "trip sheets" as they called them. When they rarely came to the office that was always the first thing they wanted to see. When I wanted to apply for more permits I had to prove the need by showing a bunch of completed trip sheets for a certain time period. Luckily they also served as mileage records.
Start and end odometer readings and purpose would be sufficient for most ride-share drivers I agree. In certain cases, like a driver showing 15000 miles of business miles for the year and only $500 of income for the year they might request a little more detail and by the letter of the law they have that right. It's a good idea to keep an eye on your mileage to income ratio...if its not reasonable your log should show why.


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## TJR (Apr 15, 2017)

Do you need to write down your personal mileage? Cant you just keep track of your business mileage?


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

TJR said:


> Do you need to write down your personal mileage? Cant you just keep track of your business mileage?


No you don't have to. Your personal mileage will be your total miles - business miles. You do need to keep track of your total miles for each year.


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