# Gas receipts charged on Uber Fuel Card



## uber79nyc (Feb 29, 2016)

Any accountant here to confirm whether or not it is necessary to save the receipts printed from the pump if the charges on the card are automatically deducted from our earnings and are listed as such? Is the charge on the statement enough for IRS purposes? I know this might sound a bit obvious for some but I was saving all the receipts when paying in cash or with my own debit/credit card, since I received the Uber Fuel Card I then stopped saving the receipts since the transaction is deducted from my earnings. Right or wrong move?


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Gas receipts are meaningless... what you need is your milage log. 54c per mile in deductions... no limit, you don't need receipts... just a log that coincides with previous years logs and your vehicles current milage.

Deducting by actual expenses is INSANE as 

A. you can get a LOT more for doing a per mile
B. the math is easier (Good luck deducting 50% of $3,o00 worth of engine work that was mostly caused by driving for uber 2 years ago)


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## Locklears (Nov 17, 2016)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Gas receipts are meaningless... what you need is your milage log. 54c per mile in deductions... no limit, you don't need receipts... just a log that coincides with previous years logs and your vehicles current milage.
> 
> Deducting by actual expenses is INSANE as
> 
> ...


Do you track all miles or just the miles during atrip? also I live about 40 miles out of Dallas and have to "commute" to work but I do stay online during my travel time to Dallas just incase.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

It's any miles you drive for the purpose of making money,

For the sake of completeness

Include all miles to a fare
Include all miles on a fare
Include all miles to a no-show
Include all miles going to a location you think your going to get pings after your first trip

On your ride to work, if your online its's deductible even if the chance is .00001% that you will get a ping as long as it's possible, it's still works. If you can't theoretically get a ping it's "commute". Literately what you are doing is... you are commuting on foot to your car and re-positioning to somewhere you have a higher chance of getting a ping.

If you cannot do trips where you live this whole thing is a little trickier.

Your ride home is not deductible, however if you live in an area that is serviceable by you on uber the IRS cannot prove it.

UBer's "Numbers' are only inclusive of time you actually have a passenger, the IRS is aware of this, you need a log or you can't deduct anything at all (Seriously)

As long as you have a log the MOST that the IRS can do is compare your log to your Odometer and last years log. 

Your log needs dates and odometer start and odometer stop readings, and start/stop time. That's it.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> It's any miles you drive for the purpose of making money,
> 
> For the sake of completeness
> 
> ...


"As long as you have a log the MOST that the IRS can do is compare your log to your Odometer and last years log." IRS can also compare your mileage log to mileage records on motor vehicle documents and service records like oil changes and tire purchases etc...

"Your ride home is not deductible, however if you live in an area that is serviceable by you on uber the IRS cannot prove it." At the administrative level within the IRS the burden of proof is on the taxpayer not the IRS. If you can't show an ordinary and necessary business purpose you could lose the deduction in an audit.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

uber79nyc said:


> Any accountant here to confirm whether or not it is necessary to save the receipts printed from the pump if the charges on the card are automatically deducted from our earnings and are listed as such? Is the charge on the statement enough for IRS purposes? I know this might sound a bit obvious for some but I was saving all the receipts when paying in cash or with my own debit/credit card, since I received the Uber Fuel Card I then stopped saving the receipts since the transaction is deducted from my earnings. Right or wrong move?


It is always a good idea to save all receipts whether you're using expenses or mileage method. Tax laws and circumstances change and you never know when a receipt you think is worthless now could become valuable. As a general rule, when you're in business save ALL receipts. That said, yes your electronic receipt would suffice for IRS purposes as long as you could print out a legible copy.


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## uber79nyc (Feb 29, 2016)

UberTaxPro said:


> It is always a good idea to save all receipts whether you're using expenses or mileage method. Tax laws and circumstances change and you never know when a receipt you think is worthless now could become valuable. As a general rule, when you're in business save ALL receipts. That said, yes your electronic receipt would suffice for IRS purposes as long as you could print out a legible copy.


thanks for replying. I guess that my question is since this gas expense is now being deducted from UBER should I keep collecting and saving the receipts or does the deduction shown on the statement just like their other deductions do the trick? I guess I got confused because any deduction on the statement doesn't come with a receipt. By the way I'm using expenses because I rent the car from a private owner.


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## Rat (Mar 6, 2016)

Locklears said:


> Do you track all miles or just the miles during atrip? also I live about 40 miles out of Dallas and have to "commute" to work but I do stay online during my travel time to Dallas just incase.


If you're logged on and available for fares, those are legitimate miles. Track all miles, even deadhead miles. Do count miles driven home as those are not business miles. If you take a fare out of town and have to deadhead back, do one more fare in own so you can deduct the deadhead miles from your out of town trip.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

uber79nyc said:


> thanks for replying. I guess that my question is since this gas expense is now being deducted from UBER should I keep collecting and saving the receipts or does the deduction shown on the statement just like their other deductions do the trick? I guess I got confused because any deduction on the statement doesn't come with a receipt. By the way I'm using expenses because I rent the car from a private owner.


When Uber sends you a 1099 it will be for the gross amount they paid you. It won't have your gas expense already deducted out if that's what you're asking. If you're gonna use your uber account for deduction records be sure to print out copies because someday you might find yourself locked out of the account if Uber should get mad at you for some reason! You should get a bag or box or something to keep receipts in. Keep it in your car and throw every receipt you can get in the bag. You'll be glad you did come tax time.


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## BeantownZombie (May 1, 2016)

Locklears said:


> Do you track all miles or just the miles during atrip? also I live about 40 miles out of Dallas and have to "commute" to work but I do stay online during my travel time to Dallas just incase.


I live in Quincy but start my day in Boston, so what I do is bring my sister in law (lives next door) to work in Boston and start my day I write down my odometer from the time she gets out the car till the time I pull back into my driveway at end of my shift.


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## DCadran (Dec 14, 2016)

Locklears said:


> Do you track all miles or just the miles during atrip? also I live about 40 miles out of Dallas and have to "commute" to work but I do stay online during my travel time to Dallas just incase.


I have this problem too. I actually have to commute to another state to drive for Uber. My understanding is that because we are independent contractors, this works in our favor. We get to deduct this as it is a "work related expense" where as for someone that was just a regular employee it would not be.


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## jincuteguy (Dec 14, 2016)

So basically as long as you're logged into the Uber App, you can deduct those miles? Cause I'm confused between "turning on" the Uber App and "signing in" the Uber app. So which one you can deduct?


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

jincuteguy said:


> So basically as long as you're logged into the Uber App, you can deduct those miles? Cause I'm confused between "turning on" the Uber App and "signing in" the Uber app. So which one you can deduct?


If the miles are in your log you can go ahead and deduct it...

If you have no log your pretty much SOL.


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## jincuteguy (Dec 14, 2016)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> If the miles are in your log you can go ahead and deduct it...
> 
> If you have no log your pretty much SOL.


You mean the "log" is the one that I create right? then how does the IRS know if your log is 100% correct?


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

jincuteguy said:


> You mean the "log" is the one that I create right? then how does the IRS know if your log is 100% correct?


Do you have an honest face ?


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> If the miles are in your log you can go ahead and deduct it...
> 
> If you have no log your pretty much SOL.


Reminds me,I need to start writing my log.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

jincuteguy said:


> You mean the "log" is the one that I create right? then how does the IRS know if your log is 100% correct?


That's a good question,

The answer is...

The log is the evidence that backs up your claim to the number of miles you drove

So i guess we are dealing with faith here,

If they can prove that your log is fraudulent, that would be a problem,

if they believe your log is legitimate you will be fine


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