# Flex tax question.



## Brandon Wilson (Aug 13, 2017)

Can you begin deducting miles from your starting point to the station ala uber or are you limited to deducting from when you actually leave the station? I've been logging it from when I leave the station.


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## jester121 (Sep 6, 2016)

Probably a grey area -- is home -> depot considered a commute, or is that trip considered visiting your client site? I bet even CPAs would be split if you surveyed a bunch. I take it all, unless you live really far away it's not a huge amount of money either way.


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## kmatt (Apr 25, 2016)

Take the safe harbor home office deduction on your Schedule C. While working a block, any miles driven from your your home office and back count towards your total mileage. We are self-employed "business owners" after all.


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## wagyu (Jun 26, 2017)

Your home to the fulfillment center is considered a commute. Your primary business is delivering packages, which cannot be done from your “home office”. Doing “paperwork” at home like entering mileage into your spreadsheet or tapping for blocks does not qualify as a home office.

The irs has lots of guidance and examples on what qualifies as a home office. Delivering does not meet the regular and exclusive use, and principal place of your business requirements.


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## Brandon Wilson (Aug 13, 2017)

wagyu said:


> Your home to the fulfillment center is considered a commute. Your primary business is delivering packages, which cannot be done from your "home office". Doing "paperwork" at home like entering mileage into your spreadsheet or tapping for blocks does not qualify as a home office.
> 
> The irs has lots of guidance and examples on what qualifies as a home office. Delivering does not meet the regular and exclusive use, and principal place of your business requirements.


If that's the case why does Uber acknowledge ride miles and actual miles separately? Actual miles = your start point where u are before you pick someone up and where you go back to when you are done?


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## CatchyMusicLover (Sep 18, 2015)

What Uber does is irrelevant, because their business is not your business. Especially since Lyft's tracking includes miles driven to the PAX where Uber's does not (unless that's changed since I drove riseshare....I suppose it's possible)
There's no doubt at all that as long as your app is on, miles count for U/L, on top of any driving to get to a better spot, etc.


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## Brandon Wilson (Aug 13, 2017)

Thanks for the help guys. Talked to a tax guy. I know the difference now, uber drivers qualify for their mileage due to temporary location of their 'business'. (Point A is wherever the hell they are so there is no permanent location of business). Flex guys only qualify for this deduction if they had been doing flex under a year at year's end which would have made the destination temporary by the IRS definition. That pretty much means claiming mileage from A to B and B to A for flex drivers a one time deal. Thanks again for everyone who helped or tried to.


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## oicu812 (Aug 29, 2016)

Open up the Lyft or Uber app. Go online (if you want) on your way to the station. Count all the miles.


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## DeathByFlex (Nov 29, 2017)

I often have returns from the final block of the day which I return to the WH the following morning. Technically, I am delivering packages from my home office to Amazon before starting my next block. Wouldn't those trips count?


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## Brandon Wilson (Aug 13, 2017)

DeathByFlex said:


> I often have returns from the final block of the day which I return to the WH the following morning. Technically, I am delivering packages from my home office to Amazon before starting my next block. Wouldn't those trips count?


It's considered a commute since the trip isn't 'uninterrupted'.


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## jester121 (Sep 6, 2016)

What if you spend 13 hours a day in your home office tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tapping on your phone trying to grab a Flex block? 

Or.... if you keep swipe-refreshing while driving from home to the depot, hoping to pick up a back-to-back? That sure seems like work to me.


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## kmatt (Apr 25, 2016)

Brandon Wilson said:


> It's considered a commute since the trip isn't 'uninterrupted'.


A commute is only for employees not the self-employed


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## UberPasco (Oct 18, 2015)

kmatt said:


> A commute is only for employees not the self-employed


You, sir, are a dolt.


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## kmatt (Apr 25, 2016)

UberPasco said:


> You, sir, are a dolt.


I'm working under the assumption that a contractors home is their office. A drive from their home office to work is not a commute for tax related purposes. There was a landmark case against the IRS about 25 years ago about this.


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## oicu812 (Aug 29, 2016)

As Uber, a drive to a staging area such as LAX pigpen is not a commute. Miles are deductible.


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## UberPasco (Oct 18, 2015)

kmatt said:


> I'm working under the assumption that a contractors home is their office. A drive from their home office to work is not a commute for tax related purposes. There was a landmark case against the IRS about 25 years ago about this.


"*your home office was used regularly and exclusively as the scene for most of your income-earning activities last year. Alternatively, it would also qualify as your principal place of business if it was used regularly and exclusively for management and administrative functions provided you didn't make substantial use of any other fixed location for such activities last year.* (Administrative and management activities are things like preparing client proposals and invoices, strategic planning, market research, keeping up with professional literature and so forth.)"
You can contort to try and meet that criteria, but the IRS doesn't especially like such creativity. Someone who legitimately has an existing home office for another business would be able to piggyback onto that.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

You receive/accept offers at home, most of the time. And while doing uber/lyft accept the first trip while at home.


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## UberPasco (Oct 18, 2015)

Amsoil Uber Connect said:


> You receive/accept offers at home, most of the time. And while doing uber/lyft accept the first trip while at home.


You understand the difference between checking the app and actually 'performing a service for which you are paid', right?
And you are correct that Uber/Lyft is a completely different situation. But even though you will be able to limit commute mileage (and be ready to prove that you accepted pings from home to justify), claiming a home office for U/L will not fly. Last year my CPA warned against it. This year he said there were consistent IRS rulings against it.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

I don't claim a home office deduction.


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## wagyu (Jun 26, 2017)

Amsoil Uber Connect said:


> I don't claim a home office deduction.


Are you claiming your miles starting from home because you receive/accept blocks from home? You don't technically need to claim the home business deduction, but you still need to meet the requirements of one. You deliver packages outside your home, so how can you meet the requirements of the home office deduction? You can't.

Almost all the advice here is wrong. No matter how you spin it, you can't deduct the miles from your home to your first pick up, and from your last drop off to home.

And good luck proving you had u/l on while driving to your first pickup. Unless you consistently pick up rides and not decline them, the burden of proof is on you, not the irs.


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## oicu812 (Aug 29, 2016)

A trip between your home and temporary work location is deductible if your main job is at another location
permanent work location is 

place where you have worked or expect to work for more than one year.
Flex drivers typically will go to several locations.


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## UberPasco (Oct 18, 2015)

wagyu said:


> Are you claiming your miles starting from home because you receive/accept blocks from home? You don't technically need to claim the home business deduction, but you still need to meet the requirements of one. You deliver packages outside your home, so how can you meet the requirements of the home office deduction? You can't.
> 
> Almost all the advice here is wrong. No matter how you spin it, you can't deduct the miles from your home to your first pick up, and from your last drop off to home.
> 
> And good luck proving you had u/l on while driving to your first pickup. Unless you consistently pick up rides and not decline them, the burden of proof is on you, not the irs.


Don't waste your breath.  I wish I could take my advice, but sometimes I can't help myself.


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## surlywynch (Jun 22, 2017)

You can deduct your mileage to get to your second/third job. If your primary job is at home on a Sched C (unrelated to Flex) then your mileage to and from the FC is deductible.


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## Matty760 (Nov 9, 2015)

Just turn on the U/L app while driving to the warehouse with DF on and there ya go. you were online for ride requests going to a destination... miles are deductible once you leave home and return. Been doing it for 4 years now.


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## mke (Dec 19, 2016)

Talking to CPA today, and all of the mileage deductions are gone for this coming year. That's unless things change or you make over a million a year.


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## cvflexer (Apr 27, 2017)

mke said:


> Talking to CPA today, and all of the mileage deductions are gone for this coming year. That's unless things change or you make over a million a year.


No they are not. Deductions and schedule c profit/loss are two totally different things. The new tax code provides more in deductions AFTER you have prepared schedule C.


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## chuck finley (Aug 2, 2017)

do we have to get the tax software that have "independent contractor"?


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## Dataman19 (Sep 12, 2019)

Try reading IRS Pub 17 (Tax Guide for Small Businesses). It is available on-line in .pdf format.
...
Then there is the hook old Sec 179 reduction for that vehicle ( note 179 deductions are above and beyond mileage - you can claim mileage, and still take a sec179 reduction as well).
...
Like I said, and read Pub 17.... It is I in plain English ( but it is written at a 5th grade comprehension p level).


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