# How many dead miles do you drive?



## kcchiefsfan1982 (Aug 19, 2019)

Compared to your miles with a passenger, how many dead miles do you average.

do you average 50 dead miles for every 100 miles with a passenger? 

If so, that would be your profit from 100 miles minus $29 that would be taxable income (not counting other deductions).


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Approximately 40% of my total miles are deadmiles.


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> Compared to your miles with a passenger, how many dead miles do you average.
> 
> do you average 50 dead miles for every 100 miles with a passenger?
> 
> If so, that would be your profit from 100 miles minus $29 that would be taxable income (not counting other deductions).


mines about 1/3
They will send you a 1099
Mine said 50000 from uber last year


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## kcchiefsfan1982 (Aug 19, 2019)

1.5xorbust said:


> Approximately 40% of my total miles are deadmiles.


so, if i avg the same as you... for every 60 miles i drive w a passenger, i drive 40 miles without one. so i can take my uber app miles x 1.65 to get roughly my total miles.

That is what im going to do, as i don't want to literally track every mile that im on the clock... that should do the job for me! and for my excel spreadsheet.


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## AndyP21502 (Dec 17, 2018)

Probably more than I realize. My house serves as my home base while I'm logged on. After a delivery, or dropping off a pax, I drive back to my house. Of course, there are times while en route back to my house, I get a ping, or a delivery request.


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## kcchiefsfan1982 (Aug 19, 2019)

I use my house as my home base during the week days... luckily, i live right by the most major highway in my city.... and by the airport.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

I don’t start the app anywhere near my hut... drive about 10 miles away from the hut to start , then at the end of the day , don’t pickup anybody . I like 30 minutes of silence. 
40miles of dead miles just a start , so I can avoid accidentally picking up my neighbors.
Then add another 30-40 of dead miles to navigate out of Sunni triangle neighborhoods, college neighborhoods, school neighborhoods , congested roads, 4.30 to 6.30 traffic ?
So it comes to about 6-8 dollars of gasoline expenses . Tax time, don’t do miles but total actual expense ... my accountant prefers that way, she is old and I like her... so I take the hit? Car is worth less than 4000$?, so depreciation not a issue with me.


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## tmart (Oct 30, 2016)

AndyP21502 said:


> Probably more than I realize. My house serves as my home base while I'm logged on. After a delivery, or dropping off a pax, I drive back to my house. Of course, there are times while en route back to my house, I get a ping, or a delivery request.


On busy nights you're driving nonstop for 4 -6 hours straight sometimes which is probably putting three to four hundred miles on your car ya?


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> How many dead miles do you drive?


It feels like I'm already dead just before flipping on the Uber app again. ?


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## NotanEmployee (Apr 20, 2019)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> so, if i avg the same as you... for every 60 miles i drive w a passenger, i drive 40 miles without one. so i can take my uber app miles x 1.65 to get roughly my total miles.
> 
> That is what im going to do, as i don't want to literally track every mile that im on the clock... that should do the job for me! and for my excel spreadsheet.


you are required to track all miles, if you choose to use the uber tracked miles....thats all you get. if you didnt track them all you cant just make that stuff up. an audit would be a nightmare. fraud is a big word to the government.

just use a mileage tracking app...i turn it on when i go online with uber and end my trip when i turn the app off.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> so, if i avg the same as you... for every 60 miles i drive w a passenger, i drive 40 miles without one. so i can take my uber app miles x 1.65 to get roughly my total miles.
> 
> That is what im going to do, as i don't want to literally track every mile that im on the clock... that should do the job for me! and for my excel spreadsheet.


Nope, track every mile. Not only is it required by the IRS but you will find more miles to write off. Mileage is your biggest deduction don't do it half assed. The IRS will disallow estimated miles in an audit. Use a program called TripLog it's well worth it at $40 a year and will record addresses easy.


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

mbd said:


> I don't start the app anywhere near my hut... drive about 10 miles away from the hut to start , then at the end of the day , don't pickup anybody . I like 30 minutes of silence.
> 40miles of dead miles just a start , so I can avoid accidentally picking up my neighbors.
> Then add another 30-40 of dead miles to navigate out of Sunni triangle neighborhoods, college neighborhoods, school neighborhoods , congested roads, 4.30 to 6.30 traffic ?
> So it comes to about 6-8 dollars of gasoline expenses . Tax time, don't do miles but total actual expense ... my accountant prefers that way, she is old and I like her... so I take the hit? Car is worth less than 4000$?, so depreciation not a issue with me.


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By dead miles -- you are referring not logged on - you are taking a big hit by driving 40 miles logged off EVERY day.



kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> Compared to your miles with a passenger, how many dead miles do you average.
> 
> do you average 50 dead miles for every 100 miles with a passenger?
> 
> If so, that would be your profit from 100 miles minus $29 that would be taxable income (not counting other deductions).


---------------------------------
What does " Dead Miles " mean to you ? Logged on with no pax in car OR not logged on and driving ? 
Last two years, I am running 50-50%. Maybe higher on the empty car side. Dead miles for me is logged on with no Pax in car. 
I live 25 miles from an active area, meaning that I log on at home and drive to the work area. So my dead miles will be higher than normal. Cannot do that coming home. I would never make it because of non-stop calls taking me in the opposite direction.


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## kcchiefsfan1982 (Aug 19, 2019)

Seamus said:


> Nope, track every mile. Not only is it required by the IRS but you will find more miles to write off. Mileage is your biggest deduction don't do it half assed. The IRS will disallow estimated miles in an audit. Use a program called TripLog it's well worth it at $40 a year and will record addresses easy.


I hear ya...but, it isn't "made up." It shows miles started for the night & miles ended....like, my odometer shows 22,400 miles starting, then 22,650 ending.....it has all that!!! So, what is the IRS going to say? Hmmm???? They might see a pattern that every night I just so happen to drive a 60/40 passenger versus dead miles split lol! Ok fine, ill change it up a bit!!


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> I hear ya...but, it isn't "made up." It shows miles started for the night & miles ended....like, my odometer shows 22,400 miles starting, then 22,650 ending.....it has all that!!! So, what is the IRS going to say? Hmmm???? They might see a pattern that every night I just so happen to drive a 60/40 passenger versus dead miles split lol! Ok fine, ill change it up a bit!!


No need to be snarky I was actually trying to help you. Most drivers do not meet the technical IRS mileage log requirement. Many are shocked to find out that each business destination is supposed to be logged. An IRS compliant log shows each address and odometer reading that you completed. Many drivers feel that the odds of getting audited are too low to worry about. I have been audited 4 times in my life (not because of ridesharing purposes) and so I understand how devastating deduction disallowances can be to your taxes. Therefore I go the extra mile to have an IRS compliant log. Most don't. Your driveway to driveway odometer readings are non compliant and in the slim chance you are ever audited could be disallowed.

Just so you know "Dead Miles" refers to unpaid miles, miles driven on your own dime. "Dead" miles are still tax deductible under many circumstances.


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## kcchiefsfan1982 (Aug 19, 2019)

Ok, I was being snarky, true...but, now I see what you are saying, you literally have to track each drive from point A to point B....so it is A LOT OF PAPERWORK is what you are saying. A lot of extra button pushing, if you are using an app....so every time you hit 'accept' for an uber ride, you have to then go to a separate, 3rd party app and hit 'start' on that app! UGH!!!


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> Ok, I was being snarky, true...but, now I see what you are saying, you literally have to track each drive from point A to point B....so it is A LOT OF PAPERWORK is what you are saying. A lot of extra button pushing, if you are using an app....so every time you hit 'accept' for an uber ride, you have to then go to a separate, 3rd party app and hit 'start' on that app! UGH!!!


Yes, its a pain but once you get used to it it isn't that bad. Only takes me a few seconds. Plus you then have a lot of data and can create all kinds of reports to help you analyze your strategy and see what is successful. The alternative to a software app is to hand log all that information. I know some people that keep a Hand log and then transfer it into excel. That is a hell of a lot more cumbersome than an app!


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## kcchiefsfan1982 (Aug 19, 2019)

Seamus said:


> Yes, its a pain but once you get used to it it isn't that bad. Only takes me a few seconds. Plus you then have a lot of data and can create all kinds of reports to help you analyze your strategy and see what is successful. The alternative to a software app is to hand log all that information. I know some people that keep a Hand log and then transfer it into excel. That is a hell of a lot more cumbersome than an app!


Which app do you use?


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> Which app do you use?





kcchiefsfan1982 said:


> Which app do you use?


"TripLog" but the paid version (approx $40/yr). The free version doesn't seem to allow enough setting changes to make it most accurate for the odometer readings. Plus with the paid version you get access to the website with all your cloud data and can create all kinds of reports. If it allows you to write off 80 extra miles than its paid for itself.
There are a few other apps but you have to be careful because most don't capture the addresses and the odometer readings, only the miles summary. In that case your paying for nothing. Also the free apps same thing, only capture miles summary so its useless.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

I average about 10 empty miles per hour.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Dead miles are a disadvantage of my market area. I am over 50% dead miles.


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## Ajayrocks (Aug 2, 2019)

most if not all cars have 2 trip odometers - an A and a B - you should use both - I use A to figure out mpg over all. This will help you too - it lets you know if there is any problem with the car/gas milage. Each day before I start driving I reset B - this is the miles I drive for Uber - or for my other job for the day - very simple. I also have quickbooks set employed and have started using Hurdir - both track miles


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## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

For me my avg. Is 1/3 dead. Iha e been using trip log for about a year it's easy and great. Try it free for a month you'll see how easy it is


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