# Starting taxes tonight. First time as Uber driver



## mnext02 (Aug 2, 2016)

So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc. 

I can't do both right?

Any advice appreciated!!


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## Coaststarlight (Jul 23, 2016)

Miles
Fuel
Meals
Oil
Tires
Lease/rental
Event recorder/work related equipment
Repairs/cleaning receipts from work related messes and damages

Off the top of my head at least


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## RUSSREED2.0 (Aug 20, 2016)

mnext02 said:


> So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc.
> 
> I can't do both right?
> 
> Any advice appreciated!!


The big question is, DID YOU RENT OR DRIVE YOUR own car????!!


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## mnext02 (Aug 2, 2016)

I can deduct all of that??

So basically I shouldn't have any income to pay tax on if I can deduct all that right?



RUSSREED2.0 said:


> The big question is, DID YOU RENT OR DRIVE YOUR own car????!!


I own my car. Renting would be stupid.


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## Travis -k (Sep 11, 2016)

mnext02 said:


> So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc.
> 
> I can't do both right?
> 
> Any advice appreciated!!


0.54 per mile live and dead miles

Or itemized deductions.

Not Both.


mnext02 said:


> So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc.
> 
> I can't do both right?
> 
> Any advice appreciated!!


Read this.
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-too...r-and-other-Car-Sharing-Drivers/INF28820.html

Dont buy turbo tax though really not that much more help.


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## mnext02 (Aug 2, 2016)

Travis -k said:


> 0.54 per mile live and dead miles
> 
> Or itemized deductions.
> 
> ...


That's what I thought. So dude that said you can deduct all was wrong. I'm assuming mileage deduction adds up to more than other deductions 90% of the time?


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## Travis -k (Sep 11, 2016)

mnext02 said:


> That's what I thought. So dude that said you can deduct all was wrong. I'm assuming mileage deduction adds up to more than other deductions 90% of the time?


Yeah, all milage driven while out ubering, not just with pax in car. For instance I drove a pax to Chino Hills, super dead out there so I dead miled home 50 miles plus the 50 out there so thats 100x.54 =$54.00 off taxable income Etc.


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## Subjugator (Jun 22, 2016)

Waiting till last minute... nice.


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## DeplorableDonald (Feb 16, 2017)

Coaststarlight said:


> Miles
> Fuel
> Meals
> Oil
> ...


Be careful about meals. I believe that you can't deduct meals if you're out driving and want a Whopper. It needs to have a *legitimate business purpose*. If you take someone out for lunch with the intent of recruiting the next generation of ants, then you're an asshole and should get ball cancer but that counts as a legitimate business purpose.

*disclaimer- I am not an attorney or accountant so don't go into your audit saying 'this guy on the Internet said...' or you'll get the Wesley Snipes treatment


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## powmoe (Jan 3, 2015)

If you use the standard mile deduction you can still deduct business expenses not included in the 54 cents per mile like car washes, passenger goodies, phone bill, 50% of food while driving, etc.


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## Subjugator (Jun 22, 2016)

powmoe said:


> If you use the standard mile deduction you can still deduct business expenses not included in the 54 cents per mile like car washes, passenger goodies, phone bill, 50% of food while driving, etc.


Car washes are part of mileage it falls under mainte . But rest is deductible seperatly.


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## Taipan (Sep 21, 2015)

mnext02 said:


> So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc.
> 
> I can't do both right?
> 
> Any advice appreciated!!


First of all, if you haven't filed 2016 taxes yet, you're up the creek.

Per H&RB professional, if you claim the standard mileage deduction (54 cents per mile in 2016), you can't claim any vehicle related expenses (oil change, maintenance, tires, etc.). Meals are not deductible. However, dashcam, car washes, bottle water for passengers, cell phone bills, etc. are deductible.



Subjugator said:


> Car washes are part of mileage it falls under mainte . But rest is deductible seperatly.


No, it's not. It's an expense to conduct business and tax deductible, even if you take the standard mileage deduction.


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## Lets_Eat (Oct 11, 2016)

Taipan said:


> First of all, if you haven't filed 2016 taxes yet, you're up the creek.
> 
> Per H&RB professional, if you claim the standard mileage deduction (54 cents per mile in 2016), you can't claim any vehicle related expenses (oil change, maintenance, tires, etc.). Meals are not deductible. However, dashcam, car washes, bottle water for passengers, cell phone bills, etc. are deductible.
> 
> No, it's not. It's an expense to conduct business and tax deductible, even if you take the standard mileage deduction.


Last day to file is April 18, 2017!!!


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## powmoe (Jan 3, 2015)

Lets_Eat said:


> Last day to file is April 18, 2017!!!


Unless you get an extension. You just might owe extra interest.


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## Pesty (Mar 1, 2017)

Just now doing 16.. big mistake. You owe quarterly and you may get hit with a penalty for not doing so. 

Quickbooks self employed app on the phone (5 bucks a month, deductible) and a professional accountant to sort it all out once a month @$45 an hour, also deductible is how I roll.

Being self employed for 8 years now, the most important expense is the accountant.


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## Taipan (Sep 21, 2015)

Lets_Eat said:


> Last day to file is April 18, 2017!!!


You know what? I did not know that. Apr. 15th has been stuck in my mind for centuries.


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## DeplorableDonald (Feb 16, 2017)

Taipan said:


> You know what? I did not know that. Apr. 15th has been stuck in my mind for centuries.


It normally is but it fell on a Saturday, Sunday post office isn't open, today is some obscure holiday in D.C. so filing deadline is postponed until tomorrow.


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## Big Wig !!! (Sep 16, 2016)

I paid $2.00 this year.


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## Nathan Diaz (Apr 20, 2016)

mnext02 said:


> So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc.
> 
> I can't do both right?
> 
> Any advice appreciated!!


These are my deductions other than miles: phone percentage used for driving, food&drink every 8 hrs, health insurance. I don't know why someone said gas, gas is definitely included in the miles deduction (amyone correct me if I'm wrong).
Also for your reference, a final net income of about 3,000$ should make you owe about 4 or 500$


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## Subjugator (Jun 22, 2016)

So I did my taxes this year.. screwed up on payment bs.. irs jacked 1300 from me twice in a few days apart. Now I gotta call them up to fix this bs. Fml


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

mnext02 said:


> So as I understand it I can either deduct all the miles OR else deduct expenses such as phone bill, oil changes, etc.
> 
> I can't do both right?
> 
> Any advice appreciated!!


All of the CAR related deductions ate COVERED by the 54¢ a mile deduction,which is Decreasing Next Year !


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

Nathan Diaz said:


> These are my deductions other than miles: phone percentage used for driving, food&drink every 8 hrs, health insurance. I don't know why someone said gas, gas is definitely included in the miles deduction (amyone correct me if I'm wrong).
> Also for your reference, a final net income of about 3,000$ should make you owe about 4 or 500$


No food & drink, everybody has to eat, it's not a "business" expense.

Health insurance? I did not have any so I don't know. I paid a penalty for not having Obamacare.

gas and car washes, oil changes, tires, brakes and any thing else you do to maintain your car is included in the standard mileage deduction.


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## Taipan (Sep 21, 2015)

LAuberX said:


> No food & drink, everybody has to eat, it's not a "business" expense.
> 
> Health insurance? I did not have any so I don't know. I paid a penalty for not having Obamacare.
> 
> gas and car washes, oil changes, tires, brakes and any thing else you do to maintain your car is included in the standard mileage deduction.


Car washes are definitely not included in the standard mileage deduction, according to my source from H&R Block.

As far as Obamacare, all you have to say is that you have health insurance (no proof necessary) and you don't have to pay any penalty.


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## Human v2.0 (Mar 5, 2017)

Phone is not a vehicle expense. That gets deducted under expenses. Anything else that you may use - business cards, candy, water, barf bags, etc, gets deducted under expenses.

Oil changes, tires, repairs, gas, are direct expenses that you can deduct or choose to use the miles deduction. NOT both.
Toll, parking fees, tickets, get deducted with either method.

Car washes, and cleaning costs can be debated as to where they go.


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## Lee239 (Mar 24, 2017)

Travis -k said:


> 0.54 per mile live and dead miles
> 
> Or itemized deductions.
> 
> ...


Plus extras that are not directly related to car fuel or maintenance like dashcams, sell phone mounts. water/gum/candy for pax. car washes and related expense, half the cell phone, tissues,,,,,

and it's my understanding that you can do the 53.5 for 2017 per mile forever that you drive, but if one year you take the actual car expenses you can not go back to the flat per mile deduction , with that car, I'm assuming.


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## Travis -k (Sep 11, 2016)

Lee239 said:


> Plus extras that are not directly related to car fuel or maintenance like dashcams, sell phone mounts. water/gum/candy for pax. car washes and related expense, half the cell phone, tissues,,,,,
> 
> and it's my understanding that you can do the 53.5 for 2017 per mile forever that you drive, but if one year you take the actual car expenses you can not go back to the flat per mile deduction , with that car, I'm assuming.


Where did your read that a vehicle gets forced to stick with one deduction or the other from year to year? And where did you come up with 53.5 per mile?

There are one time deductions but year to year mileage vs actual operating cost I think is different... not sure not a cpa or tax attorney I dont know and am not giving advice, but I interpret those two differently.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/20...tes-for-business-medical-and-moving-announced


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

I think the rule is that if you want to go with the SMR you have to do it that way the first year the car is available, then you can switch back and forth if you want. But if you go with actual expenses the first year, you are stuck with that method for as long as you use that car. If you lease a car and use the SMR the first year you have to use it for the term of the lease.

IRS Publication 463 covers it. For 2017 tax year, the SMR dropped to $0.535 from $0.54 for 2016.

Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


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## Lee239 (Mar 24, 2017)

Older Chauffeur said:


> I think the rule is that if you want to go with the SMR you have to do it that way the first year the car is available, then you can switch back and forth if you want. But if you go with actual expenses the first year, you are stuck with that method for as long as you use that car. IRS Publication 463 covers it. For 2017 tax year, the SMR dropped to $0.535 from $0.54 for 2016.
> Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


Oh cool, I heard once you go actual deductions you are stuck with it, if you can switch if you use the per mile deduction the first year that's good. If it's a new car it loses the most the first year so I guess that's why they do that/


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## Travis -k (Sep 11, 2016)

Older Chauffeur said:


> I think the rule is that if you want to go with the SMR you have to do it that way the first year the car is available, then you can switch back and forth if you want. But if you go with actual expenses the first year, you are stuck with that method for as long as you use that car. If you lease a car and use the SMR the first year you have to use it for the term of the lease.
> 
> IRS Publication 463 covers it. For 2017 tax year, the SMR dropped to $0.535 from $0.54 for 2016.
> 
> Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


Strange the irs says .54 on the link i posted as well as turbotax for 2016, go figure.


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## Lee239 (Mar 24, 2017)

Travis -k said:


> Strange the irs says .54 on the link i posted as well as turbotax for 2016, go figure.


53.5 for this year, Jan 1 2017 to Dec 31 2017


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## Loomis24 (Nov 28, 2016)

Lee239 said:


> Plus extras that are not directly related to car fuel or maintenance like dashcams, sell phone mounts. water/gum/candy for pax. car washes and related expense, half the cell phone, tissues,,,,,
> 
> and it's my understanding that you can do the 53.5 for 2017 per mile forever that you drive, but if one year you take the actual car expenses you can not go back to the flat per mile deduction , with that car, I'm assuming.


Yeah, my CPA told me that too. Go standard deduction first year cuz you can't go back of you don't


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## Tr4vis Ka1anick (Oct 2, 2016)

Don't forget about office space, garage space used for car or storage rented, booze, gifts, internet, computer,printer, Costco membership, air strikes, etc.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

LAuberX said:


> No food & drink, everybody has to eat, it's not a "business" expense.
> 
> Health insurance? I did not have any so I don't know. *I paid a penalty for not having Obamacare*.
> 
> gas and car washes, oil changes, tires, brakes and any thing else you do to maintain your car is included in the standard mileage deduction.


When did you file your taxes? I filed mine about a month ago and when my accountant was filling it in, he noticed a new checkbox on the form that says "I do not want to disclose my health insurance status". He said that was new and wasn't on the form the week before. By checking it, it removed the Obamacare penalty. It was based on an executive order President Trump signed. It was the best they could do before taxes were due to eliminate the Obamacare penalty before they can dismantle it.



Lee239 said:


> Plus extras that are not directly related to car fuel or maintenance like dashcams, sell phone mounts. water/gum/candy for pax. car washes and related expense, half the cell phone, tissues,,,,,
> 
> and it's my understanding that you can do the 53.5 for 2017 per mile forever that you drive, but if one year you take the actual car expenses you can not go back to the flat per mile deduction , with that car, I'm assuming.


My accountant told me not to bother with most of that. The devices and cell phone we deducted a portion of but $5 mount? Wasn't even worth typing it into the form...

Car washes are part of the maintenance and cannot be deducted. This I'm certain of because I have a monthly unlimited and I could not write it off.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Regarding health insurance, if you actually have it the premium is deductible. My CPA has been doing it for years for me.


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

steveK2016 said:


> When did you file your taxes?


Feb 15th, I paid the Obamacare penalty.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

LAuberX said:


> Feb 15th, I paid the Obamacare penalty.


Yea way too early, I filed in mid March and the penalty was removed. I had a feeling the Trump Administration would try to do something like that so I didn't file early. I'm glad I waited, would have been a $800 penalty. Taxes are filed, Gub'ment got their money with no complaints so I'm in the clear for one more year!


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