# What can vehicle maintenance can you deduct?



## DontGoToPaterson (Mar 15, 2019)

Can i write off getting a new alternator, gas and getting my wheels fixed?


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

DontGoToPaterson said:


> Can i write off getting a new alternator, gas and getting my wheels fixed?


You get miles OR repairs and maintenance..
And/or some portion of depreciation i think


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## BestInDaWest (Apr 8, 2021)

Any costs associated with your vehicle are deductable.except for personal miles.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

DontGoToPaterson said:


> Can i write off getting a new alternator, gas and getting my wheels fixed?


There are some basic rules regarding deductions for business use of a vehicle. If you own it, you can choose the standard mileage rate or actual expenses the first year you use it for business. If you choose the SRM, you can change back and forth in future years. But if you choose actual expenses, you have use that method as long as you use the vehicle for your business. (see IRS publication 463)
The SRM includes all maintenance, fuel, repairs, etc. Some members here have claimed extra expenses for ride share insurance endorsements, car washes, auxiliary cables, etc, on top of the mileage deduction.
If you use actual expenses, you can only deduct the portion of expenses related to business. For example, if you use your car 20% of the time (based on a contemporaneous mileage log) for personal use, and have a repair expense of $100, you can deduct only $80 for that particular repair.
The general consensus here is that ride share operators fair better using the SRM, as it’s easier to track and keeping all those receipts for fuel, maintenance, repairs, etc isn’t really necessary, which isn’t to say that’s not a bad idea for a business-minded person.


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## Safar (Mar 23, 2020)

For a little simple Toyota, $0.54/mile of deduction is more than enough. During a shift of 300 miles, you write off $162. If you drive 7 days a week, that is $1,134. That is more than $4000 a month. It should take care of all your expenses. If you don't go with $0.54 deduction, in case of your little Toyota you will lose money.
$0.54/mile dediction may not make sense if you drive an Escalade Limousine with commercial insurance and other regulatory expenses. In that case you may choose to go the other route. But with your little Toyota, stick to $0.54/mile deduction.

Also, if rideshare is your only job, I suggest you open an S Corporation. You won't believe how little you will pay in taxes. A good accountant will guide you on that.


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## Frontier Guy (Dec 27, 2015)

If you use turbo tax to do your taxes, after the first year, they will let you input your actual miles, including the breakdown of RS use vs personal use, they will then ask if you want to consider actual expenses vs miles. Every year, I also input my actual expenses and then let Turbo Tax decide which is better for me. In 5 yrs of doing RS, only the first and last year were miles better than actual expenses.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

@Frontier Guy, fortunately the SMR worked better for you that first year. If you had gone with actual expenses, you wouldn’t have had the option to switch methods in the ensuing years as you have done to get the best tax deductions. (See my post #4 above.)


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## UberPotomac (Oct 8, 2016)




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