# USA Uber Taxes 2015 for me (did I do it right?)



## Super dUber (Jul 31, 2015)

Ok. I'm using Turbo Tax but it's still confusing.

I put in my Gross Income in Schedule C.
I deducted Uber's cut + Ride Sharing Fee as commissions.
I also deducted the tolls because they added it in my gross, even though they reimbursed me already.
That brings me to my net income.

Can I claim my vehicle excise tax (in MA they have it) as a deduction/credit? 
Am I missing anything?

Thank yall!


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Ok. I'm using Turbo Tax but it's still confusing.
> 
> I put in my Gross Income in Schedule C.
> I deducted Uber's cut + Ride Sharing Fee as commissions.
> ...


Did you include the standard mileage deduction?


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## Super dUber (Jul 31, 2015)

Yes .575 cents per mile. Turbo Tax puts it in by itself.

Can I claim excise deduction if I'm deducting by mileage?


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Yes .575 cents per mile. Turbo Tax puts it in by itself.
> 
> Can I claim excise deduction if I'm deducting by mileage?


Yes, but only if you itemize. You can't deduct it on schedule c.

The Mass vehicle excise tax is deductible on Schedule A Line 7 (personal property tax) of US Form 1040.

state and local taxes imposed on personal property are deductible if three conditions are met - the tax must be:

based on the value of the property,
imposed on an annual basis, and
imposed on personal property (a car is considered personal property).


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Ok. I'm using Turbo Tax but it's still confusing.
> 
> I put in my Gross Income in Schedule C.
> I deducted Uber's cut + Ride Sharing Fee as commissions.
> ...


Don't forget tolls that weren't reimbursed.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Ok. I'm using Turbo Tax but it's still confusing.
> 
> I put in my Gross Income in Schedule C.
> I deducted Uber's cut + Ride Sharing Fee as commissions.
> ...


also phone expenses, water bottles etc....


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## hanging in there (Oct 1, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Ok. I'm using Turbo Tax but it's still confusing.
> 
> I put in my Gross Income in Schedule C.
> I deducted Uber's cut + Ride Sharing Fee as commissions.
> ...


Just to be sure, you mean you are deducting the "Safe Rides Fee" (you said "Ride Sharing Fee"), as well as the "Uber Service Fee" (Uber commission), and any other fees they list, in my case the "Split Fare Fee" and the "Airport Fee".

Also, it's obvious but don't just deduct what Uber lists as the "On Trip Mileage", deduct your actual mileage including all dead-head miles once you have established yourself as "being in business" for that day, not including commuter miles.

For example, if you tend to start out in a "hot zone" 20 miles away, then the smart thing to do is not to deadhead it 20 miles to your first call, which would make all 20 miles non-deductible commuter miles, but rather to take a short minimum call or whatever, let's say 2 miles away from your house, and then you have chopped down your "commuter miles" to 2 miles and everything from there on out is "game on", it's all deductible unless you make personal excursions in the course of your driving day. Then do the same on your way home, take a call close to your house to turn most of what would be commuter miles into deductible business miles.

As a rule of thumb, in my case at least, actual deductible business miles for Uber and Lyft driving come out pretty close to double of what they call "on-trip mileage", after I count the miles chasing the call and then deadheading back when necessary.


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## Super dUber (Jul 31, 2015)

Yes Safe Ride $1 Fee. I counted my commuter miles as well as my on the job miles. 

I use my phone for personal use as well so I won't bother with trying to deduct that. I did pay like $100 for snacks/water but I've stopped doing that. I got maybe $40 in tip back that I won't be reporting so let's just cancel those out even though I'm technically in the red. 

Thanks for the info. I'll look through again and try to put them in the right lines. Taxes are really a pain!


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## hanging in there (Oct 1, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Yes Safe Ride $1 Fee. I counted my commuter miles as well as my on the job miles.
> 
> I use my phone for personal use as well so I won't bother with trying to deduct that. I did pay like $100 for snacks/water but I've stopped doing that. I got maybe $40 in tip back that I won't be reporting so let's just cancel those out even though I'm technically in the red.
> 
> Thanks for the info. I'll look through again and try to put them in the right lines. Taxes are really a pain!


You are allowed to deduct the percentage of your phone bill used for business. For example, if your bill is $60/mo and you use it 50% for business then you can take a $30/mo deduction off your schedule "C". I list it as one of the deductions on the "utilities" line.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> Don't forget tolls that weren't reimbursed.


Right as to the unreimbursed tolls are a business expense, but I thought that you couldn't deduct tolls for which you were reimbursed, which is what I think the OP said he did.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Right as to the unreimbursed tolls are a business expense, but I thought that you couldn't deduct tolls for which you were reimbursed, which is what I think the OP said he did.


true but Uber includes the reimbursed tolls in the gross 1099K amount like they do with the commission and Safe Rides Fee I beleive


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Right as to the unreimbursed tolls are a business expense, but I thought that you couldn't deduct tolls for which you were reimbursed, which is what I think the OP said he did.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> true but Uber includes the reimbursed tolls in the gross 1099K amount like they do with the commission and Safe Rides Fee I beleive


Okay, I am confused. This seems to contradict what I understood from what you said previously.
Please read our discussion in UberPissed's Tax Attorney here, ask away..... Page 17, #337-339.
Thanks.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Okay, I am confused. This seems to contradict what I understood from what you said previously.
> Please read our discussion in UberPissed's Tax Attorney here, ask away..... Page 17, #337-339.
> Thanks.


Whoops! Reimbursed expenses are not deductible *unless included in gross 1099 amount*.


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## Super dUber (Jul 31, 2015)

UberTaxPro said:


> Whoops! Reimbursed expenses are not deductible *unless included in gross 1099 amount*.


Ok I'm confused. Can *reimbursed *tolls be deducted? If they can't be deducted, you are essentially paying tax on gross profits and not net profits (it should be net). In your example, do you report 10,185 or 9,488 as gross? In the full 1099-K, the TOTAL is listed as "1a Gross amount of payment card/third party network transactions."

Thanks!


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

You need to deduct those reimbursed tolls on Schedule C, along with Uber commissions and SRF, etc. Once you subtract those items from the total Uber shows on the 1099, the result should match the deposits to your account. You of course also deduct mileage, water, parking, mints, business use of cell phone, etc. on Schedule C.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Super dUber said:


> Ok I'm confused. Can *reimbursed *tolls be deducted? If they can't be deducted, you are essentially paying tax on gross profits and not net profits (it should be net). In your example, do you report 10,185 or 9,488 as gross? In the full 1099-K, the TOTAL is listed as "1a Gross amount of payment card/third party network transactions."
> 
> Thanks!


In my example 10,185 is gross amount.


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## StarzykCPA (Aug 6, 2015)

Super dUber said:


> Ok. I'm using Turbo Tax but it's still confusing.
> 
> Can I claim my vehicle excise tax (in MA they have it) as a deduction/credit?
> Am I missing anything?
> ...





UberTaxPro said:


> Yes, but only if you itemize. You can't deduct it on schedule c.
> 
> The Mass vehicle excise tax is deductible on Schedule A Line 7 (personal property tax) of US Form 1040.
> 
> ...


You can actually deduct a portion of the excise tax (this is MA version of personal property tax) on Schedule C even if you use the standard mileage rate. You can allocate it based on business to total miles. E.g. $200 taxes paid and you drove 7,500 business miles vs. 2,500 personal miles... take $150 (7,500 / 10,000 * 200, or 75%) deduction on Schedule C and remainder $50 deduction on Schedule A.


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