# How to REALLY make money on UberX.... no maths involved



## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

I am glad I found this forum at a time when all I was a noob. Reading through this forum stopped me getting into debt for Uber and I hang around this page for the banter and occasional chance to help out others. From what I gathered from driving and reading almost every thread on this page, making money (profit) on Uber can boil down to a few items, the more boxes you check, the better your odds of scraping some profit on the scorched earth X platform. These points are:

1. *You work part time.* Part time drivers can pick and choose when to drive, so they can drive only the busiest surge hours while full timers have to work both slow and peak hours.

2. *You drive an older* (4-9 years), *fuel efficient sedan *and your car is possibly fully paid for. Driving your spanking new $40K V8 truck is the surest way to make a loss driving for Uber. Most people take fuel costs into account while neglecting other factors like normal wear and other routine maintenance. Brand new and newer (1-2 model years old) loose more value for every mile driven compared to an 8 year old car with 160,000 miles.

3. *You drive in a relatively bigger city*. There are simply more people (and more requests) per square mile in cities. Pickup distances are shorter and parking is expensive. People pay Uber going downtown but mostly drive themselves to the mall.

4. *You drive smart*. Experienced drivers develop ways to become efficient, reduce downtime and miles between trips (dead miles) by working peak hours, avoiding longer pickups and taking advantage of incentive programs like guarantees and bonuses.

5. *Uber loves your city *(Your rates are over $1/mile). After all is said it is waay more difficult to make a profit at .63 a mile than $1.40/mile. If the gods at UberCorp smile at your city, enjoy the feast and brace for famine.

Finer details vary, but the above are fundamentally true irrespective of the mathematical formula you use or dont use, if one or more of these factors are not in your favour it becomes very difficult to make a profit. By my estimation if you have two or more of these five factors working against you then it is almost guaranteed that you make a net loss doing Uber.


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## Moontwitter (Dec 19, 2014)

Nice !


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

Luberon said:


> I am glad I found this forum at a time when all I was a noob. Reading through this forum stopped me getting into debt for Uber and I hang around this page for the banter and occasional chance to help out others. From what I gathered from driving and reading almost every thread on this page, making money (profit) on Uber can boil down to a few items, the more boxes you check, the better your odds of scraping some profit on the scorched earth X platform. These points are:
> 
> 1. *You work part time.* Part time drivers can pick and choose when to drive, so they can drive only the busiest surge hours while full timers have to work both slow and peak hours.
> 
> ...


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

ii agree with you.

you have to 'exploit' uber in any way you can beacuase of the tyranny of their simple dumbfounded progrram


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

Total Payout
$257.13
*Period Ending: March 2, 2015 4AM EST

Trip Earnings * *$257.13*
>
Fare
240.19
>
Surge
81.27
>
Rider Fee (payment)
24.50
>
Rider Fee (deduction)
(24.50)
>
Uber Fee
(64.33)


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

en i probably used a tank of gas and mile depriciation


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

williamjohnson said:


> Total Payout
> $257.13
> *Period Ending: March 2, 2015 4AM EST
> 
> ...


You need to track your mileeage very carefully for tax purposes. Also helps you decide what your profit margin is


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

What car you driving, year make model and miles? The other thing you need to do is look at the current Kelly bluebook price and decide how many miles you can put on the car without it depreciating significantly from Uber miles alone.


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

Superb post @Luberon.


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## PT Go (Sep 23, 2014)

Gotta game to gain.


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

ill start tracking it now, should i say what i made and how many miles i went each day, its a real grind! people need to start tipping this is ridiculous!


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

i got 4 out of 5, so im a prime Uberer


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## docswife (Feb 24, 2015)

How are you guys tracking your mileage exactly?? I'm a little on the late freight as far as tracking goes. My first day driving was 2/5 and I haven't logged any miles. I purchased the triplog app but I need pickup and drop off locations I see! Are addresses really important to provide to IRS? This can be very time consuming and tedious work! I do however know my odometer start miles from day 1...


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

Just use the car trip meter and then write it on a clipboard at the end of the shift.

Or do as I plan to do. Just use the trip miles on my invoices and double it. I don't obsess over keeping exact records. I don't make enough to worry.


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## Rich Brunelle (Jan 15, 2015)

There is a free app called "Cargly" It is a easy to use app that provides you the ability to track everything and it will do all your calculations. You simply have to remember to write your starting/stopping mileage each day and enter it into the app. Google Play has it if you are interested. I use a standard auto trip log book to record my mileage in then add the data to Cargly.


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## docswife (Feb 24, 2015)

So you don't really need addresses?


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## Danz Haagen (Feb 11, 2015)

docswife said:


> So you don't really need addresses?


i guess if IRS comes to your door and asks for addresses, you can give them on demand. otherwise is it possible/legal to file taxes just by looking at odometer? i literally put 95% of miles working uber. 5% just personal commute.


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## Actionjax (Oct 6, 2014)

Luberon said:


> I am glad I found this forum at a time when all I was a noob. Reading through this forum stopped me getting into debt for Uber and I hang around this page for the banter and occasional chance to help out others. From what I gathered from driving and reading almost every thread on this page, making money (profit) on Uber can boil down to a few items, the more boxes you check, the better your odds of scraping some profit on the scorched earth X platform. These points are:
> 
> 1. *You work part time.* Part time drivers can pick and choose when to drive, so they can drive only the busiest surge hours while full timers have to work both slow and peak hours.
> 
> ...


Great post. Straight to the point and factual. Think this should be a sticky on here. Well said.


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

docswife said:


> So you don't really need addresses?


As far as I know you need a written record of dates and miles driven, not addresses. Maybe @UberTaxPro can confirm this?


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

Actionjax said:


> Great post. Straight to the point and factual. Think this should be a sticky on here. Well said.


Thanks @Actionjax. Many drivers are not comfortable with numbers, and many good maths threads end up being arguments over formulas and variables. So I decided to provided an easy non-controversial reference for newbies.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

Thankfully you didn't take the debt plunge to Uber. Smartest move EVER.

The post was intelligent and to the point. The math still counts however and when all the dust settles, that's all that really matters.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Luberon said:


> As far as I know you need a written record of dates and miles driven, not addresses. Maybe @UberTaxPro can confirm this?





Danz Haagen said:


> i guess if IRS comes to your door and asks for addresses, you can give them on demand. otherwise is it possible/legal to file taxes just by looking at odometer? i literally put 95% of miles working uber. 5% just personal commute.


You have to have a log...... https://www.mileiq.com/articles/mileage-logs


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

... so buy thier product. What did people do before apps existed?


your mileage
the dates of your business trips
the places you drove for business, and
the business purpose for your trips.
i.e your invoice from Uber and Lyft.


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## PT Go (Sep 23, 2014)

docswife said:


> How are you guys tracking your mileage exactly?? I'm a little on the late freight as far as tracking goes. My first day driving was 2/5 and I haven't logged any miles. I purchased the triplog app but I need pickup and drop off locations I see! Are addresses really important to provide to IRS? This can be very time consuming and tedious work! I do however know my odometer start miles from day 1...


All you need is beginning and ending milage. With my other business that all I submitted when I was audited by the IRS. They accepted all of my info and found no issues with it. I just put a note on my phone when I get in the car each day and then note my ending milage, which is then entered into a spreadsheet I designed that does all my calculations for me.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Luberon said:


> As far as I know you need a written record of dates and miles driven, not addresses. Maybe @UberTaxPro can confirm this?


Its a bit of a gray area right now. The IRS will most likely issue guidance about this issue soon. You definitely need to have a contemporaneous (kept every day) log. I keep the following on my log: date, start mileage, end mileage, total miles. Uber keeps a log of my trips showing pick up locations and destinations that I keep to back up my mileage log. I start my mileage when the Uber app goes on and end it when I turn the app off (this is part of the gray area). Even if you use your car 100% for business you still have to have a log. @Danz Haagen


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> *Even if you use your car 100% for business you still have to have a log.* @Danz Haagen


True. Only a much more simpler log. Miles on Jan. 1 and Miles on Dec. 31.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

PT Go said:


> All you need is beginning and ending milage. With my other business that all I submitted when I was audited by the IRS. They accepted all of my info and found no issues with it. I just put a note on my phone when I get in the car each day and then note my ending milage, which is then entered into a spreadsheet I designed that does all my calculations for me.


what kind of business was your other business?


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## Andy1234 (Jan 3, 2015)

I use one of these for logging miles and expenses. It works well and will satisfy any IRS requirement.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GAZP9A/?tag=ubne0c-20


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> True. Only a much more simpler log. Miles on Jan. 1 and Miles on Dec. 31.


With all due respect, I don't think that is correct


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> With all due respect, I don't think that is correct


Don't know why it wouldn't be with 100% being biz miles.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> True. Only a much more simpler log. Miles on Jan. 1 and Miles on Dec. 31.


A detailed log is what proves you used the vehicle 100%. Generally, the IRS won't take your word for it.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> A detailed log is what proves you used the vehicle 100%. Generally, the IRS won't take your word for it.


If the vehicle is 100% biz miles the detailed log sez miles Jan.1/miles Dec. 31. There is no requirement to log for every mile driven that I've encountered.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> Don't know why it wouldn't be with 100% being biz miles.





scrurbscrud said:


> If the vehicle is 100% biz miles the detailed log sez miles Jan.1/miles Dec. 31. There is no requirement to log for every mile driven that I've encountered.


First, IRS regulations require documentation for your business miles; an auditor will not accept that 100% of the mileage is for business-you must prove it. Second, there will always be non-business miles. When you drive your car in for service, that's not necessarily business miles; when you fill it up with gasoline, that's not necessarily business miles, when you pick up a pizza on the way home, that's not business miles etc..... I know its not logical but the IRS is not logical either!


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> If the vehicle is 100% biz miles the detailed log sez miles Jan.1/miles Dec. 31. There is no requirement to log for every mile driven that I've encountered.


Its my understanding that a 100% mileage deduction is actually a red flag for the IRS...be careful


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## PT Go (Sep 23, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> what kind of business was your other business?


I do photography and sell at art & crafts shows. So for the photography, if I went out for photo opps, I then also had a comment section where I would note where I drove as it also gave me reminders of where I had been and may want to go back to. If we wanted to exhibit at a particular show, we would also track the milage going to the show as looking for business opportunities.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> First, IRS regulations require documentation for your business miles; an auditor will not accept that 100% of the mileage is for business-you must prove it.


If the vehicle is 100% biz there are no personal miles.



> Second, there will always be non-business miles.


Not true. Personal miles do not exist.



> When you drive your car in for service, that's not necessarily business miles;


Uh, yes, that is biz miles.



> when you fill it up with gasoline, that's not necessarily business miles,


Uh, yes, that is biz miles.



> when you pick up a pizza on the way home, that's not business miles etc.....


No such miles exist for a 100% biz vehicle.



> I know its not logical but the IRS is not logical either!


They are 100% logical on a 100% biz mile vehicle.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> Its my understanding that a 100% mileage deduction is actually a red flag for the IRS...be careful


I've driven 100% biz mile vehicles for 4 decades of IRS filings. My CPA is very explicit about the fact that it is 100% biz use only and so am I.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

PT Go said:


> I do photography and sell at art & crafts shows. So for the photography, if I went out for photo opps, I then also had a comment section where I would note where I drove as it also gave me reminders of where I had been and may want to go back to. If we wanted to exhibit at a particular show, we would also track the milage going to the show as looking for business opportunities.


Thanks for the info....always interesting to hear what goes on at audits.


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

docswife said:


> How are you guys tracking your mileage exactly?? I'm a little on the late freight as far as tracking goes. My first day driving was 2/5 and I haven't logged any miles. I purchased the triplog app but I need pickup and drop off locations I see! Are addresses really important to provide to IRS? This can be very time consuming and tedious work! I do however know my odometer start miles from day 1...


I use milelog where you can click a button to start and stop,via GPS. So when you click start, it uses the GPS to figure your address and logs it. Logs it again when you end it. No writing down address, the GPS/app will do it for you. Very convientient.(of course it logs the miles too). No havng to write down with pen and paper miles/address/blah blah. Also lets you take pics of gas receipts, car washes, etc,and stores it in the app. If you get audited, click IRS report, and it prints out a detailed log that is IRS compliant for miles/driving. More info on this i sin the technology forum where they talk about this and other apps


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## PT Go (Sep 23, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> Thanks for the info....always interesting to hear what goes on at audits.


Yeah. Wasn't fun. It just took so much time to copy all the documentation, print out spreadsheets and the like.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> I've driven 100% biz mile vehicles for 4 decades of IRS filings. My CPA is very explicit about the fact that it is 100% biz use only and so am I.


Ok, glad your getting advice.... that's smart! Here's a link for you and your CPA that quotes some recent tax court rulings about the issue https://www.mileiq.com/articles/mileage-logs


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> Ok, glad your getting advice.... that's smart! Here's a link for you and your CPA that quotes some recent tax court rulings about the issue https://www.mileiq.com/articles/mileage-logs


I've covered these with my CPA. The failures of most such claims largely reside in the less than 100% biz. use category. I have a personal vehicle or 2 for personal miles.

Deductions can also fail on excess metrics i.e. excess miles/dollar deductions not in accord with income. CPAs generally have some guidelines on what the ratio's should be for mileage deductions to income ranges. In some years I took actual cost deductions, which are an allowed alternative of mileage deduction and miles logs for 100% biz use vehicles.

Not saying the IRS can't make anyone's life miserable at will. But if you are not pressing your luck by gettting out of metric, which most of the cases you cite probably were, then the chances of being flagged for audits can be somewhat diminished.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> I've covered these with my CPA. The failures of most such claims largely reside in the less than 100% biz. use category. I have a personal vehicle or 2 for personal miles.
> 
> Deductions can also fail on excess metrics i.e. excess miles/dollar deductions not in accord with income. CPAs generally have some guidelines on what the ratio's should be for mileage deductions to income ranges. In some years I took actual cost deductions, which are an allowed alternative of mileage deduction and miles logs for 100% biz use vehicles.
> 
> Not saying the IRS can't make anyone's life miserable at will. But if you are not pressing your luck by gettting out of metric, which most of the cases you cite probably were, then the chances of being flagged for audits can be somewhat diminished.


I'm not saying its impossible to have 100% business miles. I'm saying its your burden to prove it with a detailed log that is *IRS compliant*


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## Ripd (Feb 10, 2015)

scrurbscrud said:


> I've driven 100% biz mile vehicles for 4 decades of IRS filings. My CPA is very explicit about the fact that it is 100% biz use only and so am I.


My experience exactly. There is so much misinformation and paranoia involved......


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> I'm not saying its impossible to have 100% business miles. I'm saying its your burden to prove it with a detailed log that is *IRS compliant*


If the IRS wants to claim that a 100% biz use vehicle wasn't 100% biz use they'd have to first find the evidence that it wasn't. The instant 1 personal mile is discovered, then the whole can of worms can be opened.

If there isn't any there isn't any.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> I've covered these with my CPA. The failures of most such claims largely reside in the less than 100% biz. use category. I have a personal vehicle or 2 for personal miles.
> 
> Deductions can also fail on excess metrics i.e. excess miles/dollar deductions not in accord with income. CPAs generally have some guidelines on what the ratio's should be for mileage deductions to income ranges. In some years I took actual cost deductions, which are an allowed alternative of mileage deduction and miles logs for 100% biz use vehicles.
> 
> Not saying the IRS can't make anyone's life miserable at will. But if you are not pressing your luck by gettting out of metric, which most of the cases you cite probably were, then the chances of being flagged for audits can be somewhat diminished.





Ripd said:


> My experience exactly. There is so much misinformation and paranoia involved......


all you have to do is check irs.gov its all there! no paranoia needed


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> all you have to do is check irs.gov its all there! no paranoia needed


I've requested a check from a driving professional with 100% driving miles only to see what they do on this item for the IRS.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> If the IRS wants to claim that a 100% biz use vehicle wasn't 100% biz use they'd have to first find the evidence that it wasn't. The instant 1 personal mile is discovered, then the whole can of worms can be opened.
> 
> If there isn't any there isn't any.


In an audit, if there is no irs detailed mileage log there is no business miles. If you deduct it, YOU have to prove it. Here's another link http://www.taxabletalk.com/2014/01/02/your-mileage-log-start-it-now-2014-version/
Here it is on IRS.gov http://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch05.html


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> I've requested a check from a driving professional with 100% driving miles only to see what they do on this item for the IRS.


check with @Tristan Zier he is a member on here and owns https://www.tryzen99.com/ maybe he can tell us if this is true "In an audit, if there is no irs detailed mileage log there is no business miles. If you deduct it, YOU have to prove it" even if you use the vehicle 100% for business


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> In an audit, if there is no irs detailed mileage log there is no business miles. If you deduct it, YOU have to prove it. Here's another link http://www.taxabletalk.com/2014/01/02/your-mileage-log-start-it-now-2014-version/
> Here it is on IRS.gov http://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch05.html


The burden of proof will vary, unquestionably. A biz that has a fleet of trucks driven 100% for biz for example do not log stops for gas or runs for repairs as non biz miles that I am aware of as these are biz miles. Will try to get some verif. on this item to see what the requirements are. The thought of logging 30-40 paid trips a day and dead miles between is not a very enticing use of time.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> The burden of proof will vary, unquestionably. A biz that has a fleet of trucks driven 100% for biz for example do not log stops for gas or runs for repairs as non biz miles that I am aware of as these are biz miles. Will try to get some verif. on this item to see what the requirements are. The thought of logging 30-40 paid trips a day and dead miles between is not a very enticing use of time.


When I turn my app on I log start miles and the date, when I turn my app off I log end miles. Uber keeps a log of trips so I use that to supplement the mileage log because it contains pick up locations and destinations. If you were ever audited it would be fairly easy for you to reconstruct your mileage because your 100% business use. However, the IRS wants the log to be contemporaneous, the only time(according to the IRS) you can reconstruct it is if you loose your records in a fire or something. On your reconstructed log you wouldn't want to have business miles on a day there was no trips on your online Uber log. just saying.....


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

UberTaxPro said:


> When I turn my app on I log start miles and the date, when I turn my app off I log end miles. Uber keeps a log of trips so I use that to supplement the mileage log because it contains pick up locations and destinations. If you were ever audited it would be fairly easy for you to reconstruct your mileage because your 100% business use. However, the IRS wants the log to be contemporaneous, the only time(according to the IRS) you can reconstruct it is if you loose your records in a fire or something. On your reconstructed log you wouldn't want to have business miles on a day there was no trips on your online Uber log. just saying.....


Yes. I guarantee I have an acceptable written compliant accurate log.


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

i think in the dc area im getting about 1$ per mile after expenses which still sucks balls


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

At $1 a mile after ALL expenses you are doing better than most, if not all drivers.

I have a feeling you might not be fully accounting for all your expenses though. Maintenance, wear and tear, depreciation are the big ones.


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## AdamW (Nov 5, 2014)

Luberon said:


> I am glad I found this forum at a time when all I was a noob. Reading through this forum stopped me getting into debt for Uber and I hang around this page for the banter and occasional chance to help out others. From what I gathered from driving and reading almost every thread on this page, making money (profit) on Uber can boil down to a few items, the more boxes you check, the better your odds of scraping some profit on the scorched earth X platform. These points are:
> 
> 1. *You work part time.* Part time drivers can pick and choose when to drive, so they can drive only the busiest surge hours while full timers have to work both slow and peak hours.
> 
> ...


Not sure if anyone has added these yet, but:

*6. Work towards a dollar goal, not an hours goal.* I've never made less than $600 in a week, net. And most weeks it's $700-$800, Some weeks I can get that done in 19 hours, other weeks it takes me 30. But it gets done. Don't obsess over the hourly average. This is not necessarily intended as a full time occupation.

*7. Don't worry about which hours are busy and which aren't- think like a pax.* I drive between 5 and 8am on some weekdays, long hours on Friday and Saturday nights, and a bit on Sunday. The weekday hours are to get 1 or 2 airport trips. The weekend is for volume and surge. Sunday afternoon is when many other drivers relax, and pax are looking to treat themselves one last time before the weekend ends. been using this formula for 9 months and it hasn't failed yet


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Sacto Burbs said:


> Just use the car trip meter and then write it on a clipboard at the end of the shift. Or do as I plan to do. Just use the trip miles on my invoices and double it. I don't obsess over keeping exact records. I don't make enough to worry.


I agree. Just find a system that is as accurate as possible and stick to it so that you can justify your deductions. If your system is reasonable and your records are in good order, IRS isn't going to hassle you over the piss-poor income you earn from Uber.

As a small business owner, I have always kept a separate car that I claim and depreciate 90% just for business. I can't stand the idea of tracking every mile or keeping logs. It's not up to the standard the IRS requires, but in two audits ten years apart they've never hassled me over it. Personal car for personal use - business car for business use.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

AdamW said:


> Not sure if anyone has added these yet, but:
> 
> *6. Work towards a dollar goal, not an hours goal.* I've never made less than $600 in a week, net. And most weeks it's $700-$800, Some weeks I can get that done in 19 hours, other weeks it takes me 30. But it gets done. Don't obsess over the hourly average. This is not necessarily intended as a full time occupation.
> 
> *7. Don't worry about which hours are busy and which aren't- think like a pax.* I drive between 5 and 8am on some weekdays, long hours on Friday and Saturday nights, and a bit on Sunday. The weekday hours are to get 1 or 2 airport trips. The weekend is for volume and surge. Sunday afternoon is when many other drivers relax, and pax are looking to treat themselves one last time before the weekend ends. been using this formula for 9 months and it hasn't failed yet


Yes... exactly what I do here.


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## AdamW (Nov 5, 2014)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> Yes... exactly what I do here.


I wonder if you've ever taken any of my relatives anywhere...work around the South Euclid area much?


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

AdamW said:


> I wonder if you've ever taken any of my relatives anywhere...work around the South Euclid area much?


yeah - actually I do.... but Cleveland is a small city and driving Uber here you feel like you're in pinball machine: you end up bouncing all over the place.


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

so you are making 30$ a hour what kind of car do you drive?


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## williamjohnson (Feb 26, 2015)

ou make 800$ a week but what kind of car do you drive and what kind of gas mileage do you get/?


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

I used to drive 15-25 hours a week average and 30+ on holiday weekends.
Due to my work commitments I cut that to 10 hours a week Friday and Saturday night. I drive a 2005 civic hybrid which I sold and bought 2008 Prius hybrid.


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## ZoeW101 (Dec 3, 2014)

I started a company to help people maximize their time, because I was working for Instacart, SideCar, Sprig and Caviar and was trying to balance where was the best place to work. We're in the early stages but we've helped over 100 people so far, and most recently we've been analyzing people's earnings to compare their hours to the same pay on Lyft and have increased people's weekly pay by between $300-500. I mean its a small number of people, but we really want to help people maximize their time and give people a third party opinion and with unbiased advice!

You can check out the site at opusforwork.com we send out weekly newsletters with tips, but also just correspond with people directly to discuss any questions you might have about the on-demand economy in general. Would love to help if we can!


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## 20yearsdriving (Dec 14, 2014)

Luberon said:


> I am glad I found this forum at a time when all I was a noob. Reading through this forum stopped me getting into debt for Uber and I hang around this page for the banter and occasional chance to help out others. From what I gathered from driving and reading almost every thread on this page, making money (profit) on Uber can boil down to a few items, the more boxes you check, the better your odds of scraping some profit on the scorched earth X platform. These points are:
> 
> 1. *You work part time.* Part time drivers can pick and choose when to drive, so they can drive only the busiest surge hours while full timers have to work both slow and peak hours.
> 
> ...


I like it a lot 
Now take it to the next level


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## J.J. Smith (Sep 26, 2014)

Here’s what I track everyday on a spreadsheet. Most are calculations. BOLD is what I enter.


TOTAL MILES - for tax deduction
PRODUCTIVE MILES - when I am on-line an available
Mileage cost
GROSS FARE
Net Fare
MILES IN PRODUCTION - from Uber and Lyft reports
TIME IN PRODUCTION in hours from Uber and Lyft reports
NUMBER OF TRIPS
Average Net Fare per Trip
Cumulative Trips 3378 as of this AM - includes Lyft which I started a month or so ago
Cumulative Average Fare/Trip $13.08 
Cumulative Gross Fares
Cumulative Net Fares
Cumulative Time in Production
Cumulative Net Fares per Mile $2.31
Cumulative Net Fares per Hour $47.14
Fare per Mile (for that day) 
Deadhead miles 
Productive Miles a % of Miles Driven 65% - a key number. Higher the better
Net Fares/Mileage Cost 266.5% - target is 300%
Trailing Seven Days Net Fares
Trailing Four Weeks Net Fares
TIPS - only started that this year.


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## Rich Brunelle (Jan 15, 2015)

All this tax work and prep. DO NOT forget to add the hours you spend doing this and other work required but unpaid to your earnings calculations. You will quickly discover that you never made any money at all driving for Uber and that ******** Kalanick is laughing his ass off all the way to the bank. The headlines should read "Travis Kalanick ****s Over More Than 300,000 Driver - Laughs All The Way To Bank - Kalainick New Billionaire"


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## Danz Haagen (Feb 11, 2015)

Rich Brunelle said:


> All this tax work and prep. DO NOT forget to add the hours you spend doing this and other work required but unpaid to your earnings calculations. You will quickly discover that you never made any money at all driving for Uber and that ******** Kalanick is laughing his ass off all the way to the bank. The headlines should read "Travis Kalanick ****s Over More Than 300,000 Driver - Laughs All The Way To Bank - Kalainick New Billionaire"


This is neo-dictatorship. A person with huge amounts of money, resources and un surpassed opportunities. This worse than feudalism. At least the peasants had little bit more dignity.


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## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

Actionjax said:


> Great post. Straight to the point and factual. Think this should be a sticky on here. Well said.


IRS rules = contemporaneous mileage log. Get an excel spreadsheet, and have several columns. First column is date, second is ODO-in (beginning of day mileage) and then a column for each deductible or non-deductible category. I do some charitable work that is deductible, and also have reimbursable and non-reimbursable mileage from work, which are in separate columns, and then my uber mileage. Then I total the ODO-in plus all the other ones and it will give me my end of day reading. I would also keep other things that can verify periodic mileage (e.g., a photo, or a repair shop or oil change invoice which states the date and mileage).


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## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> If the IRS wants to claim that a 100% biz use vehicle wasn't 100% biz use they'd have to first find the evidence that it wasn't. The instant 1 personal mile is discovered, then the whole can of worms can be opened.
> 
> If there isn't any there isn't any.


Disagree - even if 100% business, the burden of proof is on you. Although your contention that it's 100% business use may be correct, you still have the burden of proof. Plus a detailed log can make a 4 hour audit a 20 minute audit. I'm sure I know what your CPA would prefer.


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## Actionjax (Oct 6, 2014)

UberPissed said:


> IRS rules = contemporaneous mileage log. Get an excel spreadsheet, and have several columns. First column is date, second is ODO-in (beginning of day mileage) and then a column for each deductible or non-deductible category. I do some charitable work that is deductible, and also have reimbursable and non-reimbursable mileage from work, which are in separate columns, and then my uber mileage. Then I total the ODO-in plus all the other ones and it will give me my end of day reading. I would also keep other things that can verify periodic mileage (e.g., a photo, or a repair shop or oil change invoice which states the date and mileage).


Since I m not claiming the per mil rate but opting to go the route of submitting full receipts for the basics I have been told to just keep a basic mileage log. Every commute ride is on Uber time. It's a fixed per day rate and most days I go over the per day rate. Personal when not doing Uber is about 10% of total mileage. In fact it's easier for me to track personal miles than the other way around.


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## Yarddude11 (May 12, 2015)

Sherpashare


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## Actionjax (Oct 6, 2014)

Yarddude11 said:


> Sherpashare


I registered for that. Didn't work the way I expected. And they don't cater to the Canadian market as I would have liked. But I should take a look at it again. Probably would be easier.


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## KTownJerry (May 31, 2015)

Is there a way to determine the destination before accepting the rider's request? As it is now, I don't see the destination till I arrive to pick up the pax.
I say this because what if the trip is not something that will make money for me, I would like to simply pass on the request to another driver.


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## Ub1 (Mar 13, 2015)

Do we really make money driving for Uber?
Probably not, but I have been paying my bills (outside of car expenses) with money I get from driving around.
So, what is the real problem?
The problem is that I am living off the equity of my car which is paid for and in good condition. Sooner or later it will catch up with me (when I need to get a new car).
That being said, it works for me right now until I get a better way to supplement my income (I'm a technical writer and income is not as predictable as used to be).


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## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

KTownJerry said:


> Is there a way to determine the destination before accepting the rider's request? As it is now, I don't see the destination till I arrive to pick up the pax.
> I say this because what if the trip is not something that will make money for me, I would like to simply pass on the request to another driver.


No. Sidecar does, but not Uber. One of the many flaws. Not taking a PAX somewhere based on location is grounds for deactivation.


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## Ziggy (Feb 27, 2015)

KTownJerry said:


> Is there a way to determine the destination before accepting the rider's request? As it is now, I don't see the destination till I arrive to pick up the pax. I say this because what if the trip is not something that will make money for me, I would like to simply pass on the request to another driver.


Nope ... what you're trying to do is called "Cherry Picking" ... it's a disservice to pax & to other drivers. If you are not willing to take the "luck" of the draw when p/u a pax ... then get a "real job" where you always know what you're going to make. *if Uber ever allowed Cherry Picking, then they would disappear faster than they started ... because no one would want to p/u the pax that was going 5 blocks from one club to another or from a client's office to the hotel.

Cherry picking is a flaw of some cab companies ... not all cabbies know the destination prior to pickup; but some dispatch systems do transmit that info ... and when it is transmitted "some" cabbies will use that info to justify not p/u pax.


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