# I just finished tax preparation and I am due for $7,873 federal and $1,204 state.



## Empoy53

I cannot believe I am paying this much. Anybody in the same situation as mine?


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## IERide

You arent clear on if you are due to pay this much, or you are due for a refund for this much.
So therefore, I cannot answer.


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## Working4peanuts

Just claim that you spent $7900 on water and mints and you'll owe nothing.

You're welcome.


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## Older Chauffeur

Empoy53 said:


> I cannot believe I am paying this much. Anybody in the same situation as mine?


IDK. Are you one of those drivers Uber claimed made $90,000 a year? Just kidding. I doubt many rideshare drivers make enough money to to owe that much in taxes. I gather you had taxable income from other sources, and didn't pay estimated quarterly taxes or have more W2 witholding to make up for your rideshare income.


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## Empoy53

IERide said:


> You arent clear on if you are due to pay this much, or you are due for a refund for this much.
> So therefore, I cannot answer.


I'm due to pay this much.



Working4peanuts said:


> Just claim that you spent $7900 on water and mints and you'll owe nothing.
> 
> You're welcome.


I would get audited with that.


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## IERide

Then you either are one of the few top Uber drivers, you have other income, or you really F’d up doing your taxes..


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## Empoy53

Older Chauffeur said:


> IDK. Are you one of those drivers Uber claimed made $90,000 a year? Just kidding. I doubt many rideshare drivers make enough money to to owe that much in taxes. I gather you had taxable income from other sources, and didn't pay estimated quarterly taxes or have more W2 witholding to make up for your rideshare income.


I didn't pay quarterly taxes and have w2's


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## 1.5xorbust

You should hire a better accountant.


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## Empoy53

1.5xorbust said:


> You should hire a better accountant.


I'm using TurboTax.


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## jaystonepk

Did you deduct your miles?


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## Empoy53

jaystonepk said:


> Did you deduct your miles?


Yes. My supplies/snacks deduction is only $230 total though because I couldn't find my receipts anymore.


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## Working4peanuts

No uber driver should owe ANY tax on their rideshare income unless you made well over $40000 driving for uber or drove a lux.

The mileage alone would offset at minimum 80% of your income.


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## Empoy53

Working4peanuts said:


> No uber driver should owe ANY tax on their rideshare income unless you made well over $40000 driving for uber or drove a lux.
> 
> The mileage alone would offset at minimum 80% of your income.


I made a total of 50k with uber lyft though.


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## Working4peanuts

Empoy53 said:


> Yes. My supplies/snacks deduction is only $230 total though because I couldn't find my receipts anymore.


My supplies and snacks deduction was over $1000. Only $1 of that was for pax. The rest was for me.


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## Empoy53

Working4peanuts said:


> My supplies and snacks deduction was over $1000. Only $1 of that was for pax. The rest was for me.


Do you have the receipts?


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## Working4peanuts

Empoy53 said:


> I made a total of 50k with uber lyft though.


Damn. Nice job! You obviously weren't driving in South Florida...


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## jaystonepk

How much was your other W-2 income? What were your withholdings there? How many miles did you drive combined?


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## Empoy53

jaystonepk said:


> How much was your other W-2 income? What were your withholdings there? How many miles did you drive combined?


I made about $2800 in w2. I drove about 33,115 miles


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## Older Chauffeur

Empoy53 said:


> I made about $2800 in w2. I drove about 33,115 miles


In round numbers, your net profits on Schedule C would be $32,000, and your Schedule SE taxes $4900 of that nearly $7900 federal tax due. Just to be clear, the $2800 was total income from regular employment? So probably not a lot was withheld from those earnings. Be prepared to be required to pay estimated quarterly taxes for 2018. There may be a penalty for not having enough paid in for 2017, but that also depends on your status last year.

Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


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## jaystonepk

Well my income was flip-flopped from yours. Tax withholding on the $2800 wouldn't be enough to offset taxes you weren't paying on your driving income. You didn't pay quarterly taxes either so that's why you're seeing a large lump sum due. Did you keep records for other things like maintenance, gas and other expenses to see if that be more of a deduction? I took the standard miles deduction but I only drove 2,800 miles and my profit ended up only being $1100.


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## Empoy53

Older Chauffeur said:


> In round numbers, your net profits on Schedule C would be $32,000, and your Schedule SE taxes $4900 of that nearly $7900 federal tax due. Just to be clear, the $2800 was total income from regular employment? So probably not a lot was withheld from those earnings. Be prepared to be required to pay estimated quarterly taxes for 2018. There may be a penalty for not having enough paid in for 2017, but that also depends on your status last year.
> 
> Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


You got it right. Thanks for the info.



jaystonepk said:


> Well my income was flip-flopped from yours. Tax withholding on the $2800 wouldn't be enough to offset taxes you weren't paying on your driving income. You didn't pay quarterly taxes either so that's why you're seeing a large lump sum due. Did you keep records for other things like maintenance, gas and other expenses to see if that be more of a deduction? I took the standard miles deduction but I only drove 2,800 miles and my profit ended up only being $1100.


I took standard mileage deduction. I should pay quarterly taxes this year, thanks.


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## Over/Uber

Wowsers!! 8^O

You have other household income that not enough tax was withheld from and need more deductions, I’d guess.


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## ARTENNZ1967

Empoy53 said:


> I cannot believe I am paying this much. Anybody in the same situation as mine?


Same problem as you, i only made $30,000 with Uber/lyft and i owe over $8000 in taxes, my total income was $60,000
i didnt pay quarterly taxes,

my advice would be dont go too crazy with the deductions, you dont want to get audited.

Anyone get audited guys???


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## Atom guy

This makes no sense. I had gross fares (before Uber's cut) of $42k, drove 53,000 miles, had NO W2 income, and got a refund. No way you should be paying so much in taxes. You're doing something wrong


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## jaystonepk

Atom guy said:


> This makes no sense. I had gross fares (before Uber's cut) of $42k, drove 53,000 miles, had NO W2 income, and got a refund. No way you should be paying so much in taxes. You're doing something wrong


No. Based on rough numbers from both of you, you both have it correct. The OP earned more and drove a lot less than you. Assuming you just used the standard miles deduction, with the number of miles you drove you'd be able to deduct $28,355 from your net profit after Uber takes their cut. If your profit was lower than $28,355 you'd get a refund. However, that means you operated your "business" at a loss. Was your refund something to the tune of $1,000?


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## AuxCordBoston

Working4peanuts said:


> No uber driver should owe ANY tax on their rideshare income unless you made well over $40000 driving for uber or drove a lux.
> 
> The mileage alone would offset at minimum 80% of your income.


I made $27,000 from Uber driving part time. Explain to me how I can justify not paying any tax on that???


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## mls55

If you have a car loan and or pay personal property taxes on your automobile, you can deduct the business use percentage of these expenses. They are not operating expenses and therefore can be deducted in addition to the standard mileage deduction. IRS Pub. 463


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## Working4peanuts

mls55 said:


> If you have a car loan and or pay personal property taxes on your automobile, you can deduct the business use percentage of these expenses. They are not operating expenses and therefore can be deducted in addition to the standard mileage deduction. IRS Pub. 463


This is not correct. You can deduct the business use % off the INTEREST on a car loan but not the principal reduction if you are taking the mileage deduction. And the personal property tax doesn't usually amount to much.



AuxCordBoston said:


> I made $27,000 from Uber driving part time. Explain to me how I can justify not paying any tax on that???


If you"made" $27k driving from uber id estimate you drove somewhere between 35-40k miles to make that. Keeping in mind you can deduct dead miles. Assuming that $27k already is net of the service fees.

35000 = $19075 mileage deduction.

40000 = $21800

Leaving you between $7900 and $5200 net earnings.

Everyone also has at least $1000 in personal expenses e.g. cell phone and supplies.

You get $6000 standard deduction and $4050 exemption.

I paid no tax and i have records too back it up.

If you have de minimus w2 income it shouldn't affect the calculations.

If you have substantial w2 income, the incremental tax you'll pay for the ridesharing income should still be zero or close to it.


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## jaystonepk

Working4peanuts said:


> This is not correct. You can deduct the business use % off the INTEREST on a car loan but not the principal reduction if you are taking the mileage deduction.


May not have been completely accurate but it was enough for me to dig a bit and ultimately ended up swinging about $85 bucks in taxes in my favor. Any amount less I can give to the IRS is worth it. Even if it's just a dollar.


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## mls55

Where did I state you can take depreciation or principal deductions on an automobile if you elect to take the standard mileage rate over actual expenses. I only stated that interest and pptx are not considered operating expenses and accordingly you can deduct the business use percenrage of these expenses


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## Working4peanuts

mls55 said:


> Where did I state you can take depreciation or principal deductions on an automobile if you elect to take the standard mileage rate over actual expenses. I only stated that interest and pptx are not considered operating expenses and accordingly you can deduct the business use percenrage of these expenses


Sorry. Just responding to what you posted. You said you can deduct auto loan. Read your post again. I quoted it in my first response.


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## Empoy53

ARTENNZ1967 said:


> Same problem as you, i only made $30,000 with Uber/lyft and i owe over $8000 in taxes, my total income was $60,000
> i didnt pay quarterly taxes,
> 
> my advice would be dont go too crazy with the deductions, you dont want to get audited.
> 
> Anyone get audited guys???


The deductions are just not enough to for ju 9k in taxes I owe. I wonder how much is the penalty for not paying quarterly taxes?


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## Older Chauffeur

Atom guy said:


> This makes no sense. I had gross fares (before Uber's cut) of $42k, drove 53,000 miles, had NO W2 income, and got a refund. No way you should be paying so much in taxes. You're doing something wrong


Did you pay estimated quarterly taxes? Or were you eligible for refundable credits of some kind?


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## tcaud

Got any interest payments on student debt? You can deduct those from your sched-C form income.

How to do your USA taxes right:
- deduct your miles
- deduct your non-car expenses
- deduct your student loan payments if you have them
- deduct your standard deduction

This is your profit/net income.

You owe income tax on your profit (check your bracket) and 15.8% self-employment tax (your medicare and SS withholdings). If you didn't turn a profit (in the legal sense calculated via the above... nevermind if you actually did make a profit from being cheap and buying used, heh...) then you owe nothing. Make sure you keep all your records in a safe place (like a safe?) in case you get audited.

I would go to a tax firm on this one. Better you pay $150 to make sure you're not overpaying, than to pay hundreds more you don't owe.


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## Empoy53

tcaud said:


> Got any interest payments on student debt? You can deduct those from your sched-C form income.
> 
> How to do your USA taxes right:
> - deduct your miles
> - deduct your non-car expenses
> - deduct your student loan payments if you have them
> - deduct your standard deduction
> 
> This is your profit/net income.
> 
> You owe income tax on your profit (check your bracket) and 15.8% self-employment tax (your medicare and SS withholdings). If you didn't turn a profit (in the legal sense calculated via the above... nevermind if you actually did make a profit from being cheap and buying used, heh...) then you owe nothing. Make sure you keep all your records in a safe place (like a safe?) in case you get audited.
> 
> I would go to a tax firm on this one. Better you pay $150 to make sure you're not overpaying, than to pay hundreds more you don't owe.


I did all the deductions except student loan because I don't have one. I would just try H&R block. Thanks.


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## Older Chauffeur

Empoy53 said:


> I did all the deductions except student loan because I don't have one. I would just try H&R block. Thanks.


Did you get the final review done by TurboTax? Have you contacted their support? I've always found them to be pretty accurate in matching my CPA's work.

You could also pm UberTaxPro and see what he thinks.


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## JTTwentySeven

Empoy53 said:


> Yes. My supplies/snacks deduction is only $230 total though because I couldn't find my receipts anymore.


Miles are not supplies.
You get .53 cents per mile you are online in the app (OR) you deduct for your $230 in supplies.
Fix your taxes. Do the standard mile deduction.


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## Older Chauffeur

JTTwentySeven said:


> Miles are not supplies.
> You get .53 cents per mile you are online in the app (OR) you deduct for your $230 in supplies.
> Fix your taxes. Do the standard mile deduction.


He can use the SMR of $0.535 for his on app miles AND still deduct his $230 for supplies.


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## JTTwentySeven

Older Chauffeur said:


> He can use the SMR of $0.535 for his on app miles AND still deduct his $230 for supplies.


Ah, I stand corrected. I thought that was lumped in with like car maintenance and expenses.


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## Empoy53

JTTwentySeven said:


> Miles are not supplies.
> You get .53 cents per mile you are online in the app (OR) you deduct for your $230 in supplies.
> Fix your taxes. Do the standard mile deduction.


Miles are already deducted for about 17,000.


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## SEAL Team 5

Empoy53 said:


> I'm using TurboTax.


If you have W2 income and still owe $9k in taxes you should fire Turbo Tax.



Empoy53 said:


> I made a total of 50k with uber lyft though.





Empoy53 said:


> I made about $2800 in w2. I drove about 33,115 miles


That's a really good dollar to mile ratio.


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## RamzFanz

AuxCordBoston said:


> I made $27,000 from Uber driving part time. Explain to me how I can justify not paying any tax on that???


Law?

Welcome to business deductions 101.


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## Eesoso

I owe about $5,700 federal and state combined and I grossed about 30K. Took the standard deduction along with standard mileage rate.


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## Dixon

Working4peanuts said:


> No uber driver should owe ANY tax on their rideshare income unless you made well over $40000 driving for uber or drove a lux.
> 
> The mileage alone would offset at minimum 80% of your income.


I made $68000. Uber show I only have 42,xxxx miles. Can I claim more dead mileage?


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## pengduck

Dixon said:


> I made $68000. Uber show I only have 42,xxxx miles. Can I claim more dead mileage?


You will have to have it documented. My documents from Uber were less than my actual numbers.


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## Working4peanuts

Dixon said:


> I made $68000. Uber show I only have 42,xxxx miles. Can I claim more dead mileage?


I keep a log. And i log every ride and every mile. Totally worth doing.

Yes you can claim every dead mile but you better have some type of log to back it up.


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## Dixon

Working4peanuts said:


> I keep a log. And i log every ride and every mile. Totally worth doing.
> 
> Yes you can claim every dead mile but you better have some type of log to back it up.


Thx bro.


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## RamzFanz

Eesoso said:


> I owe about $5,700 federal and state combined and I grossed about 30K. Took the standard deduction along with standard mileage rate.


That sounds seriously flawed. Did you deduct all miles? How many miles?


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## Blingin

Working4peanuts said:


> I keep a log. And i log every ride and every mile. Totally worth doing.
> 
> Yes you can claim every dead mile but you better have some type of log to back it up.


I live 30 miles from Boston but I figure I will do the bulk of my driving in Boston, so even though I will sign in with destination Boston, chances are that I will be putting up dead miles coming and going.
How can I log them, any apps or something else I can use?

Oh, I see that you are probably using paper logs, still any suggestions on how to do that?


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## Empoy53

Blingin said:


> I live 30 miles from Boston but I figure I will do the bulk of my driving in Boston, so even though I will sign in with destination Boston, chances are that I will be putting up dead miles coming and going.
> How can I log them, any apps or something else I can use?
> 
> Oh, I see that you are probably using paper logs, still any suggestions on how to do that?


Use the stride app


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## Zax

Hi all, I just started driving a couple days ago and have installed the stride mileage tracker app.

"I live in a busy area so i turn the app on when leaving home and usually accept a ride request before leaving my driveway.
My question is when should I shut the app off? After completion of my last ride? or when I return home to driveway. and how does destination filter figure into that.
Ive been reading around the forum and there seems to be some disagreement as to what percent of commuter miles can be deducted. ie; 50% of commute miles allowable deduction etc...

I found this in the forum it answers most of my questions

The good news is that basically all driving youdo for Uber is deductible. Since you don’t have a main place of business, you will be able to deduct miles driving from home to your airport spot, as well as in between riders driving back to airport or other desirable spot. Even if the app is off, you’re still using your car to position yourself for more business. You can include driving home at the end of the day as well sinceyou don’t have an office you’re commuting from.
Unless you go off the clock in order to run a personal errand (i.e. lunch), the miles are deductible. Keep a good record of all miles on Uber driving days."


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## Empoy53

Zax said:


> Hi all, I just started driving a couple days ago and have installed the stride mileage tracker app.
> 
> "I live in a busy area so i turn the app on when leaving home and usually accept a ride request before leaving my driveway.
> My question is when should I shut the app off? After completion of my last ride? or when I return home to driveway. and how does destination filter figure into that.
> Ive been reading around the forum and there seems to be some disagreement as to what percent of commuter miles can be deducted. ie; 50% of commute miles allowable deduction etc...
> 
> I found this in the forum it answers most of my questions
> 
> The good news is that basically all driving youdo for Uber is deductible. Since you don't have a main place of business, you will be able to deduct miles driving from home to your airport spot, as well as in between riders driving back to airport or other desirable spot. Even if the app is off, you're still using your car to position yourself for more business. You can include driving home at the end of the day as well sinceyou don't have an office you're commuting from.
> Unless you go off the clock in order to run a personal errand (i.e. lunch), the miles are deductible. Keep a good record of all miles on Uber driving days."


You got it right.


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## Ahmed Nafis

Empoy53 said:


> Yes. My supplies/snacks deduction is only $230 total though because I couldn't find my receipts anymore.


Can you please tell me what receipts you basically need .? Please


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## Empoy53

Ahmed Nafis said:


> Can you please tell me what receipts you basically need .? Please


Receipts for the snacks and drinks.


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## Zax

Homie G said:


> Forget about the b.s. tax statement you get from Uber. Just add up your pay statements. That's your income period. NOT all the extra crap on the statement. Keep your own mileage log. Pen and paper. Old school. You will know exactly how many miles you drove. Using standard mileage deduction you should come out about even.
> 
> Disclosure: I'm no tax pro but I'm not paying ubers taxes for them


The sum of your pay statements is your gross income on your tax statement and 1099k. Once you calculate (subtract) ubers fees that is your gross pay
Theres nothing b.s. about it . Thats your income


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## ChiGuy

How much do you pay for TurboTax?
Lyft advertising $0 for self-employment filling but when I got to the end of the process there is $39 for the State taxes and $119 for filling as Self Employed, it's not zero as they claim.


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## Older Chauffeur

ChiGuy said:


> How much do you pay for TurboTax?
> Lyft advertising $0 for self-employment filling but when I got to the end of the process there is $39 for the State taxes and $119 for filling as Self Employed, it's not zero as they claim.


Can you print it out for paper filing at no charge? If it's not too late, the Deluxe version on CD has everything you need to file as self employed, along with free federal e-filing and state e-filing for $19.95. The CD retails for about $50, but discounted at some stores.


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## ChiGuy

Even if you wanna print it out and send via mail you still have to pay $119 for tax preparation fee(because you are using turbotax), this tax is not for e-filling, but for tax preparation. 
Also if you pay once there is no refund in any circumstances.

I still wonder how come Lyft advertise 0 dollars, but it's actually $119.


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## Older Chauffeur

ChiGuy said:


> Even if you wanna print it out and send via mail you still have to pay $119 for tax preparation fee(because you are using turbotax), this tax is not for e-filling, but for tax preparation.
> Also if you pay once there is no refund in any circumstances.
> 
> I still wonder how come Lyft advertise 0 dollars, but it's actually $119.


It has been posted here previously that Uber is offering Turbo Tax free, and there have been posts from satisfied users.
There is a link in the tax info Uber provides.
I know that doesn't help you with your immediate issue. Sorry.


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## Homie G

IERide said:


> Then you either are one of the few top Uber drivers, you have other income, or you really F'd up doing your taxes..


That about sums it up.


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## Pax Collector

Empoy53 said:


> I cannot believe I am paying this much. Anybody in the same situation as mine?


I did my taxes recently and was able to break even and not owe a single dime for both the state and Federal. Would tou mind sharing some details so maybe I can suggest a solution. What was your gross earnings? How many miles did you deduct? What about your car payment? Insurance?


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## UberEatsDriverWA

Also comes down to health care and if you had it the whole year. I stopped working for Uber and started to look for a better job that provided health care because I wasn't covered anymore (I think its around a $2000 penalty or something like that). I also do not like how Uber is putting my fare adjustments into promotional pay when I selected a job to be adjusted. I believe this goes into our 1099misc and Uber then can write trip adjustments off as promotional pay. We also then would have wrong mileages at the end of the year if you followed the Uber online miles because they do not change the miles when adjusting fares.


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## Empoy53

Pax Collector said:


> I did my taxes recently and was able to break even and not owe a single dime for both the state and Federal. Would tou mind sharing some details so maybe I can suggest a solution. What was your gross earnings? How many miles did you deduct? What about your car payment? Insurance?


Gross earning about 54k, 17k miles deducted, car payment 285/month, insurance 175.


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## Pax Collector

Empoy53 said:


> Gross earning about 54k, 17k miles deducted, car payment 285/month, insurance 175.


How on earth did you make 54k on only 17k miles driven? Did you record your starting and ending miles everyday you drove? Anyways, your car payment and insurance are tax deductible. You have to calculate what percentage of your total miles for that year you used for business use as opposed to personal use. Example: let's say I drove 10000 total miles last year. Out of that, 8000 was used for Uber and 2000 for personal use. That would be 80% business use. Therefore, I am allowed to deduct 80% of my car payments and 80% of my insurance payments for that year.


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## Fuzzyelvis

Empoy53 said:


> Yes. My supplies/snacks deduction is only $230 total though because I couldn't find my receipts anymore.


My supplies/snacks deduction is only $0. I dont worry about receipts.


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## Empoy53

Pax Collector said:


> How on earth did you make 54k on only 17k miles driven? Did you record your starting and ending miles everyday you drove? Anyways, your car payment and insurance are tax deductible. You have to calculate what percentage of your total miles for that year you used for business use as opposed to personal use. Example: let's say I drove 10000 total miles last year. Out of that, 8000 was used for Uber and 2000 for personal use. That would be 80% business use. Therefore, I am allowed to deduct 80% of my car payments and 80% of my insurance payments for that year.


I actually used 37k miles both personal and business with 33k miles for uber and lyft so I was able to deduct 17k.


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## Pax Collector

Empoy53 said:


> I actually used 37k miles both personal and business with 33k miles for uber and lyft so I was able to deduct 17k.


Let's see, based on that, you are able to deduct 89% of your car and insurance payments. That's roughly $254/month on your car payment and $156/month on your insurance. That'll be around $4920 for the whole year you can deduct. Try inputting these and you might be able to lower your liability a bit.


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## Empoy53

Pax Collector said:


> Why did you deduct only 17k and not
> 
> Let's see, based on that, you are able to deduct 89% of your car and insurance payments. That's roughly $254/month on your car payment and $156/month on your insurance. That'll be around $4920 for the whole year you can deduct. Try inputting these and you might be able to lower your liability a bit.


Alright thank you.


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## Older Chauffeur

Empoy53 said:


> Gross earning about 54k, 17k miles deducted, car payment 285/month, insurance 175.


You're out in the weeds again with deducting your $285 per month car payment and $175 for car insurance. Please get some help from a tax professional.
You stated that you used the SRM, and that works best for most TNC drivers. As Pax Collector stated you can deduct only the business use percentage, BUT ONLY on the INTEREST on your car loan, if you are using the SRM.
Something is wrong with the way your return is being calculated based on the figures you have provided.
Source: IRS PUB 463, page 16

Disclosure : I'm not a tax professional .


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## Empoy53

Older Chauffeur said:


> You're out in the weeds again with deducting your $285 per month car payment and $175 for car insurance. Please get some help from a tax professional.
> You stated that you used the SRM, and that works best for most TNC drivers. As Pax Collector stated you can deduct only the business use percentage, BUT ONLY on the INTEREST on your car loan, if you are using the SRM.
> Something is wrong with the way your return is being calculated based on the figures you have provided.
> Source: IRS PUB 463, page 16
> 
> Disclosure : I'm not a tax professional .


I'm using turbo tax. I already talked to a tax pro and since my deductions didn't reach 6k plus, it automatically deducted 6k.


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## Older Chauffeur

Empoy53 said:


> I'm using turbo tax. I already talked to a tax pro and since my deductions didn't reach 6k plus, it automatically deducted 6k.


Are you referring to the standard deduction for a single filer($6350) as opposed to itemized deductions (medical expenses, mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable contributions, etc) on Schedule A? That's a different subject altogether.

On Schedule C, did you deduct commissions and fees from the gross figures provided by Uber/Lyft ? The remainder should match your total bank deposits for the year.
From that net receipts figure you deduct your $17k plus for mileage and your other business deductions like car loan interest , cell phone, etc. That gives you your net profit which flows onto your Form 1040 and is added to your W2 income. Off that total comes your $6350 standard deduction, your personal exemption of $4050, and if I'm not mistaken, one half the SE tax (15.3% on your profit on Schedule C). Based on your figures I think that was $4900 as I listed in my post #19 earlier. Your taxable income would then be in the ballpark of $23-25k. (15% tax bracket.)
All figures are very rough estimates. I believe the key is if you deducted the commissions and fees to match your bank deposits. If you did, then I'm going to go out on a limb and say your TurboTax results are correct.


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## 1974toyota

Empoy53 said:


> I cannot believe I am paying this much. Anybody in the same situation as mine?


Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss


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## Empoy53

Older Chauffeur said:


> Are you referring to the standard deduction for a single filer($6350) as opposed to itemized deductions (medical expenses, mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable contributions, etc) on Schedule A? That's a different subject altogether.
> 
> On Schedule C, did you deduct commissions and fees from the gross figures provided by Uber/Lyft ? The remainder should match your total bank deposits for the year.
> From that net receipts figure you deduct your $17k plus for mileage and your other business deductions like car loan interest , cell phone, etc. That gives you your net profit which flows onto your Form 1040 and is added to your W2 income. Off that total comes your $6350 standard deduction, your personal exemption of $4050, and if I'm not mistaken, one half the SE tax (15.3% on your profit on Schedule C). Based on your figures I think that was $4900 as I listed in my post #19 earlier. Your taxable income would then be in the ballpark of $23-25k. (15% tax bracket.)
> All figures are very rough estimates. I believe the key is if you deducted the commissions and fees to match your bank deposits. If you did, then I'm going to go out on a limb and say your TurboTax results are correct.


Thanks for the info. I think I got it right its just that I didn't pay quarterly taxes and didn't have much deductions because I didn't keep receipts.


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## Retired Senior

OK, I've been sick most of the month, and cannot be certain that I am thinking straight even now....
According to the Uber tax info, in 2017 I drove 23,664.51 online miles.
My expenses, fees and tax: $9,046.02
My net payout: $15, 676.57

Forgetting any other income streams, just dealing with the Uber data....

I take the online miles 23, 664.54
I multiply by .53 (cents per online miles)
The result is 12,542.19

Then I take my Net Payout of $15,676, .57
I subtract $12, 542.19
The result is 3,134.38

So I destroyed my car for a net profit of $3,134.38

I had about $8,000 total from my pension and social security

All income = $11,134.38
I am below the Federal poverty line.

No real reason to send the IRS anything!

No wonder I feel poor!

Please correct me if I made a mistake......


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## Pax Collector

Retired Senior said:


> OK, I've been sick most of the month, and cannot be certain that I am thinking straight even now....
> According to the Uber tax info, in 2017 I drove 23,664.51 online miles.
> My expenses, fees and tax: $9,046.02
> My net payout: $15, 676.57
> 
> Forgetting any other income streams, just dealing with the Uber data....
> 
> I take the online miles 23, 664.54
> I multiply by .53 (cents per online miles)
> The result is 12,542.19
> 
> Then I take my Net Payout of $15,676, .57
> I subtract $12, 542.19
> The result is 3,134.38
> 
> So I destroyed my car for a net profit of $3,134.38
> 
> I had about $8,000 total from my pension and social security
> 
> All income = $11,134.38
> I am below the Federal poverty line.
> 
> No real reason to send the IRS anything!
> 
> No wonder I feel poor!
> 
> Please correct me if I made a mistake......


Your actual miles could be way more than your online miles. Aside from that, as long as you're paying $0 in taxes you're doing it right lol


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## Older Chauffeur

Retired Senior said:


> OK, I've been sick most of the month, and cannot be certain that I am thinking straight even now....
> According to the Uber tax info, in 2017 I drove 23,664.51 online miles.
> My expenses, fees and tax: $9,046.02
> My net payout: $15, 676.57
> 
> Forgetting any other income streams, just dealing with the Uber data....
> 
> I take the online miles 23, 664.54
> I multiply by .53 (cents per online miles)
> The result is 12,542.19
> 
> Then I take my Net Payout of $15,676, .57
> I subtract $12, 542.19
> The result is 3,134.38
> 
> So I destroyed my car for a net profit of $3,134.38
> 
> I had about $8,000 total from my pension and social security
> 
> All income = $11,134.38
> I am below the Federal poverty line.
> 
> No real reason to send the IRS anything!
> 
> No wonder I feel poor!
> 
> Please correct me if I made a mistake......


A minor error is the standard mileage rate is $0.535- a whopping $118 more to deduct! Seriously though, you probably have to file and pay the SE tax- 15.3% of your net profit. ($1703)If you kept a mileage log and tracked other expenses like cell phone charges, etc, you might be able to reduce your profits some more, shaving the amount going to Medicare and Social Security.
I hope UberTaxPro sees your post and weighs in. I'm not a tax professional, but he is.


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## Fishchris

I earned about $30K here in Cali. Was able to write off every penny with my miles driven, and recorded with mile IQ. I hope everyone knows to NEVER use Ubers mileage quote as that is only your miles "with" a pax in the car, while (at least in CA) you can write off all of your miles from when you walk out of your house, until you Wal back in.

I owed zero to the state or the feds. Granted, I got zero back too. Just a complete wash.


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## UberTaxPro

Retired Senior said:


> OK, I've been sick most of the month, and cannot be certain that I am thinking straight even now....
> According to the Uber tax info, in 2017 I drove 23,664.51 online miles.
> My expenses, fees and tax: $9,046.02
> My net payout: $15, 676.57
> 
> Forgetting any other income streams, just dealing with the Uber data....
> 
> I take the online miles 23, 664.54
> I multiply by .53 (cents per online miles)
> The result is 12,542.19
> 
> Then I take my Net Payout of $15,676, .57
> I subtract $12, 542.19
> The result is 3,134.38
> 
> So I destroyed my car for a net profit of $3,134.38
> 
> I had about $8,000 total from my pension and social security
> 
> All income = $11,134.38
> I am below the Federal poverty line.
> 
> No real reason to send the IRS anything!
> 
> No wonder I feel poor!
> 
> Please correct me if I made a mistake......


Yep, Older Chauffeur is correct. Looks like a $500 SE tax bill based on those numbers. So you destroyed your car for $2634. With a mileage log you'll destroy your car for $0 but you'll be better off!


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## Older Chauffeur

UberTaxPro said:


> Yep, Older Chauffeur is correct. Looks like a $500 SE tax bill based on those numbers. So you destroyed your car for $2634. With a mileage log you'll destroy your car for $0 but you'll be better off!


Oops! I see what I did there- I used his total income of $11,134 instead of net profit from ridesharing $3134 to figure the SE tax. Color me embarrassed. Good thing I used TurboTax to do my own returns, and ended my post with my usual disclosure.


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## BurgerTiime

Came here to troll and watch the river flowing. The look on your face when you realize this crap smells like poop. There no money in this. Not when it fell below $2.00 a mile. It's a joke!


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## Leo.

Fishchris said:


> while (at least in CA) you can write off all of your miles from when you walk out of your house, until you Wal back in.


Are you certain about this? I thought this was a federal ruling.

I never really actually acknowledged that I had to keep a mileage track. I'm also in California, made 30k and Uber milage quote gave me about 14.5k miles.... which really isn't that much. I was thinking about multiplying that milage (14.5k) by 1.6 ... Does that sound reasonable? I've put about 36k miles on my car and most of my driving is for Uber, I don't really do much other than going to the grocery store which is about 3 miles from where I live.

1.6x doesn't sound unreasonable, I know I've driven for Uber more than that but I don't have a track to prove it. Please help!


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## UberTaxPro

Leo. said:


> Are you certain about this? I thought this was a federal ruling.
> 
> I never really actually acknowledged that I had to keep a mileage track. I'm also in California, made 30k and Uber milage quote gave me about 14.5k miles.... which really isn't that much. I was thinking about multiplying that milage (14.5k) by 1.6 ... Does that sound reasonable? I've put about 36k miles on my car and most of my driving is for Uber, I don't really do much other than going to the grocery store which is about 3 miles from where I live.
> 
> 1.6x doesn't sound unreasonable, I know I've driven for Uber more than that but I don't have a track to prove it. Please help!


Sorry but there's only one way to mileage heaven. Now you just have to acknowledge it because whether you acknowledge it or not, it is what it is. Start putting your energy into recreating a mileage log immediately! It's your only reasonable solution.


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## beezlewaxin

This post is relevant: https://uberpeople.net/threads/state-investigated-my-taxes-for-2016.244575/

It would be helpful to know what the average ratio is of actual logged miles to uber's tracked miles.

It could even help prevent an audit if you realize your ratio is far outside the norm when compared to other drivers.

What is everyone's ratio of uber's tracked miles versus a driver's logged miles? Is anyone willing to do the math and share?

--------

Here's an example:
Miles as logged by driver​Ratio = ----------------------------------------------- = ????
Miles as tracked by Uber​
For example my *logged miles are 87,364*. Uber shows me that I was *online for 34,012 miles.*

My ratio would be:

87364 ÷ 34012 = *2.56862*

My ratio is probably higher than most, but that's just a guess. Maybe it's normal. I really have no idea.

Please include your market.

Thanks!


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## GreatGooglyMoogly

Working4peanuts said:


> No uber driver should owe ANY tax on their rideshare income unless you made well over $40000 driving for uber or drove a lux.
> 
> The mileage alone would offset at minimum 80% of your income.


This. I use Everlance and it auto-records every ride, personal and rideshare. My expenses, at the standard IRS deduction, are almost exactly what I make every day...probably with 5%, plus or minus.


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## Leo.

UberTaxPro said:


> Sorry but there's only one way to mileage heaven. Now you just have to acknowledge it because whether you acknowledge it or not, it is what it is. Start putting your energy into recreating a mileage log immediately! It's your only reasonable solution.


I appreciate your answer. I acknowledge it now but it certainly is quite late to do an accurate, and suppose honest log. However my question is still out there, does multiplying my mileage given to me by Uber (Passenger picked up, dropped off) by 1.6 sound a reasonable amount? I honestly feel like it might be more but I don't want to push it.


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## GreatGooglyMoogly

Honestly, depending on your area, it’s probably more like 2x. But 1.6 seems reasonable. Be prepared for the IRS to disallow it though if you get audited (very unlikely) because they don’t like estimated expenses.


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## UberTaxPro

Leo. said:


> I appreciate your answer. I acknowledge it now but it certainly is quite late to do an accurate, and suppose honest log. However my question is still out there, does multiplying my mileage given to me by Uber (Passenger picked up, dropped off) by 1.6 sound a reasonable amount? I honestly feel like it might be more but I don't want to push it.


https://uberpeople.net/threads/mile...aps-timeline-as-a-backup.244108/#post-3845534


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## toyotarola

UberTaxPro said:


> https://uberpeople.net/threads/mile...aps-timeline-as-a-backup.244108/#post-3845534


He can also use maintenance or tire replacement to give mileage "checkpoints" when recreating a log, as they usually mark down the odometer reading when serviced. Mileage is big money saved on taxes, I think it's worth some time with a spreadsheet and old uber paystubs to fill in the approximate miles.


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## Butterdog

Working4peanuts said:


> I keep a log. And i log every ride and every mile. Totally worth doing.
> 
> Yes you can claim every dead mile but you better have some type of log to back it up.


How do you have time to log every ride and every mile? Can't you just log your starting and ending miles for the day?


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## Older Chauffeur

Butterdog said:


> How do you have time to log every ride and every mile? Can't you just log your starting and ending miles for the day?


Yes, you don't need to show individual trips as long as all the miles are for rideshare between those odometer readings.

Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


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## Sariandan

As I’m reading this thread, I realize that stride tax does not get any odometer readings, it only records mileage. Would that be a problem when I file taxes? I only activate the app for use while driving rideshare.


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## Older Chauffeur

Sariandan said:


> As I'm reading this thread, I realize that stride tax does not get any odometer readings, it only records mileage. Would that be a problem when I file taxes? I only activate the app for use while driving rideshare.


I haven't heard or read about any IRS decisions about accepting any of the mileage tracking apps or programs. Yet at least one of them advertises how their customers save on taxes using the product. The IRS does specify a contemporaneous written mileage log but says in Pub 463 under record keeping that you can use a computer and spreadsheets. 
Table 5-2. Daily Business Mileage and Expense Log Name:

Date

Destination

(City, Town, or Area)

Business Purpose

Odometer Readings
Start Stop this trip

Miles

Expenses

Type
(Gas, oil, tolls, etc.) Amount

Weekly Total

Total Year-to-Date


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## Fritz Duval

Empoy53 said:


> I'm using TurboTax.


Exactly!



Dixon said:


> I made $68000. Uber show I only have 42,xxxx miles. Can I claim more dead mileage?


Get a mileage app to record all miles in the background.5 bucks a month which can be written off as an exspence


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