# Uber Report Miles Inaccurate



## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

I just checked my monthly statements through March. They are reading far fewer miles driven on the app than is actually the case. I'm driving 1,300 miles a week and the monthly reports of "online miles" reads a third of that and is much less than my Stride report which I know to be accurate.

Has this happened to others? I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I just checked my monthly statements through March. They are reading far fewer miles driven on the app than is actually the case. I'm driving 1,300 miles a week and the monthly reports of "online miles" reads a third of that and is much less than my Stride report which I know to be accurate.
> 
> Has this happened to others? I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


In my experience their mileage reports have always been terrible every year. Way off. Anyone who relies on them for their mileage deductions is shortchanging themselves. Drivers should be tracking their own mileage and ignoring Uber’s for their most accurate and maximized deduction.


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## Frontier Guy (Dec 27, 2015)

My total miles for 2021 were 10% higher than combined Uber/Lyft reported


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

I went from uber 8 years ago to a free H+R BLOCK 30 year tax person . most know dick.i have 100% work van. plus 2 other cars. my miles and work start from my home 90% of the time..not 20 miles from my house. if you are just a driver. turbotax will work. but if w2-1099k-w2g-own 2 homes me. 1 in fla..muli--1099 misc- investment income. rollovers. pay a local tax person


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

Frontier Guy said:


> My total miles for 2021 were 10% higher than combined Uber/Lyft reported


shit mine were 50 higher alot..say you an area and a harry potter convention is 60 miles away and its 2 days and you stay over $100 a nite. you deduct those miles as its work only and the room and meals..i am no exbert on meals...
but at 70 cents a mile most wont go anywhere to work.we used to be able


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


It doesn’t matter…Uber mileage reports are basically useless for IRS reporting. If you’re taking vehicle deductions, you want to be recording your own logs in a manner that satisfies the IRS.


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## SpinalCabbage (Feb 5, 2020)

I write down my starting mileage when I leave my house and write down my finishing mileage when I return home. Those miles are all deductible and I deduct them all.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. I keep track and in the past my Uber report was pretty accurate. This year the figures are literally 1/3 of the actual figure. I do use Stride for my tracking and stop and start each ride to provide a breakout.

The reason I ask is they provide a summery page at the end of the year showing our gross/expenses/ the final net, on that page is the miles the app logged. Do you guys not submit that first page with your return as I've always done?


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## DriveLV (Aug 21, 2019)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> Thanks for the replies. I keep track and in the past my Uber report was pretty accurate. This year the figures are literally 1/3 of the actual figure. I do use Stride for my tracking and stop and start each ride to provide a breakout.
> 
> The reason I ask is they provide a summery page at the end of the year showing our gross/expenses and the final net, on that page is the miles the app logged. Do you guys not submit that first page with your return?


You actually turn Stride on and off for each ride?

i turn it on before leaving home and turn it off when I get home. No ride by ride breakdown. No separation of miles between rides. Just start and end inclusive of all miles during the day. Running errands between rides = tax deduction.

Hell, if I forget to turn on the app one day (completely or delayed) then I’ll turn it on for a different day when I’m doing personal stuff just to get roughly the equivalent miles into my log.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

DriveLV said:


> You actually turn Stride on and off for each ride?
> 
> i turn it on before leaving home and turn it off when I get home. No ride by ride breakdown. No separation of miles between rides. Just start and end inclusive of all miles during the day. Running errands between rides = tax deduction.
> 
> Hell, if I forget to turn on the app one day (completely or delayed) then I’ll turn it on for a different day when I’m doing personal stuff just to get roughly the equivalent miles into my log.


Yeah my tax person said she had 2 ride share drivers whose entire business mile deduction was thrown out because they didn't break out each ride. So I just do it in case my auditor is a prick too, some don't require it I'm told here. 

But I'm still stuck on this, the Uber end of year report will be 1/3 of the actual miles I am entitled to and this is a big problem Do you submit that year end first page with your return that shows the miles on the app?


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## scatman (May 3, 2017)

U/L only tracks your mileage while you're online.
They can't track the miles you drive offline.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

scatman said:


> U/L only tracks your mileage while you're online.
> They can't track the miles you drive offline.


I know, which is why I am careful to only record miles on the Stride app when the Uber app is running, which is why this makes zero sense. And I don't expect any help from Uber on this.


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## KMANDERSON (Jul 19, 2015)

Seamus said:


> In my experience their mileage reports have always been terrible every year. Way off. Anyone who relies on them for their mileage deductions is shortchanging themselves. Drivers should be tracking their own mileage and ignoring Uber’s for their most accurate and maximized deduction.


The only bad thing is they put it on your 1099 at the end of the year.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

KMANDERSON said:


> The only bad thing is they put it on your 1099 at the end of the year.


I just checked both the 1099 and 1099-C and that does not appear to be the case, it only lists the gross by month. The end of the year tax summary page 1 is the only spot they list the miles, and I can just submit page 2 which has the same info with regard to expenses that is deducted from the gross.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

The need for a mileage log with each stop has been long debated on UP. The “best” scenario is a mileage log started and stopped at each location _with odometer readings!_ I say best because that meets the highest standard of IRS acceptance. That doesn’t mean an audit _may_ accept something less. For years I have used TripLog which easily and painlessly gives you that for about $60 per year (which is a deductible business expense).

I am probably one of the few who actually had an audit (by mail) request my mileage log be submitted. I printed out my TripLog mileage report (165 pages front and back) that broke down each stop with odometer readings. My mileage log was “accepted as submitted”. Therefore, I couldn’t care less what anyone has to say because I know what works for sure. Again, that doesn’t mean they may accept something less than that but I know I’m covered.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> Do you submit that year end first page with your return that shows the miles on the app?


No, that’s totally irrelevant to anything. The IRS uses “matching” software and is only interested(without audit) in your schedule C line 1 revenue “matching” the 1099’s submitted to them.(it’s ok if your revenue is higher, but lower is a big problem). The mileage deduction is totally disconnected and only in an audit is documentation requested.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

Seamus said:


> No, that’s totally irrelevant to anything. The IRS uses “matching” software and is only interested(without audit) in your schedule C line 1 revenue “matching” the 1099’s submitted to them.(it’s ok if your revenue is higher, but lower is a big problem). The mileage deduction is totally disconnected and only in an audit is documentation requested.


I certainly hope you are right. Seems to me if I submit a document such as the first page of the Uber summary that has 24,000 "online miles" and I deduct 53,000 miles that would flag the return. If I am audited I have the documentation, and yes the breakdown will help here. But will the IRS really accept "the Uber app was off by over 50%" in an audit?


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I certainly hope you are right. Seems to me if I submit a document such as the first page of the Uber summary that has 24,000 "online miles" and I deduct 53,000 miles that would flag the return. If I am audited I have the documentation, and yes the breakdown will help here. But will the IRS really accept "the Uber app was off by over 50%" in an audit?


My advice would be never to submit more than is required and there is no requirement to send in Uber’s Tax summary.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

Seamus said:


> My advice would be never to submit more than is required and there is no requirement to send in Uber’s Tax summary.


Well I have to submit the page with the expenses or they will use the gross from my 1099 so I'll just use page 2. I hate this shit, I sleep well at night because I know my tax return is rock solid, now it will have a hole that may need to be explained later. 

I just can't understand why this is happening and apparently I'm the only one. I mean the Uber miles are not even close to reality, way way lower.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> Well I have to submit the page with the expenses or they will use the gross from my 1099


No you don’t have to. They won’t use your gross as taxable income, they will use the bottom of your Schedule C and ultimately your 1040. Just save the summary in case you ever get audited and have to submit documentation for your “commission and fees’ line of your expense.

They accept your Schedule C as you submit it. You’re not asked to submit documentation unless you’re audited and they specifically ask for it.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

Seamus said:


> No you don’t have to. They won’t use your gross as taxable income, they will use the bottom of your Schedule C and ultimately your 1040. Just save the summary in case you ever get audited and have to submit documentation for your “commission and fees’ line of your expense.
> 
> They accept your Schedule C as you submit it. You’re not asked to submit documentation unless you’re audited and they specifically ask for it.


Thanks so much for the help, I have a tax person, I just won't send her the page with the miles documented on the Uber statement

I doubt it will help but I needed to do this anyway, I'm going to try a new phone to see if it fixes the problem. This is just so ****ed up.


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## Frontier Guy (Dec 27, 2015)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> Thanks so much for the help, I have a tax person, I just won't send her the page with the miles documented on the Uber statement
> 
> I doubt it will help but I needed to do this anyway, I'm going to try a new phone to see if it fixes the problem. This is just so ****ed up.


Actually, I would send her the page with the Uber reported miles, as well as whatever mileage log you have. But, in the even of an audit, you better have both available.


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## Frontier Guy (Dec 27, 2015)

SpinalCabbage said:


> I write down my starting mileage when I leave my house and write down my finishing mileage when I return home. Those miles are all deductible and I deduct them all.


this is how I record mine as well, and typically I come up 10% higher than U/L combined, but since I'm always taking the actual expenses, it's a non-issue


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## auto2020 (Dec 29, 2020)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I just checked my monthly statements through March. They are reading far fewer miles driven on the app than is actually the case. I'm driving 1,300 miles a week and the monthly reports of "online miles" reads a third of that and is much less than my Stride report which I know to be accurate.
> 
> Has this happened to others? I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


@*Darrell Green Fan*

did you get your 2022-03 March monthly summary yet ? 

same problem happened on mine too , since 2021-12 , monthly summary mileage number were even much LOWer than In-Trip .

those error were already effected on my 2021 yearly summary !!!

more details shared on my own post : 
( - uber Mileage Error - Reduce driver tax Deduction !!! - )

Questioned uber for last past 3 months now , uber are still Fooling around !!!


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## nyrmanny (Jul 28, 2016)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I just checked my monthly statements through March. They are reading far fewer miles driven on the app than is actually the case. I'm driving 1,300 miles a week and the monthly reports of "online miles" reads a third of that and is much less than my Stride report which I know to be accurate.
> 
> Has this happened to others? I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


What I do is use my Google maps history, download the data and convert to excel , easy and accurate if you have it turned on.


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## paraleaglenm (10 mo ago)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I just checked my monthly statements through March. They are reading far fewer miles driven on the app than is actually the case. I'm driving 1,300 miles a week and the monthly reports of "online miles" reads a third of that and is much less than my Stride report which I know to be accurate.
> 
> Has this happened to others? I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


Uber only reports miles 'with a passenger.' You average about 63 cents a mile, but only when 'loaded.' 
To use the Federal mileage tax exemption you have to keep daily records of miles used when Uber app is on, and miles when it is off. Your tax form will ask how many miles used for business and then for personal use. Without records, you are screwed. 
You should be averaging about one mile loaded for every two miles total, so your 1 mile paid in 3 is pretty harsh . . . you are really driving a long way to pick up, and then returning to home base. I was fired from Lyft because I refused to travel more than 15 miles for a pickup just because they didn't have enough drivers to cover the large city. Too often my gas cost more than what I was paid!


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## 80sDude (Jul 20, 2015)

Those UL logs are about 40/50 % lower than your actual mileage


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

paraleaglenm said:


> Uber only reports miles 'with a passenger.' You average about 63 cents a mile, but only when 'loaded.'
> To use the Federal mileage tax exemption you have to keep daily records of miles used when Uber app is on, and miles when it is off. Your tax form will ask how many miles used for business and then for personal use. Without records, you are screwed.
> You should be averaging about one mile loaded for every two miles total, so your 1 mile paid in 3 is pretty harsh . . . you are really driving a long way to pick up, and then returning to home base. I was fired from Lyft because I refused to travel more than 15 miles for a pickup just because they didn't have enough drivers to cover the large city. Too often my gas cost more than what I was paid!


I'm not sure that's true about the miles the Uber app records, in the past it's been accurate at recording all the miles on the app. But it's apparently an issue with other drivers and Uber Support was no help at all, shocker.

My tax person confirmed I am not required to send the Uber miles report. I just need documentation to back up my deduction and I have that with the Stride app report.


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

SpinalCabbage said:


> I write down my starting mileage when I leave my house and write down my finishing mileage when I return home.





Darrell Green Fan said:


> I do use Stride for my tracking and stop and start each ride to provide a breakout.





DriveLV said:


> You actually turn Stride on and off for each ride?


Yes. IRS can request this type of detail. Your “start & finish from driveway” will be insufficient.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

Uber's Guber said:


> Yes. IRS can request this type of detail. Your “start & finish from driveway” will be insufficient.


This was debated here a few years ago. One poster said he was audited and the ride breakout was not requested, so naturally he tried to tell me I was full of crap. He failed to understand that just because his auditor didn't make the request does not mean they all don't. My tax person had 2 drivers denied their entire business mile deduction, which resulted in a huge tax bill. Since this is always a possibility why on Earth would we take that chance? Stopping and starting the app is easy and becomes a habit. 

I also do not start in my driveway as I was told some at the IRS consider the drive to the first pickup a commute. So I just start there to be safe. The peace of mind of knowing my return is audit proof is worth all of this.


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## SpinalCabbage (Feb 5, 2020)

Uber's Guber said:


> Yes. IRS can request this type of detail. Your “start & finish from driveway” will be insufficient.


Then I'll manufacturer what I need from the data that I record. Any error in driveway to driveway would be in format.


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## ObeyTheNumbers (7 mo ago)

Uber's Guber said:


> It doesn’t matter…Uber mileage reports are basically useless for IRS reporting. If you’re taking vehicle deductions, you want to be recording your own logs in a manner that satisfies the IRS.


Exactly, because say you decided to take a long trip and ran out of driving time or was too tired to do anymore, your miles returning home count as they were part of work and not a personal trip.

For all intensive purposes my app is usually always on unless I'm doing a rare personal trip and then I log those and later deduct, all the odometer miles gets photographed and reported. This way it catches all those other miles I wouldn't be taking unless it was for Uber.

Uber says in the fine print, not to be used for tax purposes. It assists so newbies don't get burned at tax less they were not logging their miles.

The purpose of the tax deduction is NOT to tax you again on what you already spent driving. So essentially the IRS figures we are spending .62 cents a mile, when my figures are more like .72 cents a mile for the entire business, taxes, insurance, phone, cleaning, pax stuff.


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## ObeyTheNumbers (7 mo ago)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> I just checked my monthly statements through March. They are reading far fewer miles driven on the app than is actually the case. I'm driving 1,300 miles a week and the monthly reports of "online miles" reads a third of that and is much less than my Stride report which I know to be accurate.
> 
> Has this happened to others? I believe my yearly report for 2021 is accurate, this is just for 2022 and I have no idea what to do.


All miles driven for Uber, even those while offline, out of driving time and coming home to tired to do anymore or scurting a bad neighborhood, is a tax write off.

What I do is only record the rare personal miles and deduct that from the annual odometer miles as I have the app on nearly constantly, so technically I'm in business and those miles are tax credits.

Ubers miles is only online and states in the fine print not to be used for tax purposes, but to assist a driver from being royally screwed over basically as some recording of miles is better than none.


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