# Tracking apps



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

I’ve resigned myself to get screwed on taxes for this part-year - I can’t figure out how to properly track miles, whether certain trips (from drop-off back to hotspot) should be included, whether I should track each trip separately, etc. But that’ll eventually come to me. I’ve already made a few mistakes, so we’ll see.

What I _would_ like is a tracking app which would allow me to export into an Excel spreadsheet. At this point I’m ok with paying (a reasonable amount), as this will greatly help me and my Virgo mentality figure everything out in terms I relate to and understand. (Don’t judge; we’re notorious for being incredibly anal-retentive and it just cannot be changed; I’ve tried.)

Does anyone know of such an app?

I tried all the usual suspects (Stride, etc.) and a few others, and my current fave is DriversNote. Something about Stride is just not clicking - I can’t put my finger on it. It’s a solid app, just not for me.

I guess I can go through nightly Excel manual entry, but would be much more comfortable just reformatting an already exported sheet.

If I missed that option on Stride - logically, it should be there - could you point me in the right direction?

Any thoughts, as always, are very much appreciated!


----------



## Ted Fink (Mar 19, 2018)

I don't use any apps, so I can't speak to that, but I talked to a tax professional about what miles are deductible when I started driving Uber.

Any miles you drive for business purposes are deductible. So for me, from the time I leave my house until the time I return to my house, I count. I don't conduct any other business or do anything personal when I'm working.

Now: Many people have differing opinions on this - so talk to your tax professional and be comfortable with what you decide to do.

I don't use an app because I simply take a picture of my odometer when I leave and when I return and those are my miles. I enter them into a spreadsheet. Easy peasy.

EDIT: NOTE: I have been audited and my strategy did hold true, examiner agreed that the miles were deductible. For what it's worth.

Cue the disagreements in 3...2...1...


----------



## MontcoUberDriver (Aug 14, 2018)

Gridwise can export to and excel spreadsheet. If the app is on track your miles. Why pay more tax than necessary?


----------



## Ted Fink (Mar 19, 2018)

MontcoUberDriver said:


> Gridwise can export to and excel spreadsheet. If the app is on track your miles. Why pay more tax than necessary?


I second that. If the app is on, you are either a) transporting a passenger, b) on the way to pick up a passenger, or c) waiting for a request or driving to a busy area to get more requests. All of the above are specifically business usage of your vehicle, for the express purpose of making money. Again, I've had this conversation with an IRS examiner and he agreed. No question.

NOW: If you do something personal or run errands or any other non-business purpose during your shift, you should exclude those miles.


----------



## MontcoUberDriver (Aug 14, 2018)

Ted Fink said:


> I second that. If the app is on, you are either a) transporting a passenger, b) on the way to pick up a passenger, or c) waiting for a request or driving to a busy area to get more requests. All of the above are specifically business usage of your vehicle, for the express purpose of making money. Again, I've had this conversation with an IRS examiner and he agreed. No question.
> 
> NOW: If you do something personal or run errands or any other non-business purpose during your shift, you should exclude those miles.


Pre-pandemic when I was still traveling to my office I would use the destination filter going to and from my job so I could write off the miles. If I got a ride so much the better.


----------



## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

I was using a tracking app to track my miles but it randomly stopped working and was off by thousands of miles. So I used the number Uber gave me. If IRS has a problem with that I'll pay whatever fine I need to pay.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

I’m just paranoid. It’s not normal, I know.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Trafficat said:


> I was using a tracking app to track my miles but it randomly stopped working and was off by thousands of miles. So I used the number Uber gave me. If IRS has a problem with that I'll pay whatever fine I need to pay.


The IRS will love that - Uber doesn’t even show correct mileage for destinations, so you’re losing money.

Having said that, I’m likely to use Uber mileage myself for 2021, and use the remainder to find an app/system I’m comfortable with for 2022.

I did quite a bit of DD though, and they don’t show miles in the report I think.


----------



## Ted Fink (Mar 19, 2018)

Trafficat said:


> I was using a tracking app to track my miles but it randomly stopped working and was off by thousands of miles. So I used the number Uber gave me. If IRS has a problem with that I'll pay whatever fine I need to pay.


My fear of this is the reason I do it old school. I just take pics of odometer and enter starting and ending miles in a spreadsheet.


----------



## Prius Mike (Jul 6, 2017)

I use Triplog, along with a USB dongle in my car that my phone sees and starts logging. I can change a trip type from business to personal later if I need to. 

Also, I do have business miles that are not on app. Repositioning from a low-profit area to a higher-profit area, or going to get gas or a car wash, for example. Just because the rideshare app is off doesn't mean that I'm not engaged in my business of rideshare driving. Capturing those in Triplog means that I can always choose the appropriate category for that trip.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

My question is this: when reporting miles, do you detail the trips you made in that distance?


----------



## Ted Fink (Mar 19, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> My question is this: when reporting miles, do you detail the trips you made in that distance?


Hell no. Some people do, but completely unnecessary.


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> My question is this: when reporting miles, do you detail the trips you made in that distance?


I detail the trips, for multiple reasons, however until I see an official report from the IRS saying you don't have to I will keep it. I'm not in a bust market so it is pretty easy.

As far as miles go, I claim them all from the time I turn the app on to the time I turn the app off at the end of the day when I get home. If I turn to app off in the middle of driving because I don't want trips in that area I claim them as well. Technically I am still working just positioning myself for higher earnings.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

FLKeys said:


> I detail the trips, for multiple reasons, however until I see an official report from the IRS saying you don't have to I will keep it. I'm not in a bust market so it is pretty easy.
> 
> As far as miles go, I claim them all from the time I turn the app on to the time I turn the app off at the end of the day when I get home. If I turn to app off in the middle of driving because I don't want trips in that area I claim them as well. Technically I am still working just positioning myself for higher earnings.


I would like to detail them too, but sometimes they just come at me too fast (not with UE, easy to record those at one ping per hour 😂)

So how do you record each individual trip? Ping to dropoff? Ping to dropoff to hotspot? Previous dropoff to new dropoff?

I realize these questions sound incredibly silly to experienced drivers, butI’ve only been dashing since mid-July and am very detail-oriented. I apologize, just can’t help it.


----------



## TCar (Aug 4, 2019)

Stride Tax app. Turn it on when you log in, off when you get home. Works pretty well.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> I would like to detail them too, but sometimes they just come at me too fast (not with UE, easy to record those at one ping per hour 😂)
> 
> So how do you record each individual trip? Ping to dropoff? Ping to dropoff to hotspot? Previous dropoff to new dropoff?
> 
> I realize these questions sound incredibly silly to experienced drivers, butI’ve only been dashing since mid-July and am very detail-oriented. I apologize, just can’t help it.


There will never er be a definitive agreement on this forum. I detail every trip really easy, it may be considered unnecessary by some but who cares, it's easy to do and under the worst case scenario you are covered.

I highly recommend TripLog as someone already mentioned. It is very easy to use and stores all your data so you can log on to your website and output to excel very easy. It also allows you to create any report you want to create using all the data it collects. It is about $60 per year and don't forget that $60 is a deductible business expense.

Some say the proper way is breaking down each trip and some say daily driveway to driveway is good enough. I don't care what anyone says. Several years ago I was audited and as part of the audit I was asked to submit my mileage log. I printed out my TripLog mileage log and submitted it. It was "accepted as submitted" with no further questions. Might they accept something else? Maybe but who knows for sure. I know mine was!

My TripLog mileage log was 345 pages for 2020. I could never do that by hand in a very busy market. TripLog makes it easy.



Trafficat said:


> So I used the number Uber gave me. If IRS has a problem with that I'll pay whatever fine I need to pay.


That's not the point. I have posted case law before from a case in California that accepted a drivers Uber information as valid so you could argue precedent in that case. If you ever need it DM me and I'll send you a copy of that case. I've already sent it to 2 people who were being audited for 2018.

The point is, Uber does not capture all your tax deductible mileage so you are shortchanging your deductions. Plus, your mileage deduction is your biggest deduction, you want to leave that up to Uber?


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

TCar said:


> Stride Tax app. Turn it on when you log in, off when you get home. Works pretty well.


Yes, I mentioned Stride. It’s not working for me. It’s a great app, just not for me.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Seamus said:


> There will never er be a definitive agreement on this forum. I detail every trip really easy, it may be considered unnecessary by some but who cares, it's easy to do and under the worst case scenario you are covered.
> 
> I highly recommend TripLog as someone already mentioned. It is very easy to use and stores all your data so you can log on to your website and output to excel very easy. It also allows you to create any report you want to create using all the data it collects. It is about $60 per year and don't forget that $60 is a deductible business expense.
> 
> ...


So do you log trips back from delivery to hotspot as a separate trip? Or part of a delivery trip? If so - do you tack it onto the completed delivery or it’s zero point for the next one?


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> So do you log trips back from delivery to hotspot as a separate trip? Or part of a delivery trip? If so - do you tack it onto the completed delivery or it’s zero point for the next one?


I track driveway to driveway but note any stop along the way. It captures address and odometer reading of each stop. They are all deductible.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Seamus said:


> I track driveway to driveway but note any stop along the way. It captures address and odometer reading of each stop. They are all deductible.


Got it. Thanks! 

I’m a bit more thorough than the regular person (past profession), and I was really anxious where to put the inbetween driving.


----------



## TCar (Aug 4, 2019)

I now live in a small town. Each day I turn my app on, and my mileage tracker. I then drive 20 miles into bigger town, where i immediately get offers for deliveries. I take said deliveries, then drive back to my small town. 

I then turn off my Eats app and my mileage tracker. 

Seems logical to me (not sure about IRS standards though)


----------



## TCar (Aug 4, 2019)

TCar said:


> I now live in a small town. Each day I turn my app on, and my mileage tracker. I then drive 20 miles into bigger town, where i immediately get offers for deliveries. I take said deliveries, then drive back to my small town.
> 
> I then turn off my Eats app and my mileage tracker.
> 
> Seems logical to me (not sure about IRS standards though)


Also note i would love to have offers in small town, but they aint happening yet


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> Got it. Thanks!
> 
> I’m a bit more thorough than the regular person (past profession), and I was really anxious where to put the inbetween driving.


Think of in between driving as looking for work, it is still deductible.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

TCar said:


> I now live in a small town. Each day I turn my app on, and my mileage tracker. I then drive 20 miles into bigger town, where i immediately get offers for deliveries. I take said deliveries, then drive back to my small town.
> 
> I then turn off my Eats app and my mileage tracker.
> 
> Seems logical to me (not sure about IRS standards though)


I would (for myself) count that as commute mileage, and that’s not deductible. This is how I interpret that. I may be wrong, but my daily drive to the next town I consider a commute (it’s only 2 miles; the moment I hit a reasonable distance to my usual haunts I flip on UE and my business miles start).Again, I’m not an authority.


----------



## Ted Fink (Mar 19, 2018)

If you have your app on you are working from the moment you put it in Drive


----------



## TCar (Aug 4, 2019)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> I would (for myself) count that as commute mileage, and that’s not deductible. This is how I interpret that. I may be wrong, but my daily drive to the next town I consider a commute (it’s only 2 miles; the moment I hit a reasonable distance to my usual haunts I flip on UE and my business miles start).Again, I’m not an authority.


Yep, but definitively I have my app turned on and am available for operation at any time after turning it on. I do not receive rides yet, but that will change as town explodes² in near future. But for now, I am working and will deduct mileage.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> I would (for myself) count that as commute mileage, and that’s not deductible. This is how I interpret that. I may be wrong, but my daily drive to the next town I consider a commute (it’s only 2 miles; the moment I hit a reasonable distance to my usual haunts I flip on UE and my business miles start).Again, I’m not an authority.


Incorrect. As long as your app is on and you’re open to taking offers you’re not commuting to work you’re at work as soon as you leave the driveway.


----------



## Paladin220 (Jun 2, 2017)

If your app is on, you are working and those miles are deductible. Doesn't matter if you are on a delivery or not.


----------



## Nythain (Jul 15, 2021)

I dont log miles getting to a break spot. Turn the app off after a drop off, turn logging app off too. Drive to c-store, get a smoke, bite to eat, and bio. The second the app goes back online the miles get tracked again. Figure worst case scenario, i pay a few extra in taxes but if i get audited it should help solidify the validity of the presented miles.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Nythain said:


> I dont log miles getting to a break spot. Turn the app off after a drop off, turn logging app off too. Drive to c-store, get a smoke, bite to eat, and bio. The second the app goes back online the miles get tracked again. Figure worst case scenario, i pay a few extra in taxes but if i get audited it should help solidify the validity of the presented miles.


It’s not going to make a difference in an audit, at least not when I was audited. They aren’t going to go thru thousands of stops to determine the validity of each one. They are just going to look to ensure you have a mileage log and follow their acceptable documentation criteria. Everyone has to do it the way they feel comfortable but my advice is to keep the mileage tracker on driveway to driveway and don’t shortchange yourself.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Seamus said:


> It’s not going to make a difference in an audit, at least not when I was audited. They aren’t going to go thru thousands of stops to determine the validity of each one. They are just going to look to ensure you have a mileage log and follow their acceptable documentation criteria. Everyone has to do it the way they feel comfortable but my advice is to keep the mileage tracker on driveway to driveway and don’t shortchange yourself.


I’m curious - was it by mail or in person?

I’m an introvert. (Yeah, I know, I don’t seem like one, but human contact is torture for me.)


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> I’m curious - was it by mail or in person?
> 
> I’m an introvert. (Yeah, I know, I don’t seem like one, but human contact is torture for me.)


They are mainly done by mail. Over the last few years several UP members on the forum have been requested to send in their mileage log. All on the forum that I'm aware of were done by mail.

My audit was not generated because of gig work. However, while they are looking they can request whatever info they want so my mileage log submission was just a by product of that. I have a more complicated tax filing than most. I have my main w2 profession, plus the gig work, plus rental properties, plus real estate transactions, plus a couple other residual income streams, plus other investments, and a few things that result in Capital Gains. I have a lot going on for tax purposes, and gig work is the least of my issues. By the nature of my "other things", my Gross Income can swing substantially year to year which seems to attract attention! I have been "Lucky" enough to have been audited 4 times since the 90's! I survived 3 of them just fine. One didn't go so well!

There is a tax sub forum on UP that gets a lot of activity from January to April. Although you can get some very good information on the tax sub forum, you get a lot of misinformation by people that either give very bad advice or have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Consequently, it's very hard to distinguish the good information from the bad information.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Seamus said:


> They are mainly done by mail. Over the last few years several UP members on the forum have been requested to send in their mileage log. All on the forum that I'm aware of were done by mail.
> 
> My audit was not generated because of gig work. However, while they are looking they can request whatever info they want so my mileage log submission was just a by product of that. I have a more complicated tax filing than most. I have my main w2 profession, plus the gig work, plus rental properties, plus real estate transactions, plus a couple other residual income streams, plus other investments, and a few things that result in Capital Gains. I have a lot going on for tax purposes, and gig work is the least of my issues. By the nature of my "other things", my Gross Income can swing substantially year to year which seems to attract attention! I have been "Lucky" enough to have been audited 4 times since the 90's! I survived 3 of them just fine. One didn't go so well!
> 
> There is a tax sub forum on UP that gets a lot of activity from January to April. Although you can get some very good information on the tax sub forum, you get a lot of misinformation by people that either give very bad advice or have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Consequently, it's very hard to distinguish the good information from the bad information.


Oh, I have a tax guy. I just want to give him the right info.

2 questions?
1. Are you married? 😂
2. Do you have a dog? 😜


----------



## tothebeach2024 (Sep 25, 2019)

Old school. Record date, mileage at start, start trip odometer and record after.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

tothebeach2024 said:


> Old school. Record date, mileage at start, start trip odometer and record after.
> View attachment 614835


I’ve actually been tempted to do it that way. Not because I’m not tech savvy, but because the phone doesn’t have enough options for me and my crappy old eyes.
What I’m playing around with now is doing all the recordkeeping on another phone I carry.

I know I’m overcomplicating.But I already said why. It’s a curse.


----------



## 142605 (Mar 4, 2018)

Ted Fink said:


> Any miles you drive for business purposes are deductible. So for me, from the time I leave my house until the time I return to my house, I count. I don't conduct any other business or do anything personal when I'm working.


While not impossible, I can tell you that this would difficult to justify in an audit. Did you have lunch? Did you pick up dry cleaning or buy groceries?


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Authority said:


> While not impossible, I can tell you that this would difficult to justify in an audit. Did you have lunch? Did you pick up dry cleaning or buy groceries?


Why is it difficult to justify though. I habitually hang near a spot where I have lunch - it’s a hotspot. When I’m ready to eat, I turn off my apps, don’t move the car, walk out, get my mango-banana sugary smoothie (I’m a grown-up; no one tells me what I can or cannot have for lunch!), sit my fat ass back in the car and turn my apps back on.

I do errands on Tue or Wed, because those days are so slow they only upset me.


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

@Ms. Mercenary Check the conversation section, I sent you a message.


----------



## Diamondraider (Mar 13, 2017)

tothebeach2024 said:


> Old school. Record date, mileage at start, start trip odometer and record after.
> View attachment 614835


granddad used to talk about these. And these stick things that kept getting dull.


----------



## Diamondraider (Mar 13, 2017)

Authority said:


> While not impossible, I can tell you that this would difficult to justify in an audit. Did you have lunch? Did you pick up dry cleaning or buy groceries?


I claim 100% of miles. Family car for errands, not the rideshare car. Emergencies happen, but the reverse is true when I buy car parts use the family car. 

Part-timers who commute have a slightly more complicated record keeping task, but maximizing miles while staying “legal” is not hard. Discipline and consistency are the key.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> Oh, I have a tax guy. I just want to give him the right info.
> 
> 2 questions?
> 1. Are you married? 😂
> 2. Do you have a dog? 😜


More important than having a Tax Guy is having a Tax Guy with experience preparing Rideshare tax returns. Many Tax Guys aren't familiar with it.

To further complicate things, Uber and Lyft do simple things different from the normal course. Uber and Lyft consider themselves nothing more than. "payment processors" for tax purposes and therefore operate under the 1099*K *rules, while GH, DD, PM, Instacart, etc.etc. operate under the 1099*NEC (misc) *rules.

To even further complicate things many states are fed up with Uber and Lyft 1099*K *scam, and have lowered the 1099*K *filing thresholds for their state. New Jersey is one of them by the way. This means you could file your State Taxes differently from your Federal tax filing.

Don't sweat it though, their are plenty of people that have a lot of experience and can help you when the time comes.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Seamus said:


> More important than having a Tax Guy is having a Tax Guy with experience preparing Rideshare tax returns. Many Tax Guys aren't familiar with it.
> 
> To further complicate things, Uber and Lyft do simple things different from the normal course. Uber and Lyft consider themselves nothing more than. "payment processors" for tax purposes and therefore operate under the 1099*K *rules, while GH, DD, PM, Instacart, etc.etc. operate under the 1099*NEC (misc) *rules.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Gentlemen. I’m so glad I found you! This is all incredibly helpful. I wasn’t aware I need to file differently for UE and DD. 

Some major regrouping needs to happen.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Ms. Mercenary said:


> Thanks, Gentlemen. I’m so glad I found you! This is all incredibly helpful. I wasn’t aware I need to file differently for UE and DD.
> 
> Some major regrouping needs to happen.


You won’t have to file differently, it can all go on the same schedule C. The difference between UE and DD is different forms of 1099 and how the information is presented.


----------



## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

Seamus said:


> You won’t have to file differently, it can all go on the same schedule C. The difference between UE and DD is different forms of 1099 and how the information is presented.


Oh, I get that. Just worded poorly.


----------



## Ted Fink (Mar 19, 2018)

Authority said:


> While not impossible, I can tell you that this would difficult to justify in an audit. Did you have lunch? Did you pick up dry cleaning or buy groceries?


I've been audited. And the examiner agreed with me. I make notations of mileage if I do anything personal and it gets deducted. I have meticulous records. As I stated before, I'm not going to argue with people who don't want to take deductions that are entitled to. You want to pay more money than you have to to the IRS? Go ahead. They will cash your check. I'm good with what I'm doing and I'm not in the mood to debate it with anyone. If you have questions on this topic, talk to your tax professional.


----------

