# Destination Filter / Write Off



## LAPenguin (Jan 14, 2019)

Asking for a friend....
Could mileage be "cooked" by using the destination filter "knowing" you won't get a ride?
Example. Said friend drives part time on weekends but during the week he/she doesn't do U/L and lives 20 miles from home freeway entrance to freeway entrance. So if he/she put on the filter he/she would be doing 40 miles a day ($23.20 write off) Is this doable as long as this person is still working legit on weekends. Would anyone notice? Just wondering.


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## RDWRER (May 24, 2018)

All miles while the app is on can be written off, but only so long as your friend actually follows through and takes any requests that might _actually _come in. There's an actual chance that someone might need a pickup and drop off along that route even if it is unlikely. After all, why would they have even bothered to build the route if people didn't need it.


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## LAPenguin (Jan 14, 2019)

RDWRER said:


> All miles while the app is on can be written off, but only so long as your friend actually follows through and takes any requests that might _actually _come in. There's an actual chance that someone might need a pickup and drop off along that route even if it is unlikely. After all, why would they have even bothered to build the route if people didn't need it.


Sounds good. Said friend said in the 2 weeks he/she has done it they have had zero requests and its probably because their work is next to freeway entrance and home is 1 mile off of it so U/L typically don't yank drivers off freeways as there are plenty of Ants already near any potential rides. Guess my friend will have some nice write offs for next year.


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## Noles20 (Jan 12, 2019)

I would think this would be common on long commutes to work. Or anywhere for that matter.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

RDWRER said:


> All miles while the app is on can be written off, but only so long as your friend actually follows through and takes any requests that might _actually _come in.


That is incorrect. Miles that you must perform in your normal course of daily driving cannot be deducted just because the destination filter is on. Only the miles that stray you from your normal course, the miles with pax and the miles to return to your normal course are deductible during destination filter driving.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> That is incorrect. Miles that you must perform in your normal course of daily driving cannot be deducted just because the destination filter is on. Only the miles that stray you from your normal course, the miles with pax and the miles to return to your normal course are deductible during destination filter driving.


What is "your normal course of daily driving" with rideshare? If the app is on and you are looking for work the miles are deductible. 99% of the time when I do get home the app is still on for at least 30 minutes as I finish up my daily paperwork. If I get a ping I go. If not when I'm done the app goes off. Wht would those miles not be deductible.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

FLKeys said:


> What is "your normal course of daily driving" with rideshare? .


Your normal course of daily driving is the driving that you *MUST *perform to accomplish your everyday tasks. ie, driving to and from your job, driving to pick up/drop off your kids at school, driving to the grocery store, driving to doctor appts. etc. This driving must be performed everyday regardless if the rideshare app is on or not, and just because you turn the destination filter on does not mean that these miles are deductible.


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## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Your normal course of daily driving is the driving that you *MUST *perform to accomplish your everyday tasks. ie, driving to and from your job, driving to pick up/drop off your kids at school, driving to the grocery store, driving to doctor appts. etc. This driving must be performed everyday regardless if the rideshare app is on or not, and just because you turn the destination filter on does not mean that these miles are deductible.


Do you know if Uber includes miles with destination filter on in the "online miles" in the annual tax summary?


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Your normal course of daily driving is the driving that you *MUST *perform to accomplish your everyday tasks. ie, driving to and from your job, driving to pick up/drop off your kids at school, driving to the grocery store, driving to doctor appts. etc. This driving must be performed everyday regardless if the rideshare app is on or not, and just because you turn the destination filter on does not mean that these miles are deductible.


I would argue that if you are looking for work the miles are deductible regardless of if destination filter is on or off. Here is a perfect example. One night this past week I was online for around 5 hours, drove 20 some miles in that time. I was actively looking for rides. Since I did not get any pings that night are the miles deductible? Does it matter if I started from home and ended at home? What if I started at work and ended at home?


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

FLKeys said:


> One night this past week I was online for around 5 hours, drove 20 some miles in that time. I was actively looking for rides. Since I did not get any pings that night are the miles deductible?


You are correct. Those miles are deductible. You were not driving to work, to pick up the kids, to the post office etc. Your lone purpose that night was to actively look for work.

It's a fine line based on honesty, but I would be very careful deducting miles as to show that rideshare is a financial loss on your IRS Profit/Loss from a Business form.



FLKeys said:


> What if I started at work and ended at home?


Then just the miles you drove in addition from your everyday direct route home are deductible.

ie; Lets say you work 20 miles from home, but you drove a total of 100 miles actively looking for rides on your way home. 80 of those miles are tax deductible.



UberTaxPro said:


> Do you know if Uber includes miles with destination filter on in the "online miles" in the annual tax summary?


I think just miles from accepting ping to dropping off pax, but confirm this.


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## Skinny1 (Sep 24, 2015)

Lots of semantics...

Ridesharing is new and it is up to the IRS to lay out new rules and framework. Until then I’d say if app is on deduct ... within reason. 

Now if you will never get a ride and know that just tuning it on for a deduction is not being honest.... but if I have it on and am willing to do work ... I deserve to deduct it.

Every company and business owner is taking every advantage they can within the tax code.


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## SamuelB (Aug 29, 2018)

LAPenguin said:


> U/L typically don't yank drivers off freeways


The only times I have gotten pings while on the freeway was when I had a DF on. It has been several times.


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## mmn (Oct 23, 2015)

If your ass is ping-able, your miles are deductible...!


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## SamuelB (Aug 29, 2018)

mmn said:


> If your ass is ping-able, your miles are deductible...!


You mean I can write off my ass getting pinged?


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## mmn (Oct 23, 2015)

SamuelB said:


> You mean I can write off my ass getting pinged?


If there's a legitimate expense involved. Be sure to keep a receipt.


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