Claiming Mileage on Your Taxes

"My accountant just told me that I can claim mileage on my taxes since I am an independent contractor.  Is this true?"

~Charlotte L.

I contacted Breedlove & Associates about this, and they referred me to the IRS website. After finding the following information, I spoke to someone at the IRS to verify that I was reading this correctly.  

The law states that you may not write off milage as a work expense as long as you are working in your "tax home" which is basically the St. Louis Metro area.  The only exception to this is if you are working two jobs, then it may  be possible to claim the mileage between the two locations.  The exact qualifications for this exception were not really clear, so please consult the IRS website or a knowledgeable accountant.  

Please understand that we, at TLC, are not tax experts, so please review the below information and contact the IRS, Breedlove & Associates, or your own accountant before filing your taxes.  

Travel expenses defined.   For tax purposes, travel expenses are the ordinary and necessary expenses of traveling away from home for your business, profession, or job.  An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your trade or business. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your business. An expense does not have to be required to be considered necessary.

Traveling Away From Home You are traveling away from home if your duties require you to be away from the general area of your tax home (defined later) substantially longer than an ordinary day's work.

Tax Home To determine whether you are traveling away from home, you must first determine the location of your tax home. Generally, your tax home is your regular place of business or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family home. It includes the entire city or general area in which your business or work is located.

Good luck with your taxes, and please use the following links:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf   www.breedlove-online.com 

~Kimberly