Struggling to understand how to count mileage for tax purposes..please help?
We were self employed in’ 08. We used our van for personal and business purposes. We rented a booth in 2 different antique malls and did not use our home as a business expense. I am confused about how to calculate business/commuting mileage. Here are a few examples:
1. Home to estate sale to auction to home
2. Home to antique mall to supply store to next antique mall to home
3. Home to antique mall to supply store to home
4. Home to storage locker to antique mall to home
We did keep a log of all miles put on the van, but the normal commute time was not deducted. We need our info to be right, so we need to make sure we are deducting what is not legally reimbursable mileage, that is, normal commute mileage.
Thanks
FYI, I shouldn’t have used the word deduct when talking about the commute miles. The word is actually subtract. My DH has a mileage log that shows mileage from home to various sites to home, so we need to subtract the commute miles.
To and from home to your regular place of business (the rented booth), is commuting, and not deductible.
If you have two regular places of business, travel between the 1st place and the second place in the same day IS deductible.
Travel to anyplace that’s not a regular place of business (supply store, estate sales, auctions) are deductible business mileage.
I’m assuming “antique mall” is your rented booth, and a regular place of business.
1. all deductible mileage.
2. home to first antique mall is commuting. antique mall to store to 2nd mall is business travel. 2nd mall to home is commuting.
3. antique mall to supply store is deductible business miles. The rest is commuting
4. storage locker to antique mall is business. The rest is commuting.
