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A Guide To Tax Deductions For Cars and Mileage

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A Guide To Tax Deductions For Cars and Mileage

In many places around the country, owning a car is necessary to get things done and carry out day-to-day activities. The US is big, and public transportation isn't available everywhere. Some see getting a car as a right of passage when they turn sixteen; thers save up for years to reach the goal of owning a car. But if you do own a car, whether it's a Jaguar, Mini Cooper or Corolla, it can provide taxpayers with a substantial tax deduction each year. If you’re a gig worker or self-employed, driving might be a part of your daily work schedule. If you need to meet new or potential clients, attend a conference or get supplies for work, you can get a tax write-off for the miles you drive and other car expenses.

Key takeaways

  • If you’re self-employed, you can usually write off your business expenses for the vehicle on Schedule C
  • Commuting miles don’t count as a car tax write off
  • Depending on eligibility, Section 179 allows you to deduct a portion of the business vehicle purchase price

Table of contents

How to write off car for business?...Read more

Section 179 deductions...Read more

How do I claim car expenses?...Read more

How to write off car for business?

We’re all looking to save money on 1099 employee taxes. One thing people usually want to know is how to write off a car for business purposes. To qualify for a car tax write off, your business or freelance gig must require you to drive your car. You could be a delivery driver for Doordash, an Uber driver or photographer working from home needing to drive to the store for film or to a gig. Commuting doesn’t count as a car write off for business. So if you need to drive to and from your office, the miles you drive are not business-related. Business miles are those you drive to different work locations throughout a day. For example, a traveling nurse might need to take care of multiple patients in different homes, or a Instacart driver might make multiple deliveries in a day. Both are examples of business miles. There are a few instances where the IRS might make an exception and allow you to write off car commuting miles:
  • If you’re an employee and work two jobs, and you go directly from your first job to the second job without any breaks in between
  • If you’re an employee and travel to a temporary workplace directly from your home

Section 179 deductions

Section 179 deductions are a special type of self-employment deduction for business owners to reduce their expenses.
Image with text "FLY FIN" and information about Section 179 Deductions for business property, vehicle purchases, and depreciation of vehicle, equipment & software. Relevant for self-employed, 1099, and freelancer taxes.
Most employees no longer qualify for the tax deduction work vehicle write off under Section 179. This deduction was able to be found on Schedule A but has since been suspended thanks to the Tax and Cut Jobs Act. Active military members, government or state officials or employees with impairment-related expenses due to a disability may still be eligible. Qualifications to claim this deduction include:
  • Eligible property, transportation, furniture or machines
  • Must be bought for business purposes
This business vehicle write off allows you to deduct almost the entire vehicle cost during the first year of purchase if it’s being used for business purposes.

How do I claim car expenses?

Since you most likely don’t qualify for the Section 179 deduction and won’t be writing off a car for business, the next best way to claim a car write off for business purposes is to take advantage of the IRS car mileage deduction. You can do this using two methods, by keeping a mileage log with all the miles you’ve driven or by claiming a percentage of your business vehicle expenses. Actual expenses method Unlike the standard deduction, the actual deduction allows you to deduct many car expenses, including car depreciation. If you decide to claim actual vehicle expenses, you can deduct car expenses such as:
A list of tax deductible car expenses including car insurance, repairs, maintenance, parking fees, gas, car payments, licensing, registration, tires, oil changes, and depreciation. Useful for self-employed, 1099, and freelance workers for taxes.
If you’ve financed the car through a bank loan, that counts as a car tax write off by writing off a portion of the purchase price. If you purchased the car a few years ago, you could write off a portion of the purchase price thanks to depreciation. A car’s depreciation goes down over time thanks to wear and tear. You can deduct your car’s depreciation, but only the portion used for business. If you use this car for personal use, you’ll need to keep track of which expenses are for business and which are for personal use. If you’re wondering how to write off car expenses for your business, you’ll need to keep track of your expenses in the form of receipts, repair slips or bank statements. There’s an easy way to keep track of your business expenses with the help of FlyFin’s powerful A.I. It finds every possible deduction, including your business vehicle write off, saving you tons of time and money. You never have to worry about keeping track of vehicle deductions again. Plus, you get access to an expert team of CPAs who are available 24/7 to answer any question you might have. They also prepare 100%-accurate state and federal tax returns for you. FlyFin caters to the needs of freelancers and self-employed individuals, but anyone can file a tax return with FlyFin. 1099 workers also have to make estimated tax payments which you can figure out with a tax estimate calculator. Standard deduction method With this method, you’ll need to do a little math and keep track of your business-related miles. You’ll need to multiply your business-related miles by the standard amount set by the IRS. Many employers use the standard mileage rate to reimburse employees who use their own cars, trucks or vans to conduct business outside the workplace. With the standard deduction, many vehicle-related expenses aren’t eligible. If you decide to claim the standard deduction, there are still some expenses you can write off.
FLYFIN image with text listing standard tax deductions for car expenses, tolls, DMV fees, parking fees, and car washes. Useful for self-employed, 1099, and freelance workers filing taxes.
Freelancers can save a lot of money on their taxes when using their vehicle for business purposes. Choosing the right deduction method is worth your time and energy to ensure you avail tax-saving benefits.

Depreciation Tax Deduction

The depreciation tax deduction can be claimed for any asset that is used for business. There are three methods to calculate this deduction.

Education Expenses Tax Deductible

Education expenses are tax-deductible for self-employed individuals as long as they are related to their current job. Report the deductions on Schedule C.

Internet Bill Tax Deduction

For many who work from home, the internet is necessary for doing business. For some people, their internet bill counts as a tax write-off.

Write Off Your Car Payments

There are many tax deductions you can take related to your car, if you use it for work, but unfortunately your car loan payment isn't one of them.

Home Office Deduction

How the home office deduction saves self-employed individuals and freelancers on their taxes.

Home Improvement Deduction

What qualifies as a home improvement tax deduction and how homeowners who are self-employed or freelancers can benefit most.

Travel Expense Deduction

If you travel for work as a freelancer, there are a number of travel expenses you can claim as tax deductions in 2024 – find the details here.

Food and Entertainment Deduction

For 2024, you can deduct 50% of the cost of business meals as tax deductible – but not every meal can be deducted. This is relevant to self-employed people.

Car depreciation tax

Here's how to take advantage of depreciation, one of the biggest tax deductions people who use their car for work can take.

Moving expenses deduction

Until recently, you could deduct moving expenses on your tax return. Recent changes to the tax rules have impacted whether you can deduct moving expenses.

Simplified home office deduction

If you use space in your home as an office for your business, you can take either the actual home office deduction or the simplified home office deduction.

Rent Tax Deduction

If you're self-employed, there are few ways you can write off your rent, and if you know how to use them, they can be among the most important ways to save money on taxes each year.

Side Hustle Taxes

Self-employed individuals can write off business expenses when filing side hustle taxes. You can avoid paying taxes on side jobs if your net income is under $400 in a year.

Mileage Tax Deduction

Get a car mileage tax deduction using either the standard mileage deduction or actual expenses deduction. You will report this on Schedule C.

Cell Phone Tax Deduction

A cell phone tax deduction is available to self-employed individuals if it is used for their business. They can also write off their internet usage.

Business And Consultant Tax Deduction

Consultant tax write-offs are useful in lowering self-employment taxes. Sole proprietors can use a QBID to lower taxable income, as they are a pass-through business entity.

Is Credit Card Interest Tax Deductible?

Credit card interest is tax-deductible if it is from a business-related purchase. You can write off a portion of the interest even on a personal credit card if it comes from a business expense.

Are Office Expenses Deductible?

The home office tax deduction is used to write off your home office and office-related expenses. Claim it using the standard or simplified method.

Advertising And Marketing Expenses Deduction

Marketing tax deductions related to promoting a business can be claimed by self-employed individuals. Report them on Schedule C.

Business Startup Costs and Deductions

Business startup costs can be amortized over 15 years. You can also deduct up to $5,000 in the first year if total costs are below $50,000.

Vehicle Write Off For Business

Vehicles used for business can be a tax write-off in 2024. You can claim this deduction even if you lease your vehicle under the actual expenses method.

Are Subscriptions Tax Deductible?

Subscriptions are tax deductible for self-employed individuals. You can write off the business use percentage as a tax deduction on Schedule C.

Depreciation Tax Deduction

The depreciation tax deduction can be claimed for any asset that is used for business. There are three methods to calculate this deduction.

Education Expenses Tax Deductible

Education expenses are tax-deductible for self-employed individuals as long as they are related to their current job. Report the deductions on Schedule C.

Internet Bill Tax Deduction

For many who work from home, the internet is necessary for doing business. For some people, their internet bill counts as a tax write-off.

Write Off Your Car Payments

There are many tax deductions you can take related to your car, if you use it for work, but unfortunately your car loan payment isn't one of them.

What’s FlyFin?

FlyFin is the #1 A.I.-powered tax app for freelancers, gig workers, independent contractors and sole proprietors. For taxpayers who want to save more by itemizing their deductions, FlyFin tracks all their business expenses automatically using A.I. to find every possible tax write off. Then, FlyFin's CPA team files a guaranteed 100% accurate tax return for you – to save you a couple of thousand dollars and a ton of time on your taxes. Download the FlyFin app and have your taxes filed in less than fifteen minutes, saving more money on your taxes than last year, guaranteed.
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