Work Travel Tax Credits?
September 4, 2012 6:42 PM Subscribe
Tax Credits for Complicated-ish Work Travel?
I believe my work situation and related travel entitles me to some sort of travel deduction for tax purposes, but the google results have my head spinning.
Working two jobs- one am, one pm
Job one is in a totally fixed spot, job two has a home office that I willi go to some days. Other days I will just go directly to a work site and then home from there.
Can I get income tax travel credit for some of this commute? Specifically:
1. Home to job one? (seems like not)
2. Job one to job two office? (as applicable)
3. Job one to job two work site? (as applicable;these will be moderately variable, if that matters - i.e., like 15 different possible work sites)
4. Job two office to work site? (as applicable)
5. Job two work site back to office?
6. Job two work site home?
From what I've gathered so far, I'm beginning to suspect it might be tax advantageous to force a check in at job two office before going to the work site so I can count these miles? (this would suck, hugely, commute wise- fwiw).
Probably relevant details: own vehicle, no workplace travel allowance or anything to that effect.
Thanks in advance for any advice on if I can do something taxwise here, how it would work, and how best to track it (i.e., would an iPhone mileage tracker be audit-proof, or is there some specific tracking protocol?).
I believe my work situation and related travel entitles me to some sort of travel deduction for tax purposes, but the google results have my head spinning.
Working two jobs- one am, one pm
Job one is in a totally fixed spot, job two has a home office that I willi go to some days. Other days I will just go directly to a work site and then home from there.
Can I get income tax travel credit for some of this commute? Specifically:
1. Home to job one? (seems like not)
2. Job one to job two office? (as applicable)
3. Job one to job two work site? (as applicable;these will be moderately variable, if that matters - i.e., like 15 different possible work sites)
4. Job two office to work site? (as applicable)
5. Job two work site back to office?
6. Job two work site home?
From what I've gathered so far, I'm beginning to suspect it might be tax advantageous to force a check in at job two office before going to the work site so I can count these miles? (this would suck, hugely, commute wise- fwiw).
Probably relevant details: own vehicle, no workplace travel allowance or anything to that effect.
Thanks in advance for any advice on if I can do something taxwise here, how it would work, and how best to track it (i.e., would an iPhone mileage tracker be audit-proof, or is there some specific tracking protocol?).
Response by poster: Both salaried, totally unrelated, both w-2.
posted by jimmysmits at 10:07 PM on September 4, 2012
posted by jimmysmits at 10:07 PM on September 4, 2012
IRS Publication 463 (Travel, Entertainment, Gift and Car Expenses says that:
f you work at two places in one day, whether or not for the same employer, you can deduct the expense of getting from one workplace to the other. However, if for some personal reason you do not go directly from one location to the other, you cannot deduct more than the amount it would have cost you to go directly from the first location to the second.posted by Doofus Magoo at 3:32 AM on September 5, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
2) Maybe.
3) Maybe.
4) Maybe.
5) Maybe.
6) No.
How do you get paid at either job (salaried or contractor)? Is Job A telling you to go to Job B, or are they totally unrelated? Are these clients giving you Schedule C income, or are they jobs giving you W-2s?
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 9:26 PM on September 4, 2012