Deducting Mileage and Other Items from Taxes?

Specialties Home Health

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I do not get reimbursed for my mileage and understand I can deduct it from my income taxes. Does anyone know is there an amount of mileage that is acceptable per year or per month to claim? Do I need to add up the actual mileage. What other types of things can I claim? My cell phone? I use 95% of my phone time for HH, car upkeep expenses? Supplies? Uniforms? Home Office? Anything I'm missing? Thanks! I have a huge tax bill this year ($3,600) and would like to deduct everything that I can.

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You'd have to get a tax book. I think you can only deduct things that you use only for your job. Example: shoes. You can deduct shoes if you only wear them for work, nothing else. Same with uniforms. That's why most people can't deduct the clothes they wear to the office.

Also, I know there's a minimum that you have to spend to be able to deduct. Again, I can't help there. Seems to me it was like $2K a year or something.

Have you checked the online IRS site? It might tell you the specifics there.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
You'd have to get a tax book. I think you can only deduct things that you use only for your job. Example: shoes. You can deduct shoes if you only wear them for work, nothing else. Same with uniforms. That's why most people can't deduct the clothes they wear to the office.

Also, I know there's a minimum that you have to spend to be able to deduct. Again, I can't help there. Seems to me it was like $2K a year or something.

Have you checked the online IRS site? It might tell you the specifics there.

Thanks Kat, That's an awesome idea.

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

Our taxes are so complicated with 2 home based businesses and us working several jobs it is a nightmare. I just give the CPA who does ours, each of our mileage log books. You have to have a log book with every stop logged with start and stop mileage. Pain in the rear.....

renerian

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What you can and cannot deduct is set down by the IRS.:lol2: And it can and is confusing. I have a receipt for every thing I deducted, in connection to my job, as well as a mileage diary. And everything got hand over to my accountant, who prepared my return.

Grannynurse:balloons:

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

from irs:

did you know that there are events in life that may have a significant tax impact?

many times we experience significant life events that have a tax impact too! this page is designed to help you while explaining to taxpayers the tax impact of these events.

publication 525, taxable and nontaxable income

publication 463, travel, entertainment, gift, and car expenses

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

Where I work, the agency that administers our grant pays the prevailing IRS mileage rate, which I believe is something like .44 a mile. Last year, they actually raised it to .47 briefly. I am not quite sure of the amounts, because even though they are officially my employer, since I work for a project, I can only be paid what is written into the grant, which is .34. Believe me when I tell you, the difference adds up. Every time I submit a report for 1000 miles, it occurs to me I'd be making more than $100 more if I was paid the IRS rate!

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
Where I work, the agency that administers our grant pays the prevailing IRS mileage rate, which I believe is something like .44 a mile. Last year, they actually raised it to .47 briefly. I am not quite sure of the amounts, because even though they are officially my employer, since I work for a project, I can only be paid what is written into the grant, which is .34. Believe me when I tell you, the difference adds up. Every time I submit a report for 1000 miles, it occurs to me I'd be making more than $100 more if I was paid the IRS rate!

LOL How true teapot!!! I didn't know you were in HH also, cool!

I was reading at the IRS website that for the last 4 months of 2005 mileage can be claimed at 48.5 cents per gallon. Since we have scan health and I always fill in my mileage I will have a print out of my mileage. We have always used a CPA but was going to try to do it ourselves this year but I think in the long run we'll do better having our CPA doing our taxes once again. If we miss something that can be deducted it could end up costing us more than the $125. Oh well........

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Specializes in Pediatrics :).

As for mileage, do we deduct from our starting location or from our agency office location? I just started doing HH, and boy has it been a learning experience!

BTW, I leave from home and go back to home...I very rarely go to and from the office.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

IRS has rules on this. If you leave from office, start timing mileage. Otherwise, mileage accrues from leaving first patients home to arrival at last patients home.

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Specializes in Pediatrics :).

Does that mean then that, if I only have one client/patient per day (8-12 hours shifts SN) that I cannot deduct if I leave from home? I'm so confused! I've been reading on the IRS website, but I guess I may have to talk to a CPA or something...

What I've gotten out of it is that if you are going to a regular location as your regular job, such as an office or hospital, you cannot deduct mileage. However, if you go to multiple sites to assignments that likely won't continue for a year or more, then mileage is deductable...HELP! I'm so tired of getting soaked every year by taxes...last year we (dh and I) had to pay an extra $7000, so for the majority of the year we ate a lot of ramen...

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Does that mean then that, if I only have one client/patient per day (8-12 hours shifts SN) that I cannot deduct if I leave from home?

Correct: Can not deduct mileage as considered one location substitute for office/hospital location

What I've gotten out of it is that if you are going to a regular location as your regular job, such as an office or hospital, you cannot deduct mileage. Correct.

If one travels between TWO positions /hospitals in same workday, mileage IS deducable.

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