Driving to my unit

[Coach Reynolds]

It's a 120 mile drive to my unit. Can I claim that mileage on my taxes?

[Recruiter yosis]

Yes you can claim that on your taxes, make sure that you keep all of your gas receipts. You also claim hair cuts, uniforms, boots, and pretty much anything else that is work related.

[California Major]

Keep a mileage log.

And since you probably sleep at the armory, you can claim the per diem rate. for the weekend.

[PFC Lowe]

Is there a minimum distance to be able to claim this on taxes?

[upnorthguy]

Obviously, tax questions are tricky because there are so many variables.
One tidbit I found from a Google search was:

"If your company does not reimburse you for mileage, you may be able to itemize your mileage as a deduction. See IRS Pub 529 for details. "


Also, I think I found a decent explanation of mileage deduction here:

www.bankrate.com/dls/itax/tax_adviser/20090303-business-mileage-a1.asp

"Mileage is mileage, but where you can deduct it depends on whether your wife was treated as an employee and received a Form W-2 or was an independent contractor and received a Form 1099-MISC.

If an individual uses his or her car to meet or visit with customers or clients, this is usually considered business mileage. The individual can claim actual expenses or a standard mileage allowance. In 2008, the standard allowance was $0.505 for the first six months of the year and $0.585 for the remainder of the year.

An employee can claim standard or actual automobile expenses by completing Form 2106. Form 2106 requires detail as to the miles driven as well as certain questions about adequate documentation to establish the deduction. The total of all employee expenses claimed on Form 2106 is carried to Schedule A, Line 21, miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Apart from being an itemized deduction, all miscellaneous itemized deductions must be reduced by 2 percent of your adjusted gross income. If you do not otherwise itemize your deductions, for example, to claim taxes and mortgage interest, mileage alone may not be sufficient to itemize versus claiming the standard deduction. In 2008, a married couple's standard deduction in lieu of itemizing deductions is $10,900. This may be the reason your accountant said it did not meet the minimum.

If your wife works as an independent contractor, she should complete Schedule C. Unlike an employee, there is no offset or reduction to mileage expenses incurred by a self-employed taxpayer.

For example, if your wife earned $20,000 as a caregiver on a 1099 and incurred $5,000 in automobile mileage, only the net $15,000 would be taxable. Instead, if she earned $20,000 as an employee and incurred the same $5,000 in expense, she would be stuck paying taxes on the full $20,000. In both cases, she would be allowed the $10,900 standard deduction. As you can see, being an employee is inherently unfair."

Do some reading and see what you figure out. If you use a program like TurboTax I think it will figure it out for you (I've used Turbotax for the past seven years but have never itemized mileage). Consulting a CPA/tax attorney/licensed tax preparer is the best route if you have questions that you can't answer yourself.

[California Major]

I use Turbo Tax every year, and it asks you these questions...So they pretty much soldier-proofed it..

[WV EOD tech]

Armed Forces Tax Guide Page 5 Adjustments to Income
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3.pdf

The minimum travel distance is 100 miles. Costs for mileage, tolls, lodging and food can be included. "Include all expenses from the time you leave home till the time you return home". It's an "above the line" credit, so the IRS treats what you spend as if you never earned it.

[matthew.ritchie]

I use Turbo Tax every year, and it asks you these questions...So they pretty much soldier-proofed it..

Review the IRS Publication 3, Armed Forces Tax Guide (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3.pdf). In addition, Soldiers can prepare federal and State income taxes and e-file at no charge through Military One Source (www.militaryonesource.com), a DoD site for family support.

[WIBecky74]

I've had to pay for a few things that I should have gotten issued... longer story shorter... heard there is a minimum dollar amount that you need to spend before you can make a deduction line for this. Winter PT uniform, boots, (issued ones, not just new ones for comfort) few computer items, ... I just cant think of everything right now, but there are a few more items.

AD can also use Tax Slayer for free. At the end of the process it will ask if you are fulltime military and deduct the normal fee. Most bases also offer free tax help.

[cyall]

Since this has turned into a discussion on taxes I thought I would toss this out. I was able to deduct my National Guard pay on my state tax return. Check for similar benefits in your state.

[WIBecky74]

Hey now, I did not try to thread jack, OP was asking about deductions and I had heard you need a minimum amount before you can do it. Didnt think 12 months worth of driving a few miles would meet the requirement so was asking. lol (not really, I want to know the answer, wasnt trying to help anyone out)

[matthew.ritchie]

I've had to pay for a few things that I should have gotten issued... longer story shorter... heard there is a minimum dollar amount that you need to spend before you can make a deduction line for this. Winter PT uniform, boots, (issued ones, not just new ones for comfort) few computer items, ... I just cant think of everything right now, but there are a few more items.

AD can also use Tax Slayer for free. At the end of the process it will ask if you are fulltime military and deduct the normal fee. Most bases also offer free tax help.

You're probably thinking about standard deduction versus itemized deduction. An individual can hunt for every dollar he spent on deductible purchases, or take the standard amount with no effort involved. Thus, it only makes sense to itemize if you have legitimate deductions that total more than the standard deduction.

For the vast majority of people, only those with mortgage interest will have enough deductions to justify itemizing. This IRS article (http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc501.html) gives detailed guidance.

[cyall]

You're probably thinking about standard deduction versus itemized deduction. An individual can hunt for every dollar he spent on deductible purchases, or take the standard amount with no effort involved. Thus, it only makes sense to itemize if you have legitimate deductions that total more than the standard deduction.

For the vast majority of people, only those with mortgage interest will have enough deductions to justify itemizing. This IRS article (http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc501.html) gives detailed guidance.

I have a mortgage and a child and I still can't find enough stuff to total more than the standard deduction. I thought my daughter would surely put us over the top this year. Oh well, my effective tax rate was still low.