Can you write off the gas you use getting to work every day on your taxes?

Question

A co-worker says she writes it off every year...and also any clothes she buys for work. And I don't mean items with logos or anything she can't wear anywhere else. I think she's lost it. Anyone?

Answer 1

When she says she writes off the gas, yes, in a different way, she can do that. However it's based upon the IRS re-imbursement for mileage driven to and from work, or mileage driven in your personal car to run errands for work as well. It adds up to approximately 49 cents per mile...the IRS usually raises this year over year due to the rising cost of gas prices.

As for clothes, she can only write off those clothes "IF" she is required to have "special" clothing for work. In other words, if your employer requires you to wear steel toed, safety shoes, or you're required to buy your work uniform. These are permitted deductions. If, however you can wear any dress you have in your closet to work, then the IRS could deny the deduction and you could be liable for back taxes plus penalties.

Answer 2

If you are working two jobs and go directly from one to the other, you can deduct the cost of gas between job #1 and #2. However, if you return to your home and then leave again to go to job #2, you will NOT be able to deduct mileage. If you are going directly to job #2, it is important that you keep an accurate account of what you are paying for each tank of gas and the mileage between the two jobs. Most people have one job and they are unable to deduct the cost of gas (government might have to pay back a couple of dollars more on income tax returns, and they aren't going to do that). As for where you put this information on your tax return, contact the IRS. They will be able to help you.

Answer 3

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RE:
Can you write off the gas you use getting to work every day on your taxes?
A co-worker says she writes it off every year...and also any clothes she buys for work. And I don't mean items with logos or anything she can't wear anywhere else. I think she's lost it. Anyone?

Answer 4

No you can not write of the commuting miles (i.e. to and from work) nor can you write off clothes you buy for work unless they are a costume, uniform, protective clothing or have a logo on them. You can write off "business miles" mileage you drive once you get to work and leave for business purposes. What your friend is doing is wrong and if audited she will owe that money back to the IRS with interest and penalties. Either she is not telling her tax preparer the whole story or they are cheating. Also, if you want to declare you business mileage you are supposed to keep and daily log of business miles you have driven You should have the mileage at the start of the year and the end of the year, but it must be in writing. This question is asked on all tax returns, if you answer no, you don't get the credit.

Answer 5

nope commuting to and from work is not a deductible expense. If you live in LA and decide to take a job in Seattle and fly there every Monday morning - not deductible. (if you move, you can deduct relocation expenses - but that's another story).

If you are sent on an errand for work - or need to visit a client site - that sort of mileage is deductible - Mileage, not cost of gas.

Clothes are not tax deductible unless they are clearly uniforms. If you are required to wear suits or even casual clothes they are considered street wear, personal wear, and not deductible. Even if you are required to wear -say a tie - that you would never ever wear outside of work - not deductible - street clothes.

Hope your friend doesn't get caught.

Answer 6

NO. No to writing off gas and no to writing off work clothes (unless the clothes are a company mandated UNIFORM). When the IRS audits your co-worker the tax bill and penalties will be LARGE!

P.S. Self-employed people cannot write off the cost of commuting to and from work either!

Answer 7

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Wow! Tons of different answers. Which one is correct? Unfortunately, when it comes to taxes, there is never an easy answer. First of all, if your job sends you a W-2 at the end of the year (and social security and medicare taxes are taken out of each paycheck), you are an "employee". If you work for yourself and get handed a personal check with nothing taken out and have to make quarterly payments to the IRS, you are "self-employed". Assuming you are an "employee"..... If you only have one job and that job is in the same location every day and your company doesn't make you drive using your car for work purposes (getting lunch is not considered work purposes), then the easy answer is, you can NOT get any tax breaks for any commuting expenses including gas, tolls, parking, etc. If your company does make you drive your car for work (making deliveries, seeing customers, going to other job sites) and they reimburse you for those trips (using an accountable plan), then you STILL can not get any tax breaks (because the company is paying for them, so you can't double dip). The vast majority of people fall into those scenarios. However, you may be able to get a tax break if you: - work two jobs in the same day and drive from the first to the second job without going home first. If so, keep track of your mileage from job 1 to job 2. - work at a temporary work site and are not reimbursed by your company. If so, keep track of your round-trip mileage. This is true regardless whether the temporary job is closer to your home than your normal job. (example: you work at the Walmart in Shillington and on Wednesday, they want you to substitute for someone at the Camarillo Walmart.) This, unfortunately, does NOT apply to people without regular work locations like carpenters whose job site is at a different house every day. For those poor soles, they don't get any breaks (unless they are self-employed which I won't cover here). - use your vehicle for work AFTER you get to work and are not reimbursed by your company. If so, keep track of your mileage. This includes visiting other company sites, visiting customers/suppliers, running company errends, etc. - are working at a temporary job that is expected to last less than a year and is more than 50 miles further from your home than your last job was. If so, you can write off your round-trip mileage along with other goodies like meals and temporary housing. Now the bad news. Even if you have qualifying miles as an employee, you may not get an actual tax break. You will add up all your work miles and multiply by the mileage rate for that year (something just north of 40 cents per mile). That goes on a Form 2106 along with any other unreimbursed work-relates expenses like tools, union dues, and special work clothes. From there, it goes on your Schedule A. Here is where the bad news comes in. You don't get credit for any unreimbursed work related expenses up to 2% of your AGI. Say what? You take your total Adjusted Gross Income (including your spouse's if married filing jointly) which is on the last line of the first page of your 1040 or 1040A and multiply it by 0.02 or 2%. This amount is subtracted from your work expenses because congress expects people to fork over up to 2% of their salary for work-related expenses. After this amount is subtracted off of your expenses, the remainder gets added to whatever else is on your Schedule A like mortgage interest, state taxes paid (either sales or income), and real estate taxes among other. If your Schedule A grand total is LESS than your STANDARD deduction ($5,000 for singles, $10,000 for married couples for 2005), you simply get the standard deduction and toss your Schedule A, Form 2106, and all your receipts in the shreader...you won't need them. Why? The government lets you take whichever is higher, your standard dedustion or your Schedule A. Therefore, if you don't own an house and your state income taxes are fairly low, chances are that even if you have a few hundred unreimbursed work-related miles each year, your Schedule A will still be well below the standard amount and you won't use it.

Answer 8

If your coworker really is deducting these items, she'll be paying back a lot, with interest and penalties, when she gets caught.

As your question indicates that you know, commuting expenses aren't deductible, and clothing isn't either except for uniforms or other clothes not suitable for wearing anywhere else but work.

Answer 9

Unless she's self-employed, she can't legally write it off.

Answer 10

Gas is difficult, you can only normally claim if work have moved you to another office but you are still in the same house before you moved.

Clothes are easier, but you have to prove that they are ONLY FOR WORK