Are business miles deductible on Schedule C when driving between W-2 job and 1099 job?

You've hit on a common but tricky situation. The general rule is that commuting between your home and a regular place of business (either W-2 or 1099) is NOT deductible - those are personal commuting miles. However, travel BETWEEN two different business locations during the same workday is typically deductible as a business expense on your Schedule C. So those 18 miles from your W-2 job directly to your 1099 gig should qualify as deductible business miles on your Schedule C. Just make sure you're keeping good records with dates, miles driven, and the business purpose. A dedicated mileage logbook or app is ideal. Also remember you'll need to choose between the standard mileage rate (65.5 cents per mile for 2023) or actual expenses method for your vehicle.

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Wanted to follow up about that taxr.ai site - I decided to try it for my complicated driving situation between multiple jobs. It was super eye-opening! The system analyzed my specific driving patterns and showed me that I could legitimately deduct about 78% of my business driving that I wasn't claiming before. It explained that the miles between my W-2 hospital job and my 1099 home health visits ARE deductible because they're between work locations. It also clarified which of my "questionable" miles were actually legitimate business expenses. I'm getting about $2,700 more in deductions than I would have claimed on my own. Definitely worth checking out if you have a mixed employment situation!

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Just wanted to add another perspective - I'm both a rideshare driver (1099) and work part-time at a retail store (W-2). My tax preparer handles this by having me track three categories of miles: 1) Direct commute (home to first job or last job to home) - NOT deductible 2) Between work locations (W-2 to 1099 or between different 1099 clients) - DEDUCTIBLE on Schedule C 3) Miles while actively working the 1099 job - DEDUCTIBLE on Schedule C Make sure you're only deducting the miles that fall into categories 2 and 3. Don't try to deduct your regular commute or you might trigger an audit.

Just to be super clear for anyone who finds this later: The miles between your W-2 job and your 1099 job ARE deductible business expenses on Schedule C. This is because they're considered travel between work locations during your business day, not commuting. HOWEVER - don't make these common mistakes: - Miles from home to your first job (either W-2 or 1099) are NOT deductible - Miles from your last job back home are NOT deductible - Don't claim 100% business use of your vehicle if you also use it personally - Keep a detailed mileage log with dates, starting point, destination, business purpose and miles driven The IRS loves to scrutinize vehicle deductions, so documentation is critical!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation - I work as a nurse at a hospital (W-2) and then do private duty nursing (1099) at patients' homes. I've been driving between these locations for two years but never claimed the mileage because I wasn't sure if it was legitimate. Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like those miles between my hospital job and the private duty locations are definitely deductible on Schedule C. I'm kicking myself for missing out on thousands of dollars in deductions! Quick question though - if I sometimes go home between jobs to change clothes or grab equipment, does that break the "between work locations" rule? Or can I still deduct the total miles as long as the ultimate destination is another work location?