As a food delivery driver, can I legally deduct my clothing and meals on my taxes?

The general rule for tax deductions is that expenses need to be "ordinary and necessary" for your business. For delivery drivers, here's what you should know: For clothing: You can only deduct clothing if it's specifically required for your work AND not suitable for everyday wear. If the jacket has the company logo and is required for your job, that might be deductible. Regular clothes like jeans and t-shirts are almost certainly not deductible, even if you wear them while working, because they're suitable for regular wear outside of work. For meals: This is tricky. Generally, you can't deduct your own meals just because you're working during mealtime. The IRS sees this as a personal expense, not a business one. However, if you're traveling away from your tax home (overnight trips), then you might be able to deduct 50% of meal costs.

After struggling with similar questions last tax season, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer for my delivery driver taxes. I uploaded pictures of my receipts and questions about my deductions, and their AI analyzed everything and told me exactly what I could legally deduct. For me, they confirmed I could deduct the branded delivery bag and a rain jacket with the company logo, but not my regular clothes. They also explained why my meals while delivering weren't deductible but helped me find other deductions I was missing - like a portion of my phone bill since I use it for the delivery apps. Saved me from making mistakes that could've triggered an audit!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the previous commenter recommended. It actually cleared up my clothing deduction questions perfectly! I uploaded pics of my delivery gear and regular clothes, and it explained exactly what qualified. Turns out my branded hat and delivery bag are deductible, but my everyday clothes aren't - even when delivering. The best part was it found deductions I hadn't considered, like a portion of my phone bill and subscription costs for the music service I use while delivering. It even explained how to properly document everything in case of an audit. Much more helpful than the generic advice I was getting elsewhere!

If you're having problems getting clear answers about deductions from the IRS, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was banging my head against the wall trying to get someone at the IRS to clarify meal deductions for delivery drivers. After holding for 2+ hours and getting disconnected twice, I found Claimyr. Their service got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes! They have this cool video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent confirmed exactly what counts as a legitimate clothing deduction for delivery drivers and explained why meals during local deliveries don't qualify. Worth every penny to get definitive answers straight from the IRS instead of guessing.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. I decided to try it after posting my skeptical comment, and I'm shocked at how well it worked. After three failed attempts to reach the IRS on my own (each time waiting over an hour before getting disconnected), Claimyr got me through to a real agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what I needed to know about deducting expenses as a delivery driver. She explained that my branded delivery bag and insulated carriers are 100% deductible, but my regular clothes aren't - even when worn during deliveries. Also confirmed meals aren't deductible during regular local deliveries. Having definitive answers directly from the IRS gives me so much peace of mind for filing!

Just wanted to add that I've been delivering for 3 years, and mileage is BY FAR your biggest deduction. Last year I drove about 15,000 miles for deliveries and that deduction alone was over $8,000! Don't forget to track EVERY mile you drive for work, including: - Miles between deliveries (not just when a customer's food is in your car) - Miles driving to pickup locations - Miles driving back to your preferred zone after dropoffs And remember that commuting miles (from your home to your first pickup or from your last dropoff back home) are NOT deductible. I learned that the hard way!

I'm a delivery driver too and am used Schedule C to deduct my expenses. One thing I want to clarify - meals are SOMETIMES deductible, but only in specific situations. If you're on a delivery that takes you out of town overnight (like some catering gigs do), then meals during that time are 50% deductible. But regular lunch during your local delivery shift isn't deductible at all. For clothing, I checked with my tax person and they said unless it's a uniform that can't be worn elsewhere, it's not deductible. My delivery company polo shirts with logos count, but jeans don't. Same with shoes - even if you use them just for delivery, they're not deductible if they're just regular sneakers.