Business Miles vs Commuting Miles for Mobile Workers: Can I Claim My First/Last Trip?

The IRS rules on business vs. commuting mileage actually work in your favor in this situation. Since you don't have a regular office and work directly at client locations, you're what's called a "mobile worker" or someone with no fixed workplace. For most mobile workers like yourself, the miles from your home to the first client and from the last client back home ARE considered deductible business mileage, not commuting. This is different from someone who drives to the same office every day where those miles would be considered non-deductible commuting. Make sure you're keeping detailed records that include the date, starting/ending mileage, destination, and business purpose for each trip. The IRS loves documentation if you ever get questioned. A mileage tracking app can be super helpful for this.

Hey there! I was in a similar situation last year as a mobile dog groomer driving all over town. I was getting conflicting advice about mileage deductions until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and uploaded my mileage logs. Their AI analyzed everything and confirmed I could deduct home-to-first-client miles. What I really liked is that they explained which parts of my driving qualified as business vs commuting miles based on my specific situation. It was a huge relief because I was leaving thousands in deductions on the table! They even created a proper mileage log format that satisfied IRS requirements when I got a letter asking for more documentation.

I have to eat my words about being skeptical! I went ahead and tried taxr.ai for my landscaping business mileage situation, and it was eye-opening. I've been leaving about $3,800 in deductions on the table every year by miscategorizing my miles. The report it generated explained that since I keep my equipment at home and drive directly to client properties, ALL of those miles are business miles, not commuting. It even gave me specific IRS references to back it up. When my accountant questioned it, I shared the report and he immediately agreed I was right.

If you're dealing with IRS questions about your business mileage, getting someone on the phone at the IRS is almost impossible these days. I spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone about a mileage audit letter. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed that as a mobile worker without a fixed location, my home-to-first-client miles are completely deductible business expenses. They even explained exactly what documentation I needed to provide. Saved me thousands in deductions I was about to give up on because I couldn't get answers.

I have to publicly apologize for calling Claimyr a scam. I tried it yesterday after getting frustrated with another 2-hour failed hold attempt with the IRS. They actually got me connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed what others have said here - as a mobile worker with no fixed office, the miles from home to first client and last client to home ARE deductible business miles. She also recommended I keep a dedicated mileage log with dates, locations, and business purpose, plus documentation of client appointments to back it up if questioned.

Something no one has mentioned yet - if you occasionally work at multiple client sites in the same day, make sure you're also tracking the miles BETWEEN client locations. Those are definitely business miles too. I'm a mobile pet groomer, and I use a simple spreadsheet with: - Date - Starting odometer - Client name/address - Ending odometer - Purpose of visit - Total miles The IRS audited me two years ago and specifically checked my mileage log. They accepted my deductions because I had this detailed documentation.

Has anyone addressed the situation where you sometimes run personal errands between client visits? Like if I finish at one farm, then stop at the grocery store before heading to the next appointment? I'm guessing those miles aren't deductible, but how do you properly account for that?

As a mobile farrier, you're in a great position for mileage deductions! Since you don't have a fixed office and work directly at client properties, your situation is pretty clear-cut - those home-to-first-client and last-client-to-home miles are absolutely deductible business mileage. The key is solid documentation. I'd recommend setting up a system now to track: - Daily starting/ending odometer readings - Each farm location and client name - Business purpose (shoeing, trimming, etc.) - Any stops between clients With 500-1200 miles per week, you're looking at potentially 26,000-62,400 deductible miles annually. At the current IRS rate of 67 cents per mile, that could be $17,420-$41,808 in deductions - definitely worth tracking properly! One thing specific to farriers: if you store your anvil, forge, and tools at home (which most do), that further strengthens your case that your home is your business base, making all those client trips deductible business travel rather than commuting.

This is incredibly helpful information! I've been doing farrier work for about 3 years now and had no idea I could deduct those first and last trips of the day. I've been missing out on thousands in deductions because I thought it was all considered commuting. One question - what about when I have to drive back home in the middle of the day to pick up a specialized tool I forgot, then head back out to clients? Is that round trip deductible since it's directly related to completing my work? I probably do this 2-3 times a month when I realize I need my specialty rasps or a different size shoe. Also, for anyone else tracking mileage, I started using a simple voice recorder app to log my trips while driving. At the start of each trip I just say "Tuesday, March 15th, leaving Johnson Farm at odometer 45,230, heading to Miller Ranch for trimming and shoeing two horses." Makes it easy to transfer to a proper log later and the timestamps prove it's contemporaneous.