Can I Claim Mileage Deduction Twice for Two Rental Properties in Same Location?

This is a good question about rental property deductions. When you visit multiple rental properties on the same trip, you should allocate the mileage between the properties rather than counting the full mileage for each property. The proper way to handle this on Schedule E would be to split the 14 miles between your two units based on something reasonable - either 7 miles each if the work was roughly equal, or proportionally based on the amount of time spent at each property. For example, if you spent 75% of your time at Unit 103 and 25% at Unit 215, you could allocate 10.5 miles to the first unit and 3.5 miles to the second. The IRS would consider claiming the full 14 miles on both properties to be improper double-counting of the same expense. Schedule E may have separate columns, but the goal is to accurately report the actual expenses attributable to each property.

I went through exactly this last year with my duplex properties! I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me sort through all my rental property deductions including how to handle mileage. Their system analyzed my situation and gave me clear guidance. What I learned was that when you visit multiple properties in one trip, you need to allocate the miles between properties rather than double-counting. The tool helped me create a proper mileage log and showed me how to correctly fill out Schedule E to avoid any red flags with the IRS. Seriously saved me hours of research and probably prevented an audit!

I tried taxr.ai after seeing this post and wow, I'm impressed! I've been doing my rental property taxes wrong for years apparently. For the mileage question specifically, it showed me exactly how to allocate miles when visiting multiple properties and gave me a template for tracking it properly. It also flagged several other deductions I'd been missing and explained some depreciation recapture issues I never understood before. The document analysis feature saved me hours of sorting through receipts and bank statements. Definitely using it for all my rental property tax questions from now on!

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OK I have to admit I was wrong. I tried Claimyr after posting that skeptical comment because I was stuck with a similar rental property question about mileage deductions. It actually worked exactly as advertised - I got a call back when my turn came up and spoke directly with an IRS agent. The agent confirmed what others have said here - you need to split the mileage between properties when visiting multiple rentals on the same trip. She also advised keeping a detailed mileage log with dates, addresses, and purpose of each trip. Apparently this is an area they look at closely during audits of rental property owners. Really glad I finally got a definitive answer from the source!

Former tax preparer here. Another approach worth considering is to allocate the mileage based on income from each property. So if one property generates 60% of your rental income and the other 40%, you could split the miles that way. The key is to use a consistent, reasonable method throughout the tax year and document your approach. The IRS allows different allocation methods as long as they're reasonable and consistently applied. Whichever method you choose, keep good records showing: - Date of each trip - Starting and ending odometer readings - Purpose of the visit - Which properties you visited - How you allocated the miles

Anybody know if this same rule applies to other rental expenses too? Like if I buy cleaning supplies that I use at both properties, do I need to split that cost too?

Great question! I actually had a similar situation last year with two rental units in the same building complex. After consulting with my CPA, I learned that the correct approach is definitely to split the mileage proportionally - not claim the full amount for each property. Here's what I do now: I keep a simple spreadsheet where I log each trip with the total miles, then note what percentage of time/work was spent at each property. For your example, if you spent equal time at both units, you'd allocate 7 miles to each property on their respective Schedule E forms. The IRS views this as one business trip that served multiple properties, so the expense should be divided accordingly. Claiming 14 miles on both would indeed be double-dipping and could raise red flags during an audit. I've found that being conservative and well-documented with these allocations has saved me headaches down the road. One tip: I also photograph my odometer readings and keep brief notes about what work I did at each property. Makes tax time much smoother!