Can I Claim Mileage Deduction as a Part-time Independent Contractor/Freelancer?
Hey tax folks! I'm trying to figure out if I can claim the standard mileage deduction for my side gig situation in the upcoming tax year. So I have my regular day job where I get a W-2 and go to the same office building Monday through Friday. Obviously I know I can't deduct that daily commute. That's just normal life expenses. But I also work on weekends as a freelance photographer, and sometimes for a specific photography company that sends me a 1099-NEC. The owner of this company has contracts with several wedding venues, and I usually drive directly from my apartment to these venues to shoot events. Most frequently, I work at this one country club that's about 45 miles from my home (and in a completely different town from the photography company's office). I'm not employed by the country club at all - I'm contracted through the photography company who has the relationship with the venue. Sometimes the owner will send me to other venues too, depending on their schedule. These photography gigs typically have me leaving home around noon and I don't get back until 1-2am since weddings run late and then I have to drive home. So I'm away from home for 12+ hours crossing from one calendar day to the next, even though I'm not staying overnight anywhere. For my completely independent freelance photo work (separate from the company that gives me the 1099), I also drive straight from home to wherever the client needs me, then back home again. My question is: Assuming I keep detailed mileage logs with dates, starting/ending locations, and total miles driven (planning to use the 2025 rate of whatever it ends up being, maybe $0.70/mile?), can I claim all this driving on my taxes when I file in 2026? Sorry for the novel, but I wanted to make sure I included all the details! Thanks everyone!
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Ava Williams
From what you've described, yes, you should be able to claim the standard mileage deduction for your freelance photography work! The key distinction is that you're working as an independent contractor (1099-NEC) for these gigs, not as an employee. For the country club location that you frequently visit for the photography company: This would likely be considered a temporary work location, not a permanent one. The IRS generally considers a location "temporary" if your work there is expected to last (and actually does last) one year or less. Even if you go to this venue regularly, each assignment is separate and temporary. Regarding the overnight question: The IRS doesn't actually require you to sleep somewhere for it to count as "business travel." The fact that your work takes you away from your tax home (your regular place of business/residence) for substantially longer than a normal workday and you need rest/sleep to do your job properly can qualify even if you return home late at night. For all your independent freelance photography work, those miles from home to client locations should definitely be deductible since each location is a temporary work site.
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Raj Gupta
•This is super helpful, but I'm still confused about one thing. If I'm going to the same country club like 2-3 times a month throughout the year, could the IRS eventually consider that a "regular" work location even though each event is separate? Or does the fact that it's through the 1099 company make all those trips count as temporary?
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Ava Williams
•The frequency alone wouldn't make it a regular work location. What matters is the nature of each assignment and your employment status. Since you're an independent contractor working through the photography company, and each wedding/event is a separate assignment with gaps between them, these would almost certainly be considered temporary work locations regardless of how often you go there. The key factors are: you don't have a continuous work relationship with the venue itself, your assignments there are intermittent rather than regular daily work, and you have no expectation of ongoing permanent work at that specific location. So yes, you can deduct those miles!
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Lena Müller
After struggling with similar freelance mileage questions last year, I found this amazing tool at https://taxr.ai that helped me figure out exactly what I could deduct. I was doing DoorDash on weekends plus some freelance design work, and was super confused about what miles counted. The tool analyzed all my gig situations and gave me clear guidance on what qualified as deductible business mileage versus commuting. It even helped me create the proper documentation format to track everything. Ended up saving me over $800 in taxes that I would have missed!
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TechNinja
•Does this actually work for multiple side gigs? I do Uber, some freelance coding, and occasionally help with my friend's catering business. Would this be able to handle all those different situations?
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Keisha Thompson
•I'm kinda skeptical about these online tools. How does it actually know what the IRS would accept? Like what happens if I get audited and they disagree with what your tool said was deductible?
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Lena Müller
•It absolutely works for multiple gigs! The system analyzes each income stream separately and gives you specific guidance for each situation. It looks at your specific circumstances for each gig and applies the IRS rules to your particular case. The tool is actually built on IRS regulations and tax court cases, so it's giving you guidance based on established tax law, not just general advice. They even provide downloadable documentation that explains the legal basis for each deduction recommendation, which you can keep with your tax records in case of an audit. That's what gave me confidence that I wasn't claiming anything I couldn't defend.
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TechNinja
I tried the taxr.ai tool that was mentioned and it seriously saved me so much headache! I was in a similar situation with my side gigs and the documentation it generated made everything crystal clear. I was actually claiming too few miles before because I was being overly cautious. The tool showed me exactly what I could legitimately claim based on my specific situation and the current tax code. When I filed my taxes last month, I had complete confidence in my mileage deductions and even my accountant was impressed with the level of documentation I had prepared. Literally saved me hundreds in taxes I would have overpaid!
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Paolo Bianchi
If you're dealing with tax questions like this, you might want to consult directly with the IRS. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to them about a similar independent contractor situation last year. Finally found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The agent walked me through exactly what mileage I could claim for my mobile dog grooming business where I drive to different neighborhoods every day. Cleared up so many questions about temporary vs regular work locations that online articles were giving me conflicting info about.
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Yara Assad
•How does this actually work? Do they just have a special number or something? Seems weird that a service could get you through when nobody else can get through on the regular IRS lines.
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Olivia Clark
•This sounds like BS honestly. I've tried everything to get through to the IRS and nothing works. They're deliberately understaffed. No way some random service can magically get you through when millions of people can't get through.
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Paolo Bianchi
•They use a specialized system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they get a live agent, they call you and connect you directly. It's not a special phone number - they're just handling the frustrating wait times so you don't have to. I was skeptical too but it works. Think of it like having someone stand in line for you at a government office. They're just doing the waiting part, not providing any special access. Once they get an agent, you talk directly to the IRS yourself just like if you'd waited on hold for hours.
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Olivia Clark
Alright I need to eat my words from earlier. After weeks of trying to get through to the IRS about my independent contractor deductions, I broke down and tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I was 100% convinced it wouldn't work, but they actually got me connected to an IRS rep in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what I needed to know about my situation (I drive for multiple gig apps plus do some freelance consulting). Turns out I was being WAY too conservative with my mileage deductions. Got clear guidance straight from the IRS about my specific situation and documentation requirements. Saved me from underclaiming probably $2000 worth of legitimate deductions. Sometimes you need to hear it directly from the source to be confident.
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Javier Morales
Don't forget that you need to track ALL car expenses if you're going to use actual expenses instead of standard mileage. Most independent contractors are better off with standard mileage (especially with the higher rates now), but just wanted to mention this since a lot of people try to do both and that's not allowed! Also, make sure to track business parking fees and tolls because you can deduct those SEPARATELY from your standard mileage deduction!!
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Natasha Petrov
•Wait can you really deduct parking and tolls separately? I thought those were included in the standard mileage rate! I've been tracking everything together in one log. Do I need separate records for those?
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Javier Morales
•Yes, parking fees and tolls related to business travel are deductible separately from your standard mileage rate! The standard mileage rate only covers the basic costs of operating your vehicle (gas, maintenance, depreciation, etc.). You should keep separate records of your parking and toll expenses for business trips. Save those receipts or take photos of them, and note which business trip they were associated with. This is one of the most overlooked deductions for freelancers who drive for work.
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Connor O'Brien
Can anyone reccomend a good app for tracking milage? I'm a doordash driver on weekends and I've just been writing down my odometer readings but there has to be a better way right?
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Amina Diallo
•I use MileIQ and it's pretty decent. Automatically tracks all your drives and you just swipe left for personal or right for business. Costs like $6/month but it's worth it to me.
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