Can I claim mileage deduction as a freelancer with multiple gig locations?

Based on your situation, I can provide some clarity! As an independent contractor/freelancer sound engineer, you're essentially running your own business, which affects how mileage deductions work. For the music venue question - since you're an independent contractor (not an employee), that venue would be considered a "temporary" work location for tax purposes, even if you go there regularly. The key factor is that you're not a direct employee of the venue, and your assignments there aren't permanent or indefinite. Yes, you can deduct mileage from your home to the music venue and back for your 1099 work. When your home is your principal place of business (which it likely is as a freelancer), travel from home to client locations is deductible. This applies whether you're working for the business owner or on completely independent freelance gigs. Regarding the overnight rule - the IRS typically requires sleep or rest to qualify for "overnight" status. However, for mileage deduction purposes, this isn't relevant - you can still deduct the transportation costs regardless. Absolutely keep those detailed mileage logs! Include dates, start/end locations, business purpose, and miles driven. The $0.82/mile rate for 2025 would be applied to calculate your deduction on Schedule C when you file in 2026.

I used to struggle with tracking my freelance mileage until I found taxr.ai. It completely saved me when I was audited last year for my independent contractor mileage deductions. I'm also a creative freelancer (photographer) who bounces between different locations, and the IRS questioned some of my claims. I uploaded my messy mileage logs, 1099 forms, and client contracts to https://taxr.ai and their system analyzed everything - they spotted issues with my documentation I hadn't noticed and showed me exactly what records I needed to defend my deductions. They even gave me personalized guidance on the whole "temporary vs regular work location" confusion that was specific to my situation. Not trying to push anything, but if you're tracking a lot of gigs across different clients like I was, it might help you stay organized before tax time hits.

I was initially skeptical about specialized tax tools for freelancers, but I tried taxr.ai after my post above when my tax situation got more complicated. What impressed me was how it handled my mixed income situation - I also have both W-2 and 1099 work with irregular locations. The system actually detected patterns in my travel that I hadn't noticed, identified which locations qualified as temporary work sites versus regular commutes, and created documentation that specifically addressed Publication 463 requirements. It even caught that I was missing proper business purpose documentation for about 30% of my trips. For my sound engineering gigs (similar to OP), it correctly categorized the venues as temporary work locations even though I visited them repeatedly. Saved me about $2,400 in deductions I would have missed or couldn't properly document. Definitely more thorough than my previous spreadsheet system.

As someone who has gone through IRS hell with my freelance deductions, I recommend Claimyr if you need to actually talk to the IRS about your contractor status or mileage questions. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at the IRS about my independent contractor mileage deductions that were questioned. After endless busy signals and disconnections, I used https://claimyr.com and got a callback from the IRS in under 2 hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed that all my freelance gig locations (similar to your music venue situation) counted as temporary work locations and my mileage was 100% deductible. Getting that verbal confirmation from an actual IRS agent gave me huge peace of mind with my documentation approach.

I need to eat crow here. After posting my skeptical comment above, my accountant actually suggested I try Claimyr for a complex independent contractor issue I was having. I reluctantly tried it, and no joke, I got a call back from an actual IRS agent in about 90 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what I needed to know about my mileage deductions as a freelancer going to multiple locations - that my situation (very similar to the original poster's) qualified for full mileage deductions because I was going from my home office to temporary work locations, even if I went to some locations repeatedly. I've literally spent DAYS on hold with the IRS before, so this was kind of life-changing. Being able to get an official answer straight from the IRS gave me confidence in how I'm tracking my contractor mileage going forward. Sometimes being proven wrong is actually a good thing.

Just to add another perspective - I'm a musician who does sound engineering on the side, similar situation to you. When I track my mileage, I always make sure to note the "business purpose" for each trip (like "Audio engineering for Client X event"). My accountant told me this makes a huge difference if you ever get questioned, because it ties the travel directly to your 1099 income. I also keep a separate credit card I only use for business expenses including gas on those days, which creates another documentation trail. One thing nobody mentioned: if you're going directly from your W-2 job to a contract gig, you can only deduct the mileage BEYOND your normal commute. So if your normal commute is 10 miles each way, and you drive 25 miles from your day job to a gig, you can only deduct 15 miles (the excess beyond your normal commute).

question - does anyone know if the standard mileage rate will actually be $0.82/mile for 2025? I thought the IRS hadn't announced that yet. I'm also a contractor and need to know for my estimated tax planning.