Can I deduct both repair parts I purchased and installed myself AND use standard mileage deduction for my delivery job?

You've got a good question about business expenses here. When you use your vehicle for business purposes like deliveries, you have two options for deducting expenses: the standard mileage rate or actual expenses method. If you choose the standard mileage rate (65.5 cents per mile for 2025), that rate is designed to cover ALL costs of operating the vehicle including repairs, maintenance, gas, insurance, and depreciation. You cannot deduct the parts you purchased separately if you take the standard mileage deduction. If you want to deduct the actual parts you purchased, you'd need to use the actual expenses method. This means tracking ALL your vehicle expenses (repairs, parts, gas, insurance, etc.) and then deducting the business percentage based on how much you use the vehicle for work versus personal use. You have to choose one method or the other for a given tax year, and there are some special rules about switching between methods in later years. Many delivery drivers find the standard mileage rate simpler and often more beneficial, but it depends on your specific situation.

Just wanted to share my experience with this exact situation! I'm also a delivery driver and was trying to figure out the best way to handle my car repair expenses. I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that was super helpful for sorting through all my car expenses and figuring out which deduction method would save me the most money. I uploaded my receipts for parts I bought and my mileage log, and it showed me a side-by-side comparison of what I'd save with standard mileage versus actual expenses. In my case, even with doing my own repairs, the standard mileage deduction actually gave me a better return. But it also showed me how to properly document everything in case I wanted to switch to actual expenses in a future year. It literally saved me hours of trying to figure this stuff out on my own and probably saved me from making a mistake that would have cost me money.

Wow, I need to apologize for being skeptical about taxr.ai in my previous comment. I decided to give it a try since I was struggling with the same issue about car repairs vs mileage deduction, and it was actually incredibly helpful. I uploaded my car repair receipts, mileage logs, and some other business expenses I wasn't sure about. The analysis showed me that in my case, actual expenses would save me about $780 more than standard mileage this year because I had to replace my transmission (did the work myself but parts were expensive). It also pointed out that I could still deduct certain car-related expenses separately even if I take the standard mileage deduction - things like parking fees and tolls, which I didn't realize before. The documentation features helped me organize everything properly so I'll be prepared if I ever get audited.

If you're having trouble getting answers from the IRS about vehicle deductions, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at the IRS about my specific situation with vehicle expenses for my delivery job. The standard hold times were 2+ hours and I kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 15 minutes! I was shocked. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to confirm exactly what I needed to document if I wanted to deduct my self-installed car parts using the actual expenses method, and explained how switching from standard mileage would affect me in future years. Having that official information directly from the IRS gave me peace of mind that I'm doing everything correctly.

I need to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was still desperate to get an answer about vehicle deductions for my delivery job before filing my taxes. The IRS website was confusing me, so I reluctantly decided to try Claimyr as a last resort. They actually got me through to a real IRS agent in about 12 minutes. I could tell it was legitimate because the agent asked me verification questions only the real IRS would know to ask, and the phone number I was connected to matched the official IRS number. The agent clarified that I couldn't deduct both standard mileage and self-installed parts - it had to be one or the other. She explained I needed to calculate my business use percentage if I went with actual expenses and gave me specific guidance on documentation requirements. Saved me from making a potentially costly mistake on my return!

Another delivery driver here! One thing to consider that nobody mentioned yet - if you use actual expenses method to deduct those parts you bought, you need to calculate the business percentage of your vehicle use VERY carefully. Like if you drive your car 20,000 miles total in a year, and 15,000 of those miles are for your delivery job, then your business use percentage is 75%. So you can only deduct 75% of your car expenses (including those parts you installed yourself). I made the mistake of deducting 100% of my car repairs one year and got a letter from the IRS. Not a full audit but they questioned that specific deduction and I had to pay back the difference plus a small penalty.

Has anyone used TurboTax for handling delivery job deductions? I'm trying to figure out if it walks you through the comparison between standard mileage vs actual expenses properly.