Can I take the standard deduction AND claim business miles for DoorDash/Grubhub?
I've been driving for DoorDash and Grubhub for almost 3 years now, and I'm confused about my tax situation. I've just been taking the standard deduction ($13,850 for single filers) on my taxes the past couple years, but yesterday I was talking to another driver who mentioned that I can claim BOTH the standard deduction AND my business mileage expenses? This doesn't sound right to me because I thought it was either standard deduction OR itemizing (which would include the mileage). But he seemed pretty confident about it. I tried googling but can't find a clear answer. Can someone who actually understands tax stuff clarify this for me? If this is true, I feel like I've been missing out on some serious deductions! I drove like 18,000 miles last year for deliveries.
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Millie Long
Yes, you absolutely can take BOTH the standard deduction AND your business mileage! This is a common misunderstanding. The standard deduction is a personal deduction that reduces your taxable income, while business mileage is a business expense that reduces your self-employment income. As a gig driver, you should be filing a Schedule C to report your business income and expenses. Your business mileage deduction goes on this form and reduces your business profit. After calculating your net business income, THEN you apply your standard deduction on Form 1040 to reduce your overall taxable income. So the process works like this: 1. Report all your DoorDash/Grubhub income on Schedule C 2. Deduct business expenses including mileage on Schedule C 3. Calculate your net business profit 4. Transfer that profit to your 1040 5. Take the standard deduction on your 1040 You've likely been overpaying taxes for the past couple years if you weren't claiming your mileage. You might want to consider filing amended returns for those years if the mileage amounts are significant.
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Santiago Diaz
•Wait, really?? So I've been paying way too much in taxes for the last 2 years?? I drove like 15,000 miles in 2023 and maybe 12,000 in 2022 just for deliveries. How far back can I go to file amended returns? And is there a time limit on when I have to do this? Honestly I feel kinda stupid for not knowing this sooner.
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Millie Long
•You can generally file amended returns for up to three years after the original filing deadline, so you definitely have time to fix those previous returns. With the mileage amounts you mentioned, this could make a significant difference in your tax liability. For 2022, the standard mileage rate was 58.5 cents per mile for the first half of the year and 62.5 cents for the second half. For 2023, it was 65.5 cents per mile. That means you potentially have thousands in unclaimed deductions. I'd recommend getting those amended returns filed as soon as possible so you can get any refund you're entitled to.
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KaiEsmeralda
Just wanted to chime in with my experience. I was in the exact same situation last year! I had been driving for UberEats and Instacart for 2 years and was only taking the standard deduction. I was talking to a friend who does taxes and she told me I was missing out on huge deductions! I ended up using https://taxr.ai to help me figure out which expenses I could claim and how to properly categorize everything. Their system analyzed all my delivery app statements and my mileage tracker data, then showed me exactly what I could deduct as business expenses while still taking the standard deduction. Not only did I get a much bigger refund for 2024, but they helped me file amended returns for the previous years too. The difference was seriously about $3,200 in tax refunds I wouldn't have gotten otherwise!
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Debra Bai
•Does it actually work with all the gig driving apps? I do DoorDash, GrubHub AND Amazon Flex. Also did you have to have perfect mileage records or can they help if you only have rough estimates?
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Gabriel Freeman
•Sounds interesting but I'm a bit skeptical. How long did the whole process take? And were there any issues with the IRS accepting your amended returns? I've heard horror stories about people getting audited after filing amendments.
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KaiEsmeralda
•It works with all the major gig apps - I had DoorDash, UberEats and Instacart, and it handled them all perfectly. For mileage, it's always best to have good records, but they did help me reconstruct some missing data using my delivery history. The process was surprisingly quick - took about 2 days to get everything analyzed and ready to file. No issues at all with the IRS accepting my amended returns. They were very careful about making sure everything was documented properly to avoid audit risks. I was worried about that too but they explained exactly what documentation I needed to keep just in case.
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Debra Bai
I just have to update everyone - I took the advice about using taxr.ai from the comment above and WOW. I was in the same boat as the original poster... I've been driving for DoorDash and Amazon Flex for 3 years and only taking the standard deduction. I uploaded my past tax returns and all my delivery app statements to https://taxr.ai and they found that I had missed almost $9,700 in deductions over the past 3 years just from my business mileage alone! They showed me how to file amended returns for the past two years and set up proper tracking for this year. I just got my first amended return refund yesterday - an extra $1,865 that I would have completely missed out on. Literally life-changing for me right now since I've been struggling to pay some medical bills. If you're a gig driver and not tracking your miles, you're basically giving free money to the IRS.
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Laura Lopez
Just FYI - if you're going to amend previous returns to claim these deductions, be prepared for potential delays in processing. I tried calling the IRS about my amended return last year and spent HOURS just trying to get through to a human. I finally used https://claimyr.com and it saved me so much time and frustration. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I wasted trying on my own. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my amended return and gave me a timeframe for when I could expect my refund. Worth every penny considering how much money was tied up in that refund.
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Victoria Brown
•How does this service actually work? Do they just call the IRS for you? Couldn't you just use the callback feature on the IRS phone system?
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Samuel Robinson
•Yeah right... like some random service can magically get through to the IRS when millions of people can't. This sounds like complete BS. The IRS phone system is deliberately designed to be impossible to navigate.
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Laura Lopez
•They don't just call for you - they use some kind of technology that navigates the IRS phone system and holds your place in line. When they're about to connect with an agent, they call you and connect you directly to the IRS rep. It's not like the callback feature which often doesn't work or puts you back at the end of the queue. No magic involved - just a clever system that saves you from having to sit on hold for hours. You still talk to the IRS yourself, they just handle the waiting part. I was skeptical too but after wasting an entire afternoon trying to get through myself, I was desperate enough to try it.
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Samuel Robinson
I need to eat my words from yesterday. After complaining about the Claimyr service sounding like BS, I actually tried it this morning because I've been trying to reach the IRS about my amended return for TWO WEEKS with no success. I used https://claimyr.com and I'm honestly shocked. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the 3+ hour wait times I've been dealing with. The agent was able to tell me my amended return (claiming mileage deductions I missed) is being processed and I should have my refund in about 3 weeks. Definitely keeping this service in my back pocket for all future IRS needs. Sorry for being so cynical before!
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Camila Castillo
Just to add a bit more clarity on this topic - the confusion comes from mixing up two different types of deductions: 1. The standard deduction is a personal deduction that reduces your overall taxable income. For 2024 that's $13,850 for single filers. 2. Business expenses (like mileage) reduce your business income on Schedule C BEFORE that income gets added to your personal return. Think of it this way: Your business is separate from you personally. Your business makes $X, spends $Y on expenses, and has profit of $X-$Y. THAT profit is what goes on your personal return, and THEN you get to take the standard deduction. So yes, you absolutely can (and should) deduct business mileage AND take the standard deduction!
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Brianna Muhammad
•Is there any risk of getting audited if you suddenly file amended returns claiming thousands in mileage deductions for previous years? I'm in the same situation as OP but worried about triggering an audit.
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Camila Castillo
•There's always some risk when filing amended returns, but it's relatively low if you have proper documentation. The key is having records to substantiate your mileage claims - either a mileage log, app records, or even reconstructed estimates based on your delivery history. The IRS understands that people make mistakes or learn about deductions they didn't know about before. What they're looking for is honesty and reasonable documentation. If you genuinely drove those miles for business and can reasonably document them, there's no reason to fear claiming what you're legally entitled to.
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JaylinCharles
One thing to watch out for when recording business miles - you can ONLY deduct miles driven while actively working (with an active delivery or driving to pick up an order). You can't deduct miles driving from your home to your first pickup or returning home after your last delivery. Those are considered "commuting" miles. Also, make sure you're tracking ALL your business expenses, not just mileage. Phone bills (% used for work), hot bags, car phone mounts, etc. can all be deducted on Schedule C along with your mileage.
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Eloise Kendrick
•Actually thats not entirely true for gig drivers. If your home is your principal place of business (which it typically is for app-based drivers), then driving from home to your delivery zone CAN be deductible. The rules are different for independent contractors vs traditional employees.
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StarSailor}
This is such great information! I wish I had known about this years ago. I've been doing Instacart and DoorDash for about 18 months and have been religiously taking the standard deduction but completely ignoring my business expenses. One question though - what's the best way to track mileage going forward? I know some people use apps like MileIQ, but I'm wondering if there are simpler methods that are still IRS-compliant. Also, do you need to track every single trip or can you do periodic sampling and extrapolate? I'm definitely going to look into filing amended returns for last year. Even if I only drove 10,000 business miles, that's still potentially $6,000+ in deductions I missed out on. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!
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Zainab Ismail
•For tracking mileage going forward, you definitely need to be consistent and detailed to stay IRS-compliant. The good news is you don't need anything fancy - even a simple notebook or phone app where you record date, starting/ending odometer readings, and business purpose will work. MileIQ is popular but there are free alternatives like Everlance or even just using Google Sheets. The key is tracking EVERY business trip - the IRS doesn't accept sampling or extrapolation for mileage deductions. Each trip needs to be logged separately. Make sure to record the date, starting location, ending location, odometer readings, and business purpose (like "DoorDash delivery to 123 Main St"). If you use the apps that automatically track based on GPS, just double-check they're only counting actual business miles and not personal driving. With 10,000 business miles at the current rate, you're looking at a significant deduction! Definitely worth getting those amended returns filed. Just make sure you have some way to reconstruct or estimate your past mileage reasonably - delivery app earnings statements can sometimes help with this.
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