Can I write off the miles driven to and from work daily or is that a tax myth?

Unfortunately, your friend is right - regular commuting expenses from your home to your regular workplace are considered personal expenses by the IRS and are not tax deductible. This is one of the most common tax myths out there! The IRS specifically classifies your daily commute as a non-deductible personal expense, even if you're using your personal vehicle. However, there are some travel situations that ARE deductible: 1. Traveling between multiple work locations in a single day 2. Visiting clients or customers (if you're not going to your regular workplace first) 3. Traveling to a temporary work location outside your metro area 4. Home office situations where you're traveling from your qualified home office to another work location If you're just driving from home to the same office each day and back, those miles unfortunately don't qualify for any tax deduction. But it might be worth checking if your employer offers any commuter benefits programs!

I learned this the hard way last year trying to figure out all my mileage deductions. I finally decided to try taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) after hearing about it from a coworker. I was in a similar situation where I had a main office but also visited client sites, and I was super confused about what miles I could actually claim. I uploaded some of my mileage logs and location history, and it analyzed exactly which trips were deductible and which weren't based on IRS rules. Saved me from making a costly mistake on my commute miles while helping me find legitimate deductions I was missing for my other work travel.

Ok I'm actually impressed. I tried taxr.ai after posting that skeptical comment. Uploaded my Google timeline data from last year and it immediately identified all my client visits vs regular commuting trips. It marked my daily office commutes as non-deductible (confirming what everyone here said) but found about 1,240 miles that WERE deductible from my site visits that I hadn't even considered claiming! That's nearly $700 in deductions I would have missed. The explanation for each trip classification was really clear about which tax rules applied. Definitely using this for my 2024 taxes!

If you're frustrated with the commuting miles not being deductible, you might want to look into whether you qualify for any home office deductions instead. I had a similar issue last year and couldn't get through to the IRS to confirm if my situation qualified. After being on hold forever, I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent I spoke with helped clarify exactly which home office expenses I could claim since I work from home 2 days a week, which ended up being much more valuable than the commuting deduction would have been anyway.

Ok I need to apologize for calling Claimyr a scam. I tried it yesterday after posting that comment because I've been trying to reach the IRS for weeks about a missing refund. I was completely shocked when I got a call back in about 35 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS representative. Saved me literally hours of holding time. The agent was able to confirm my refund was delayed because of a transcription error and fixed it on the spot. They also explained the commuting miles situation in detail - confirmed everything people are saying here that regular commuting isn't deductible, but helped me understand some other deductions I qualified for instead.

Just to add a bit more context on the mileage deduction - the standard mileage rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile for business miles (not commuting). So if you do have legitimate business travel during the year, make sure to track those miles carefully! Those deductions can really add up.

Another option to look into if commuting costs are high - check if your employer offers any commuter benefits! My company lets us use pre-tax dollars for parking and public transit through our benefits program. It's not as good as a tax deduction but it does reduce my taxable income a bit.

I totally feel your frustration with the commuting costs! As everyone has confirmed, those daily miles to your regular office unfortunately aren't deductible. But since you mentioned you've been doing this 3-year commute, you might want to explore some alternatives to help with those costs. One thing that helped me was calculating whether it would actually be cheaper to move closer to work or find a job closer to home. With 64 miles daily (32 each way) at current gas prices plus wear and tear, you're probably spending $4,000+ annually just on commuting costs. That's a significant chunk of money that could go toward rent in a closer location or justify negotiating remote work days. Also, keep detailed records of ANY business travel you do beyond your regular commute - even small trips to pick up office supplies or attend off-site meetings. Those miles at 67 cents each can add up to real deductions. And definitely ask HR about commuter benefits or flexible work arrangements if those are options at your company!