Forgot to fill commuting miles on tax return - will IRS audit me for this?

This isn't something you should be overly concerned about. The IRS generally doesn't trigger audits based solely on blank fields in the mileage section, especially if the other sections are completed. From what you've described, it sounds like you're primarily working from home, which means you may genuinely have minimal traditional "commuting" miles. If you're driving directly from your home office to client sites, those are actually considered business miles, not commuting miles. Commuting miles only apply to traveling between your home and a regular work location. If your situation is that you're working from home and then traveling to various client locations, then your business miles reporting is likely accurate, and having zero or blank commuting miles would be correct. The "other miles" you've listed cover your personal driving.

I had a similar issue with tracking mileage last year and was totally overwhelmed trying to figure out which miles counted for what. I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that completely changed how I handle my business expenses and mileage tracking. What I like is that it analyzes your situation and helps clarify exactly which miles count as business vs commuting based on your specific work arrangement. It saved me from making some big mistakes on my deductions. If you're concerned about your current return, they can also review it and tell you if there's anything that needs to be fixed or if you're actually fine as is.

I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and I'm actually impressed. I was super skeptical at first (still am about most "AI tax" things), but it analyzed my mileage situation and found I'd been incorrectly categorizing a bunch of miles as commuting when they were actually business miles because of my home office setup. Turns out I was leaving money on the table! It even generated a report I could use if I ever got questioned about it. For the original poster - it confirmed that blank commuting miles aren't an automatic audit trigger, especially if you legitimately work from home. Definitely worth checking out if you're worried.

If you're really concerned about potential issues with your return, you might want to try reaching the IRS directly to ask. I know that sounds impossible, but I used a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I called about a completely different issue with my return, but the agent was surprisingly helpful and cleared things up right away. They might be able to tell you if this is something you should worry about or if you need to file an amended return.

I need to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still desperate about my own tax issue so I tried Claimyr. I was absolutely convinced it was going to be a waste of money, but I was at my wit's end after trying to reach the IRS for weeks. It actually worked! I got a call back in about 25 minutes and was connected to a real IRS agent who helped resolve my issue. For the original poster - I also asked about the mileage question while I had them on the phone. The agent said missing commuting miles alone is extremely unlikely to trigger an audit, especially if you work from home. They suggested keeping better records going forward but said they wouldn't bother with an amended return just for that.

For what it's worth, I'm a rideshare driver and I accidentally left the commuting miles section blank last year. Nothing happened - no audit, no questions, nothing. The IRS is way too busy to audit people over something this minor, especially when the business miles make sense for your profession. Just make sure you have some kind of records backing up your business mileage in case they ever do ask questions. Even a basic log showing dates, destinations and odometer readings would be sufficient.

Just to add another perspective - the total mileage you reported actually matters more than leaving one category blank. If your business miles seem reasonable compared to your profession and income reported, you're likely fine. What tends to trigger flags is when someone claims an unusually high percentage of their total driving as business miles, like saying 95% of all driving was business-related. Your numbers (25996 business, 2999 personal) show about 90% business use, which is high but could be completely legitimate depending on your work.