How to properly track mileage for temporary work locations as an independent contractor

Hey tax folks! I'm hoping someone can clarify the rules about mileage tracking for my situation. My brother and I both do independent contracting on the side and are trying to figure out what we can legitimately deduct for mileage in 2025. For context, I run a dog walking/pet care business while he does occupational therapy home visits for clients. I primarily work from my apartment for my main job, and my brother's regular job is at a medical center. We're confused about what trips qualify as deductible. Can I track miles from my apartment to each pet owner's home? And for my brother, can he deduct travel from both his home AND from his medical center to clients' houses for his side business? I found some IRS publication excerpt that started explaining temporary work locations but it wasn't super clear to me. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

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20 comments

Bruno Simmons

•8M

The mileage tracking rules can definitely be confusing, but I can help clear this up for you both! For your pet sitting business, you can generally deduct mileage from your home to client locations since your home is your principal place of business for that self-employment activity. Since you work from your apartment for your main job and run your pet sitting business from there as well, your home qualifies as your business headquarters. For your brother, it's a bit different. He can deduct mileage from his home to client homes if he's conducting business directly from home (like handling administrative work there). However, if he goes directly from his medical center job to clients, he can only deduct mileage beyond his normal commute to the medical center. Essentially, he can deduct the extra distance between his regular workplace and the client location. The key concept here is "temporary work locations" - these are places where you expect to work for less than one year. Both your pet sitting locations and your brother's therapy client homes likely qualify as temporary work locations.

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Bruno Simmons

•8M

If your brother goes directly from his regular job to a client, he can deduct the entire distance between the medical center and the client's home. The IRS considers this as business travel between work locations, which is fully deductible. Even if the client's home is closer to the medical center than his own home would be, he can still deduct the full mileage from the medical center to the client. The comparison to his normal commute only applies in specific situations when traveling from home. When traveling between work locations, the entire distance is generally deductible.

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Zane Gray

•8M

I was in almost the exact same situation last year with my photography business! I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that completely saved me when figuring out my complex mileage deductions. I was going from my day job to client photoshoots all over town and was super confused about what I could legally deduct. The tool analyzed my situation and gave me clear guidance on exactly which trips were deductible and which weren't. It even helped me understand the "temporary work location" rules that apply to your situation. For your brother's therapy visits, this would be especially helpful since his situation is more complex with multiple starting points. The tool can clarify which portions of his travel qualify for deductions so he maximizes his legitimate write-offs without risking an audit.

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Zane Gray

•8M

Yes, it absolutely works for rideshare drivers! The tool has specific guidance for gig economy work including Uber/Lyft driving. It helps you sort through which miles count (like when you have a passenger or are en route to pick someone up) versus personal miles or non-deductible commuting. The tool uses a combination of IRS rules and your specific inputs to determine deductibility. You don't need GPS integration (though you can upload that data if you have it). Instead, you provide your work pattern details, and it applies the current tax regulations to your specific situation. For example, it would recognize that a rideshare driver's "office" is essentially their car, which changes how the rules apply compared to someone with a fixed workplace.

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Maggie Martinez

•8M

Just wanted to follow up! I tried taxr.ai after asking about it and wow, total game changer for my Uber driving situation! I found out I was actually UNDER-reporting my deductible miles because I didn't realize all the miles driving to pickup locations were fully deductible too. The explanation they gave about how my car becomes my "office" made everything click for me. I was able to go back and fix my tracking to include all eligible miles. Probably saved me like $1500 in taxes I would have overpaid. Thanks for the recommendation!

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Monique Byrd

•8M

If you're having trouble getting answers from the IRS about mileage deductions (like I did), try https://claimyr.com - you can check out how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. After trying for WEEKS to get through to the IRS on my own about some complex mileage situations for my consulting business, I was ready to give up. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hour hold times I was experiencing. The agent confirmed that for my situation (similar to your brother's), I could deduct mileage between work locations even when one is my regular W-2 job and the other is for my independent contractor work. It was such a relief to get an official answer directly from the IRS instead of just hoping I was interpreting the rules correctly!

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Monique Byrd

•8M

It works by essentially navigating the IRS phone system for you and holding your place in line. When they reach an agent, they call you and connect you directly. It's not magic - they're just doing the waiting for you. I definitely spoke with an actual IRS agent, not a third-party expert. They had access to my tax records and everything. The IRS agent I spoke with reviewed my specific mileage situation and confirmed exactly which portions of my travel were deductible under the temporary work location rules. That's how I found out my trips from my W-2 job directly to consulting clients were fully deductible.

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Alejandro Castro

•8M

Ok I need to eat my words. After seeing these comments I decided to try Claimyr because I've been fighting with the IRS about my mileage deductions for MONTHS. They flagged my return for audit because I deducted travel between my teaching job and private tutoring clients. Got connected to an IRS representative in about 25 minutes (which is a miracle). The agent actually went through the temporary work location rules with me and confirmed that YES, my driving from school to tutoring clients IS deductible because they're separate jobs and the tutoring locations are temporary work sites. Just having that conversation saved me almost $3k in back taxes they were trying to charge me. Honestly shocked this actually worked.

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Lia Quinn

•8M

Just to add another perspective - I'm a mobile hairstylist and my accountant told me to think about it this way: if you wouldn't be making the trip except for business purposes, it's probably deductible. For example, I would never drive to a client's house if not for doing their hair, so that's business mileage. But my drive to my salon job is just regular commuting because I'd go there regardless. Make sure y'all are keeping a DETAILED mileage log with dates, starting point, destination, business purpose, and miles driven!! I learned this the hard way after an audit last year.

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Lia Quinn

•8M

I personally use a combination of methods. I have a simple paper logbook in my car where I quickly jot down the date, client name/location, odometer readings, and purpose. Then once a week I transfer everything to a spreadsheet where I calculate the actual miles. There are definitely apps that can make this easier! Before my audit, I was just using my Google timeline data which was NOT detailed enough for the IRS. They want to see that you're actively tracking in real-time, not reconstructing later. For your chaotic pet sitting schedule, I'd recommend something like MileIQ or Everlance that can automatically detect trips and let you swipe to categorize them as business or personal. The few dollars a month for the app is well worth avoiding the headache of inadequate records.

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Matthew Sanchez

•6M

Great question about mileage tracking! As someone who's dealt with similar situations, I wanted to add a few key points that might help clarify things for you and your brother. For your pet sitting business, since you work from your apartment for both your main job and run your pet care business from there, your home definitely qualifies as your principal place of business. This means you can deduct mileage from your apartment to each client's home - these are legitimate business trips to temporary work locations. For your brother's OT visits, the situation is a bit more nuanced. If he goes directly from his medical center job to client homes, he can deduct the full mileage from the medical center to the client location. The key is that he's traveling between two work locations for business purposes. However, if he goes home first and then to clients, he can only deduct from his home to the client. One thing I'd strongly recommend is starting a detailed mileage log RIGHT NOW if you haven't already. Include date, starting point, destination, business purpose, and actual miles driven. The IRS is pretty strict about contemporaneous records, so apps like MileIQ or even a simple notebook in your car can save you major headaches later. Also keep in mind that the standard mileage rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile, which adds up quickly when you're doing a lot of business driving!

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