How to split vehicle expenses between two different jobs on Schedule C

Based on your situation, you have a couple of options for handling this on your Schedule C forms. Option 1: The simplest approach would be to allocate the miles based on the proportion of income from each business. For example, if DoorDash was 60% of your gig income and Wag was 40%, you could allocate 2,400 miles to DoorDash and 1,600 miles to Wag. This is a reasonable method if you don't have specific records. Option 2: You could make a good faith estimate based on your typical work patterns. If you generally drove more for one service than the other, reflect that in your allocation. Either way, I would recommend documenting how you arrived at your allocation method in case of questions later. The IRS does prefer contemporaneous mileage logs, but they understand reasonable estimates when necessary. For the future, I'd strongly recommend using a mileage tracking app like MileIQ or Everlance that can help you track which miles went to which business. This will make your tax filing much easier next year!

After facing a similar situation last year with multiple gig jobs, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much stress! When I couldn't figure out how to properly split my expenses between different Schedule Cs, I uploaded my bank statements and they automatically identified which transactions belonged to which gig work. The system even helped me identify deductible expenses I was missing and gave me specific guidance on how to properly allocate shared expenses like my car between multiple businesses. The best part was getting personalized advice about my specific situation rather than generic Google answers.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai from the recommendation above. Seriously wish I'd known about this earlier! I uploaded my statements and it actually found $1,300 in deductible expenses I would have missed. For my vehicle situation specifically (I also had multiple gigs), it suggested allocating based on a combination of income proportion and typical mileage patterns for each type of service, which seems much more accurate than my original plan. The tool even helped me create a retroactive mileage log based on my delivery history that should satisfy the IRS if I'm ever questioned. The personalized guidance on Schedule C was way more helpful than the generic advice I'd been finding online.

If you're still struggling with getting clarity on this, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly. After trying for days to get through their regular line (constant busy signals or disconnections), I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes. I had a similar situation with allocation questions for my Schedule C businesses, and talking to an actual agent gave me definitive answers. They have a demo video showing exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Before using this service I spent 3+ hours on hold only to get disconnected. The agent I finally spoke to confirmed my allocation method was acceptable and gave me some documentation tips to protect myself in case of an audit.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr from my comment above. After struggling with the IRS phone line for days and getting nowhere, I reluctantly tried it yesterday. Got a call back in about 35 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. I asked specifically about allocating vehicle expenses between multiple Schedule C businesses without exact records. The agent confirmed that using a reasonable method like income proportion is acceptable, but recommended documenting my methodology and keeping better records going forward. She also suggested I include a brief explanation of my allocation method in the "Additional Information" section of my return. Would never have gotten this clarity without actually speaking to someone, and I'd still be hitting redial without that service.

I've been filing multiple Schedule Cs for years and here's what's worked for me: when in doubt, be more conservative on your deductions and keep documentation of your estimation method. I usually allocate based on income percentages but round down slightly to be safe. Also, don't forget that if you're claiming the standard mileage rate (which is probably easiest in your situation), you can't also claim actual expenses like gas, insurance, and repairs. It's one or the other.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - if this is going to be an ongoing issue, consider setting up separate business bank accounts for each gig job. I did this last year and it's made tracking expenses for each Schedule C WAY easier. Not helpful for your current situation but might save you headaches next year.

Great question! I went through something similar last year with Uber and Instacart. Here's what I learned from my tax preparer: The IRS generally accepts reasonable allocation methods when you don't have perfect records. Your best bet is to allocate based on a combination of factors that make sense for your situation: 1. **Income proportion** - If DoorDash was 70% of your gig income, allocate 70% of miles there 2. **Adjust for business type** - Since food delivery typically requires more driving per dollar than dog walking, you might weight the DoorDash allocation slightly higher For your 4,000 total miles, document your reasoning (maybe DoorDash gets 75% = 3,000 miles, Wag gets 25% = 1,000 miles) and keep a simple written explanation of how you arrived at these numbers. The key is being reasonable and consistent. At $0.67 per mile for 2024, that's still a significant deduction that's worth claiming properly. Just make sure to use the standard mileage rate consistently across both Schedule Cs - don't mix it with actual expense method. And definitely start tracking properly going forward! Even a simple phone app will save you this headache next year.