Self employed mileage deduction - what counts for work travel vs commuting?

The confusion is totally understandable! Here's the deal: even for self-employed folks, the IRS makes a distinction between "commuting" miles and "business" miles, and they're pretty strict about it. If you have a regular office or place of business outside your home, driving there and back is still considered commuting (non-deductible). What IS deductible is driving from your main workplace to other business locations, client sites, or business errands during the day. Where this gets different - if your main office is a qualifying home office, then driving from home to client sites, meetings, or other work locations can be deductible since you're traveling from one business location (home office) to another. As for designating a vehicle as 100% business use - you can only do this if you use it EXCLUSIVELY for business purposes (never for personal trips). Even then, commuting miles are still non-deductible. Most self-employed people use their vehicles for both business and personal use, which means tracking business miles and taking a proportional deduction.

After struggling with mileage deductions for my consulting business for years, I started using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed how I handle this. I was making the same mistake of thinking I could deduct all miles if my car was "for business," but the tool helped me understand exactly which miles count. It analyzes your situation and shows which driving patterns are deductible based on your specific self-employment setup. I uploaded my mileage logs and it flagged patterns that looked like commuting vs. actual business travel. Saved me from a potential audit headache!

I was skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to try it after continuing to be confused about my mileage deductions. Wow, was I wrong! The system analyzed my driving patterns and showed that I was actually UNDER-deducting by about 1,200 miles because I wasn't counting trips from my home office to vendors and suppliers. The visual maps showing which routes were business vs. commuting made everything click for me. It also helped me understand how to properly document everything. I'm now tracking things properly for 2025 taxes and expect to save about $700 more than I would have. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about this stuff.

If you're still struggling with the IRS rules on mileage deductions, you might want to call the IRS directly to get clarification for your specific situation. I know, I know - calling the IRS sounds like a nightmare with hours of waiting. That's why I used https://claimyr.com to get through to an agent in under 20 minutes. I was confused about whether my construction contracting business could deduct trips between job sites even though I didn't have a home office. The agent explained exactly what I could and couldn't claim. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the phone system for you and call you back when an agent is on the line.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After being totally skeptical, I tried it yesterday because I was desperate to get an answer about mileage deductions before filing my quarterly taxes. I was shocked when I got a call back in about 45 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS representative. The agent clarified that in my specific situation (mobile IT consultant), I can deduct mileage between client sites but not from home to the first client or from the last client back home unless I have a qualifying home office (which I don't yet). This clears up exactly what the original poster was asking about - even with a "business vehicle," commuting miles to your first work location aren't deductible without a home office. Saved me from making a potentially costly mistake on my returns.

Just wanted to add something nobody's mentioned yet - if you're deciding between taking actual expenses vs. the standard mileage rate (58.5 cents per mile in 2024), remember that if you choose actual expenses in the first year, you're locked into that method for the life of that vehicle. If you use standard mileage the first year, you can switch back and forth in later years. Also, don't forget parking fees and tolls! Those are deductible as separate expenses no matter which method you use.

The key thing missing from this whole conversation is the home office deduction. If u have a qualifying home office, then u can deduct miles from home to work sites because ur traveling from one business location to another. Without a qualifying home office, ur always "commuting" to the first location. So before worrying about vehicle deduction, make sure u have a legitimate home office (used regularly and exclusively for business). My accountant verified this saved me like $3800 last year on my taxes.

Great discussion everyone! As someone who's been self-employed for 5 years, I want to emphasize something that really helped me understand this: think of it as WHERE your business day starts, not what kind of vehicle you have. If you work from home (with a qualifying home office), your business day starts at home - so driving to clients/jobs is business travel. If you rent office space or have a shop, your business day starts there - so driving TO that location is commuting, but driving FROM there to other business locations is deductible. The "100% business vehicle" thing is a red herring - it just means you use that vehicle only for business purposes (never personal trips). It doesn't magically turn commuting miles into business miles. The IRS cares about the PURPOSE of the trip, not the vehicle. One more tip: if you're borderline on whether your home office qualifies, it's worth consulting a tax professional. The deduction potential is huge, but the IRS requirements are specific and strictly enforced.