What Miles Are Deductible For Food Delivery Gig Work? Tracking my DoorDash driving for taxes

The basic rule is that you can deduct business miles but not commuting miles. For food delivery gig work, this means: When you're actively working (app is on), those miles are generally deductible business expenses. This includes driving to pick up orders, delivering them, and driving between deliveries while waiting for your next order. The trickier part is the drive from home to your first pickup and from your last delivery back home. IRS guidance isn't crystal clear for gig workers specifically, but the general understanding is: If your home qualifies as your principal place of business (you handle administrative tasks, paperwork, planning routes there), those first and last trips might be deductible. If not, they'd be considered non-deductible commuting miles. I recommend keeping detailed records of ALL your mileage with timestamps and purpose. Track your starting odometer reading, ending reading, and purpose for each segment. Also note when your app is turned on/off. This documentation is crucial if you're ever audited.

Just wanted to share my experience with tracking mileage for food delivery. After struggling with this exact issue, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me sort through all my mileage deduction questions. I simply uploaded my mileage logs and some notes about my work patterns, and it analyzed everything to show me what was deductible. The tool flagged that I wasn't properly tracking when my app was on vs off, which could have cost me hundreds in deductions. It also gave me personalized guidance for my specific situation as a part-time delivery driver who sometimes works from home. Super helpful for figuring out those tricky "to and from home" miles!

I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow - it saved me so much headache! I uploaded my messy mileage logs (I had been inconsistently tracking in both Google Maps timeline and a notebook), and it organized everything and identified which miles I could safely deduct. The biggest eye-opener was learning that the miles driving around between deliveries while my app was on were 100% deductible. I'd been missing out on tracking those! It also flagged when I was taking too long between deliveries (suggesting personal use) which could trigger audit flags. For what it's worth, I'm now much more confident about my deductions and have a system that should hold up if I'm ever questioned. Definitely worth checking out if you're doing gig delivery work!

After spending HOURS trying to reach someone at the IRS about mileage deductions for my UberEats work, I finally tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent clarified that miles driven while my app is on and I'm available for work are generally deductible, even if I'm just driving to a better location waiting for orders. She also explained the documentation I need to keep (daily mileage log with starting/ending odometer readings and purpose). This was way better than the conflicting advice I was getting from random internet sources. Definitely recommend if you need to speak with the IRS directly about your specific situation.

I need to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I got desperate when trying to resolve a question about my mileage deductions for my GrubHub work that no one online could answer clearly. I tried the service and got connected to an IRS representative in about 25 minutes (it was during a busy time). The agent confirmed that all miles driven while my app is on and I'm available to accept orders are considered business miles - including driving to more popular areas between deliveries. This clarification is going to save me hundreds on my taxes since I've been driving about 30 miles per day just positioning myself in better locations! Sometimes being proven wrong is actually the best outcome.

Here's what my tax guy told me about delivery miles (I do UberEats and DoorDash): - Miles to first pickup: Only deductible if home is your principal place of business - Miles between all pickups and deliveries: 100% deductible - Miles while app is on and waiting: 100% deductible - Miles driving home: Same rule as first pickup The IRS looks at your "tax home" which could be your residence if you do administrative work there. Keep a log showing when you do tasks like checking earnings, planning routes, etc. at home. I personally use Everlance to track everything and just mark personal vs business trips. Saves me tons of time at tax season!

I've been doing food delivery for about 2 years now and here's what I learned about the mileage stuff: 1. KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING!!! Seriously, document every mile. 2. The standard mileage deduction (65.5 cents per mile for 2023) is usualy better than actual expenses unless you have a gas guzzler or expensive car repairs. 3. The app-on/app-off distinction is really important. When your app is on and youre available to accept orders, those miles count as business miles. 4. If you work from multiple apps (like I do with DD and UE), make sure your tracking can handle when you have multiple apps on at once. Don't double count miles! 5. Keep a seperate log of any non-driving business expenses too (hot bags, phone mounts, etc). Trust me, good records will save your butt if you get audited and help maximize your deductions!

Great question about parking fees! Yes, parking fees incurred while you're actively working (app on and available for orders) are generally deductible as business expenses. This includes: - Parking meters while waiting in busy areas for orders - Parking garage fees if you need to park to pick up from certain restaurants - Any parking costs directly related to your delivery work Just make sure to keep receipts and note the business purpose. I usually take a photo of parking receipts with my phone since they fade so quickly. One tip: if you're parking somewhere for an extended break or meal that's not work-related, that parking wouldn't be deductible. The key is whether the expense is necessary for your business activity. Also remember you can only deduct parking if you're using the standard mileage deduction method - if you choose to deduct actual vehicle expenses instead, parking fees would be included in that calculation rather than as a separate deduction.

This is super helpful! I've been doing DoorDash for about 6 months and have been really sloppy with my mileage tracking. Reading through everyone's responses, I think I've been missing out on a lot of deductible miles. I have a question about the "principal place of business" thing - how do you actually establish that your home qualifies? Do you need to have a dedicated office space, or is it enough that you do your delivery-related admin work there like checking earnings, planning routes, and organizing receipts? Also, for those using apps like Everlance - does it automatically know when delivery apps are on, or do you have to manually start/stop tracking when you begin and end your delivery shifts? I'm worried about accidentally tracking personal trips as business miles. Thanks for all the insights everyone! This thread has been way more helpful than the official IRS publications I've been trying to decipher.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the importance of keeping a contemporaneous mileage log. The IRS is very strict about this - you can't just recreate your mileage records at tax time based on your app earnings or memory. Your mileage log should include: - Date of each trip - Starting and ending odometer readings - Total miles driven - Business purpose (delivery work, driving to pickup location, etc.) - Starting and ending locations I learned this the hard way when a friend got audited and had to pay back deductions because their mileage tracking wasn't detailed enough. The IRS wants to see that you recorded this information at or near the time the expense was incurred, not months later. For gig workers specifically, I'd also recommend noting in your log when you turned your delivery app on/off each day. This helps establish which miles were truly for business purposes versus personal driving. A simple smartphone app or even a notebook in your car works fine - just make sure you're consistent about recording everything in real time!