What/how do you file mileage? I used the MileIQ app but I wanted to make sure I got the actually money back?

[melaneeka]

I also kept gas receipts. Is there i way to get actually money back for that as well?

[DoninGA]

Are you an employee and is this for tax year 2018?  If so, employee expenses are no longer deductible on a tax return for tax years 2018 through 2025.

[Critter]

And it is not "actual money back" in your refund but a reduction in taxable income which reduces your tax bill which can then increase your refund or reduce your tax bill.

[melaneeka]

I did Uber eats and tracked my mileage. If you had a driving job you’d get “actual money” for the miles that you drove throughout the day. With Uber your suppose to keep track of the miles driven multipled by the whatever Ohio’s mileages rate is. So how would you get you’re money from all the mileage that was owed due to not having an actual employer?

[Critter]

There are 17 unique categories for entering business expenses in the TurboTax Home and Business program for a Schedule C ( in addition to the vehicle, home office & assets sections).  Follow the program interview screens to enter all the vehicle expenses in the Sch C section ... see my other answer below.

[rjs]

When you are self-employed you do not get directly reimbursed for mileage the way you would if you were an employee. Your mileage is a business expense. The mileage, along with other expenses, gets subtracted from the total amount of money that you took in. Your total income minus expenses is the net business income that you pay tax on.

[Critter]

The mileage IQ app asks how you file and your income tax bracket so it can estimate how much taxes you are saving if you used the standard mileage rate ... this is not the same thing as adding money to your refund that you can spend.

[rjs]

If you are eligible to deduct vehicle expenses, you can deduct either the standard mileage rate or actual expenses, not both. The standard mileage rate covers all expenses of operating the vehicle, including gas, maintenance and repairs, insurance, depreciation, etc. So you cannot deduct both mileage and gas. It's one or the other.

How you claim the deduction depends on whether it's for a job where you get a W-2, or for your own business or self-employment. As DoninGA said, if it's for a W-2 job, the deduction has been eliminated for 2018 through 2025. If it's for your own business or self-employment, you enter it along with your other business expenses.

[Critter]

If you are new to being self employed and  acting as your own bookkeeper and tax preparer you need to get educated ....   

If you have net self employment income of $400 or more you have to file a schedule C in your personal 1040 return for self employment business income. You may get a 1099-Misc for some of your income but you need to report all your income.  So you need to keep your own good records. Here is some reading material……

IRS information on Self Employment….
http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Self-Employed-Individuals-Tax-Center 

Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p334.pdf 

Publication 535 Business Expenses
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p535.pdf 

Home Office Expenses … Business Use of the Home

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/home-office-deduction

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p587.pdf

There is also QuickBooks Self Employment bundle you can check out which includes one Turbo Tax Home & Business return and will help you keep up in your bookkeeping all year along with calculating the estimated payments needed ....
http://quickbooks.intuit.com/self-employed

Self Employment tax (Scheduled SE) is generated if a person has $400 or more of net profit from self-employment on Schedule C.  You pay 15.3% for 2017 SE tax on 92.35% of your Net Profit greater than $400.  The 15.3% self employed SE Tax is to pay both the employer part and employee part of Social Security and Medicare.  So you get social security credit for it when you retire.  You do get to take off the 50% ER portion of the SE tax as an adjustment on line 27 of the 1040.  The SE tax is already included in your tax due or reduced your refund.  It is on the 1040 line 57.  The SE tax is in addition to your regular income tax on the net profit.
 


PAYING ESTIMATES
For SE self employment tax - if you have a net profit (after expenses) of $400 or more you will pay 15.3% for 2017  SE Tax on 92.35% of your net profit in addition to your regular income tax on it. So if you have other income like W2 income your extra business income might put you into a higher tax bracket.

You must make quarterly estimated tax payments for the current tax year (or next year) if both of the following apply:
- 1. You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for the current tax year, after subtracting your withholding and credits. 
 
- 2. You expect your withholding and credits to be less than the smaller of: 
    90% of the tax to be shown on your current year’s tax return, or 
  100% of the tax shown on your prior year’s tax return. (Your prior year tax return must cover all 12 months.)

To prepare estimates for next year, You can just type W4 in the search box at the top of your return , click on Find. Then Click on Jump To and it will take you to the estimated tax payments section. Say no to changing your W-4 and the next screen will start the estimated taxes section.

OR Go to….
Federal Taxes or Personal (H&B version)
Other Tax Situations
Other Tax Forms
Form W-4 and Estimated Taxes - Click the Start or Update button

[Critter]

Where do I enter my Uber or Lyft expenses?

When you're an Uber or Lyft driver who shuffles customers from Point A to Point B and back again, it's easy to rack up serious expenses. Thankfully, since you're now running your own business, there are plenty of things you can deduct on your taxes and TurboTax Online Self-Employed is here to help you.

With TurboTax Self-Employed, reporting your expenses for Uber or Lyft is really straightforward. Because you’re running your own business, you’ll file your expenses (Schedule-C) in TurboTax just like any other self-employed person.

We’ll ask you some questions to help you identify and enter your vehicle info, your supplies, phone service, and other expenses. We'll let you know if you qualify for any credits or deductions - and help you maximize your refund (if you're eligible).

Here's where to enter your Uber or Lyft work expenses - This includes driving-related expenses and non-driving expenses (supplies, phone service, home office, etc.).

·         If you drive for Uber, here are some additional details on entering Uber driving-related expenses.

·         If you drive for Lyft, here are some additional details on entering Lyft driving-related expenses.

Related Information:

·         What self-employed expenses can I deduct?

·         How do I report income from self-employment?

·         Where do I enter my business expenses in TurboTax CD/Download Home & Business?

·         How does my side job affect my taxes?

Tax Tips for Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and other Car Sharing Drivers FAQ
 https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Self-Employment-Taxes/Tax-Tips-for-Uber--Lyft--Sideca...