topic Can I claim milage to and from work as a freelance/contract worker? in Self employed

Can I claim milage to and from work as a freelance/contract worker?

MrBovey — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:42:45 GMT

I had a couple W2's this year from a regular part time job and a temporary job, the rest of my work came in multiple 1099's as a self employed individual.

I used an app to track the milage to and from work for those 1099 jobs. Can I claim those miles as deductible on my taxes?

Re: Can I claim milage to and from work as a freelance/contract worker?

AnnetteB6 — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:45:16 GMT

It depends. If your home qualifies as your principal place of business, then the mileage from home to the self-employed work locations and back is deductible on Schedule C. Otherwise, it is considered to be commuting miles and is not deductible.

If you traveled between locations for the self-employed work, then those miles would be deductible on your Schedule C.

To learn more about what it means to have your home qualify as your principal place of business, see the following TurboTax help article:

What qualifies as "Principal Place of Business" for the home office deduction?

Re: Can I claim milage to and from work as a freelance/contract worker?

MrBovey — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 21:51:13 GMT

So if I'm understanding this article correctly, say most my work is outside of my home, but I have a 'home office' space in my home with a computer and other stuff I use only for work related stuff like invoicing, bookkeeping, etc, then that would qualify as a principal place of business, and all the miles I drove for work would be tax deductible?

Re: Can I claim milage to and from work as a freelance/contract worker?

MrBovey — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:50:20 GMT

Re: Can I claim milage to and from work as a freelance/contract worker?

CesarJ — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:07:11 GMT

Yes, your home office can be considered your principal place of business, allowing you to deduct the mileage driven for work. However, this is only allowed if the space is used exclusively for business-related activities. Crucially, the office must be solely dedicated to work and can't be used for any mixed or personal purposes.

@MrBovey