Fly-In race mechanic - follow-up questions

[KnotMo]

Great info - thanks!  I've been tracking many of these expenses but will definitely get more detailed going forward.

So now... more questions:

Airfare is the team's expense; can I claim transportation to/from the airport (taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc.)?

If/when I drive my personal car I usually get reimbursed for mileage, and sometimes tolls - but not always; each team is different.  There are also club memberships one sometimes needs to purchase for event insurance coverage, and a subscription for race monitoring.  If teams don't reimburse for these, may they be claimed?

Thanks again!  Today has been very helpful.

[LEG_EA]

The most important point of all is that the expenses are "ordinary and necessary".  Which means that you definitely need to incur in those expenses so you can provide your services.  Regarding meals, you definitely need to pay attention if they are travel meals or business meals.  They are treated differently.  Business meals usually will be for meetings with clients, or some business contact.  Travel meals are the meals while away from your tax home.  

But to answer your question, in general, if it's an expense you need to incur to perform your services and they are not reimbursed, then they should be deductible (some with certain limitations).  

For more information, you can check Topic No. 511, Business Travel Expenses.

[KnotMo]

Thank you @LEG_EA for the clarification and reference material.  Although teams may entertain clients I, as a mechanic, do not.  My meal expenses are strictly for myself while traveling; for example, getting breakfast/lunch before driving to the track from the airport, or stopping for dinner on the drive from the track to the airport.

[LEG_EA]

@KnotMo  as @johnd84 explained in your previous post, the most important thing is keeping track.  I usually suggest business owners to keep all their business activity in one place.  Avoid using cash.  That will help you with the tracking.  Don't mix personal with business.  Keep all those expenses in your business account.  Documentation will be your best friend when it comes to taxes.

[KnotMo]

@LEG_EA , @johnd84 - couldn't agree more.  We use an Excel spreadsheet tracker to log each event, dates, locations, method of travel, expense details, etc. and review the credit card regularly, marking any business expenses accordingly.  Based on today's information we may be able to claim a few more deductions/expenses than we previously had been.  Truly appreciate your responses today - thanks again!