I noticed that you are using the Self-Employed version of TurboTax. Using the Standard Mileage Rate is a method of claiming the use of a vehicle for Business purposes. This is the counterpart of the Actual Cost Method in which you keep track of fuel, repairs, and maintenance throughout the year and expense these items on your Schedule C. The use of the Standard Mileage Rate for Business purposes is not correlated or restricted to the election of the Standard Deduction.
For Personal use, there is mileage that you can claim and it is correlated to whether you use the Standard Deduction or the Itemized Deduction through Schedule A. Mileage that is itemized as a deduction in Schedule A must have been for a specific purpose; Travel for Medical purposes, Charitable Mileage, and Employee Business Expenses. This means that if the sum of the all the deductions in Schedule A do not exceed the amount of your Standard Deduction, per your Filing Status, electing Schedule A for your Deduction will not be beneficial to your Tax Return. Below is the Standard Deduction Table for Tax Year 2016:
- Single $6,300.00
- Married Filing Joint
or Qualified Widow(er) $12,600.00
- Married Filing
Separate $6,300.00
- Head of Household
$9300.00
- Dependent $1,050.00
I have also attached a list of Common Itemized Deductions. This way you can look for as many of these deductions as possible and make an informed decision on your deduction, and be absolutely sure that you are receiving the best return possible.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3302360
