Do I Qualify For A Mileage Deduction?

[Jarrodm08]

I work as a "Mobile" Security Officer. I use my personal car and am assigned multiple different work-site locations (Electrical Substations) through any given week. These facilities are not permanent locations for me and where I am assigned can change in a moments notice. Sometimes these locations end up being 75-100mi from where I live. I want to know if I can somehow get a tax deduction for the excessive mileage I put on my personal car. My employer's office is 45 minutes from where I live, but the locations distance ends up being random and often much farther than the office's location. Is this considered regular commuting, or because my "work" location changes dynamically throughout any given week, am I allowed to take some kind of deductions. 

[DoninGA]

What is your status in regards of employment?  Are you an employee of the company where you receive a W-2 each tax year?  Or are you a self-employed independent contractor where your income is reported on a Form 1099-MISC or other type of statement NOT a W-2?

If you are a W-2 employee then none of the employee business expenses for the use of your personal vehicle are deductible on a federal tax return due to the tax code changes affecting tax years 2018 thru 2025.

[Carl]

Starting with the 2018 tax year, W-2 work related expenses are no longer deductible. I would suggest you talk with your employer about what is called an "employer sponsored reimbursement plan". With this type of setup, you provide your employer with receipts for your expenses and they employer reimburses you for those expenses that you can prove. Then, those reimbursed expenses are not included in box 1 of your W-2.

If the employer reimburses you via any other method or plan, then the employer is required to include the reimbursed amount on your W-2 and you are required to pay taxes on it.