If I have a home office and physical office can I deduct miles?

[bobross]

Hello. I have a home office that I work in primarily but also have a physical office that I go to 3 or 4x  per week. Are the miles to my physical office deductible anytime? 

Sometimes I am going straight from home office to physical office and sometimes I am going to pick up inventory, meet with clients, etc. and then going to office if that makes a difference. Thanks. 

[Critter]

Ok ... if this physical office is for your own business where you pay the expenses like rent/utilities ( and not a client's office) then you cannot take any office in home expenses.  The fact that you choose to work from the house doesn't make it a work space since you have a permanent place for your business elsewhere.  And the miles from your home to the business are also not deductible ... they are commuting miles just like anyone else that drives to work.  

[bobross]

Makes sense. 

[bobross]

Reading around I'm seeing things that do point to it being possible for me to deduct miles to my 2nd office. If I establish my home as my principle place of business (it is), then another office may be OK to deduct business miles: 

https://markjkohler.com/deducting-commuting-expenses-with-a-home-office/

Am I missing something?

[bobross]

any insight?

[maglib]

Are you an employee of the business?  That would matter.  As an employee Employee expenses for business use of the home no longer allowed. You can no longer claim any miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A, including expenses for using your home as an employee. Miscellaneous itemized deductions are those deductions that would have been subject to the 2% of adjusted gross income limitation.  See below about travel expenses and proximity and normal occurence as rules have changed.

You should read up on publication 587 if you are a business owner:  

 https://www.irs.gov/publications/p587#en_US_2018_publink1000226292

To qualify to deduct expenses for business use of your home, you must use part of your home:

• Exclusively and regularly as your principal place of business (see Principal Place of Business , later);

• Exclusively and regularly as a place where you meet or deal with patients, clients, or customers in the normal course of your trade or business;

• In the case of a separate structure which is not attached to your home, in connection with your trade or business;

• On a regular basis for certain storage use (see Storage of inventory or product samples , later);

• For rental use (see Pub. 527); or

• As a daycare facility (see Daycare Facility , later).

Then in regards to travel expenses:

Travel expenses are the ordinary and necessary expenses of traveling away from home for your business, profession, or job. You can't deduct expenses that are lavish or extravagant, or that are for personal purposes.

You're traveling away from home if your duties require you to be away from the general area of your tax home for a period substantially longer than an ordinary day's work, and you need to get sleep or rest to meet the demands of your work while away.

Generally, your tax home is the entire city or general area where your main place of business or work is located, regardless of where you maintain your family home. For example, you live with your family in Chicago but work in Milwaukee where you stay in a hotel and eat in restaurants. You return to Chicago every weekend. You may not deduct any of your travel, meals or lodging in Milwaukee because that's your tax home. Your travel on weekends to your family home in Chicago isn't for your work, so these expenses are also not deductible. If you regularly work in more than one place, your tax home is the general area where your main place of business or work is located.

In determining your main place of business, take into account the length of time you normally need to spend at each location for business purposes, the degree of business activity in each area, and the relative significance of the financial return from each area. However, the most important consideration is the length of time you spend at each location.

You can deduct travel expenses paid or incurred in connection with a temporary work assignment away from home. However, you can't deduct travel expenses paid in connection with an indefinite work assignment. Any work assignment in excess of one year is considered indefinite. Also, you may not deduct travel expenses at a work location if you realistically expect that you'll work there for more than one year, whether or not you actually work there that long. If you realistically expect to work at a temporary location for one year or less, and the expectation changes so that at some point you realistically expect to work there for more than one year, travel expenses become nondeductible when your expectation changes.

Travel expenses for conventions are deductible if you can show that your attendance benefits your trade or business. Special rules apply to conventions held outside the North American area.

Deductible travel expenses while away from home include, but aren't limited to, the costs of:

1. Travel by airplane, train, bus or car between your home and your business destination. (If you're provided with a ticket or you're riding free as a result of a frequent traveler or similar program, your cost is zero.)
2. Fares for taxis or other types of transportation between the airport or train station and your hotel, the hotel and the work location, and from one customer to another, or from one place of business to another.
3. Shipping of baggage, and sample or display material between your regular and temporary work locations.
4. Using your car while at your business destination. You can deduct actual expenses or the standard mileage rate, as well as business-related tolls and parking fees. If you rent a car, you can deduct only the business-use portion for the expenses.
5. Meals and lodging.
6. Dry cleaning and laundry.
7. Business calls while on your business trip. (This includes business communications by fax machine or other communication devices.)
8. Tips you pay for services related to any of these expenses.
9. Other similar ordinary and necessary expenses related to your business travel. (These expenses might include transportation to and from a business meal, public stenographer's fees, computer rental fees, and operating and maintaining a house trailer.)

Instead of keeping records of your meal expenses and deducting the actual cost, you can generally use a standard meal allowance, which varies depending on where you travel. The deduction for business meals is generally limited to 50% of the unreimbursed cost.

If you're self-employed, you can deduct travel expenses on Form 1040, Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business (Sole Proprietorship) (PDF) or Form 1040, Schedule C-EZ, Net Profit From Business (Sole Proprietorship) (PDF), or if you're a farmer, on Form 1040, Schedule F, Profit or Loss From Farming (PDF).

If you're a member of the National Guard or military reserve, you may be able to claim a deduction for unreimbursed travel expenses paid in connection with the performance of services as a reservist that reduces your adjusted gross income. This travel must be overnight and more than 100 miles from your home. Expenses must be ordinary and necessary. This deduction is limited to the regular federal per diem rate (for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses) and the standard mileage rate (for car expenses) plus any parking fees, ferry fees, and tolls. Claim these expenses on Form 2106 (PDF) and line 24 of Form 1040, Schedule 1 (PDF) and carry them to the appropriate line on Form 1040 as an adjustment to income.

Good records are essential. Refer to Topic No. 305 for information on recordkeeping. For more information on these and other travel expenses, refer to Publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses.

[Carl]

I have a home office that I work in primarily but also have a physical office that I go to 3 or 4x per week. Are the miles to my physical office deductible anytime?

Travel between your primary residence and your primary place of employment are commuting miles. Those miles are never deductible on any tax return.

I suspect you are a medical professional that has an office away from your primary residence where you see clients. That would be your primary place of employment. Therefore the commuting miles between the two locations are just not deductible, even if you see a few of your clients in your home office.

The fact that your home office is where "I work in primarily" if the work done in that home office does not produce more than half of your income, it's not your primary place of employment.  So things like reviewing records or performing book keeping in  your home office do not qualify as "income producing" activities.

[bobross]

I'm not a physician I run an internet marketing business. I work from home most of the time although a few days a week I go to my physical office in the next town over to do things like record video, fulfill orders, meet with clients, etc. (essentially everything that I can't do on a laptop from home).