Owner operator miles driven

[nwagtmustang]

I am an owner operator truck driver.  I have turbo tax home and business.  I started as an independent contractor October 1st of last year.  First time using turbo tax as a business.  I pay a montly fee from the owner to use the truck.  Its a lease but not a lease to own.  Turbo tax asks me how much the truck is worth and what I pay for the lease.  If I don't plan on buying the truck why does it matter what it is worth?  Next question turbo tax asks me is total miles driven for the year.  I cant deduct miles as a business expense since my job is driving.  Do I leave it blank or put in the total miles driven for the year as an owner operator? 

[MaryK1 · Accepted solution]

If you lease a car, truck, or van that you use in your business, you can use the standard mileage rate or actual expenses to figure your deductible expense.  If you enter all of the information, Turbo Tax will calculate and compare both so you get the bigger deduction.

There is also something called an inclusion amount for leased vehicles, usually it applies to luxury cars (because the amount for depreciation is limited)  Usually with a work truck this does not apply, but Turbo Tax will determine that based on your entries- that is why you must enter the “fair market value” of the vehicle when you started using it for business. 

It asks you for the miles because some people use the business vehicle for personal use as well (once again, usually a car) so you enter the business miles and personal miles driven.  If you did use the truck 50% for business, you would only get to deduct half the expenses.

For more information, please see https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch04.html#en_US_2016_publink100034045 or add more details!

[nwagtmustang]

You cant deduct miles as an owner operator for a commercial truck.  I'm not using a vehicle to make sales or do presentations.  I am transporting goods from a shipper to a receiver.  However I can deduct the lease payment and all repairs and maintenance on the vehicle which is 100 percent deductible.   Its a 2005 truck with almost 1 million miles on it.  Its not worth much but I pay 800 a month to lease it.  Therefor my question is do I leave the miles section at zero and put in all my expenses regarding the truck and will turbo tax give me a 100 percent deduction or do I put those expenses somewhere else?

[MaryK1]

I did not realize you were commercial.  You will enter the lease payment and all the expenses (gas etc).  If you enter the miles Turbo Tax will give you the expenses because that deduction would be larger.  Just be sure to answer that the truck was used 100% for business.

[TaxGuyBill]

You still need to enter the miles, just don't enter any personal miles.  The miles are still entered because some business vehicles are used for some personal miles, and the program needs to prorate the Actual Expenses based on the total business percentage.

[nwagtmustang]

ok thank you.  I thought if I entered zero it would not allow me to deduct the other expenses.  I'm still waiting on my 1099 but wanted to get my expense done and out of the way.