Tax Deduction Worksheets Etc. For Trucking

Does anyone know where I can find or who I should call to get the 2016 list of expenses the truck drivers can claim on their taxes?

Call atbs, or h and r block.

I assume this is for owner operator or lease? If you work as a driver for a company (employee) then can you still deduct some expenses?

Yes there are things you can deduct as a company driver. Anything requered for you To do your job that the company dose not cover. Such as steel toe boots.

Here's a couple of decent lists you can check out:

https://www.taxslayer.com/support/1305/truck-driver-tax-deductions?language=1

For the most part if you need it for work and it can't be converted to an every day item. Say you buy a t shirt... ok yeah you need to wear a shirt for work but it's not the only thing you'll use that shirt for, on the flip side a pair of steel toe boots you'll use it for work but it's not exactly something you wear when not working. make sense?

Be careful when making deductions though cause if you are trying to get something like a home loan, this will lower your AGI (adjusted gross income), which to someone approving a loan makes it look like you made less money then you actually did. Iv'e heard people get denied a mortgage because they didn't make enough, but they really did it was just that their AGI was so low because of all the things they deducted. yes it might put you in a lower tax bracket but that also means less income proof for other things. so weigh out your balances there.

also keep receipts. in the rare chance you get audited you want proof of those expenses. It's very rare anyone gets an audit, you gotta have something stupid obvious on your filling that makes you stand out or be trying to hide money. sometimes though the small guys get hit and it's nice when you can CYA (cover your applesauce... yeah you know the a doesn't stand for applesauce). Find a way to scan or take decent quality pictures and then store them electronically. less mess and clutter then you can organize them by type, store, date, etc (I'm crazy about organizing things into folders... I would do something like a 2016 folder, then another for the month, then folders for types such as personal hygiene or truck supplies, then I would make another folder for the store I got it from. yeah super organized but if you asked me to find a certain one I could find it much quicker then a single folder with 500 of them in it.)

Thanks for linking those lists Phox. I noticed on the first list it had things such as coffee maker, sirius radio, etc. Can you really claim these things?

I started a ran a small business for 6 years. I also beat 2 IRS Audits. I will be leasing a truck as well. Its true about the AGI but you dont want to go broke paying uncle sam either. The easiest way to track and keep your reciepts is to use shoeboxed.com. i use them for years and basically you mail them your reciepts and they scan them. Then they mail the originals back. They give you an itemized report at the end of the year. Make sure you write in each reciept that you are claiming as business expense the reason. Example; coat purchased due to working up north during the winter. While you are on the road never spend any personal money. The business has to cover your expenses. Any item needed for work is a write off. Gas, food, clothing, medical expenses, lawyer fees, repair, showers, entertainment etc...organization is the key.

All good comments drivers. Thanks so much. I'm in a special situation because my husband is a 100% service-connected disable Vietnam veteran and receives home health services paid for by the VA. That's all well and good and we're hoping to raise his services from three visits per week to five per week and fill in with two other friends (former caretakers of his). So I'm in the thick of things trying to figure out how to pay them, and how to claim it for a taxes. Now, after reading the comments. I don't know if I want to claim as if it's going to reduce our AGI, I don't want that either. My husband and I are going to be trying to purchase the house we're renting currently. So many questions, I know but I like to have all my ducks in a row.

Again, I appreciate the input. Be safe out there today.

Thanks for linking those lists Phox. I noticed on the first list it had things such as coffee maker, sirius radio, etc. Can you really claim these things?

For the same reason a business can write off it's employee going to a "club"

Having a coffee maker and making your own is a lot cheaper than buying it from gas station every day multiple times a day. the sirus radio is something for the truck itself so yeah that too.

Just remember that claiming these deductions are usually only a one time thing (because you only buy it once, until it's replaced), and that it will make you have to fill out an itemized tax return. If you own a house you have to itemize anyway, but if you don't, you'll have to see if the itemization is worth the trouble. My recommendation is to save all your receipts and take it to your local tax office (like H&R Block or even online with TurboTax) and see which scenario will actually benefit you more. Sometimes itemizing doesn't exactly give you all that much back and might not be worth the time. This is a pretty quick and easy to read article on tax deduction: To Itemize or Not To Itemize