Forced Per Diem... Theft?

I cannot wait to be in your situation. Do you mind me asking how you got there? I love your idea about food, I am also working toward that goal. Is your food supply composed of only legumes and rice type stuff?

 

I am certainly no expert on this, but I think you can do your own per-diem. I think you can get your full pay and then deduct about $40 or so a day you are away from home. No need to let the company steal your money. Let me know if I am wrong.

 

Simple driver, simple. Home office, and while you are at it, deduct up to 25% of your square footage as home office space, and 25% of housing costs.

 

Doing without a lot of things. Like cable TV, nights out, new toys, new cars, etc

You'd be surprised how fast you can pay things off. So long as you focus on one thing at a time, instead of the shotgun method.

No, my food supply runs the entire spectrum. Unlike a lot of people, I don't buy into the rotate annually BS. Although it does get rotated.

I have a vast variety of canned vegetables, corn meal, flour, dry beans, dry peas, rice, oatmeal, noodles, powdered milk, coffee, sugar, salt, Lard, and various dried/canned meats.

A 2 season supply of hybrid seed. 16 varieties of vegetables.

Along with water purification tablets/filters...lots of them.

That kind of skims the surface. There's enough to hold me and the wife for a year easily. We could accommodate the entire family or a few neighbors for about 3 months.

 

I run percentage, so I can't tell you about the per mile nonsense you have to deal with. But how ever many days you are actually out on the road is what you are entitled to, and if you are not getting that, then you can deduct the difference when you do your taxes. Yes, per diem lowers your reported taxable gross, so it does lower social security wages, and wages for a credit approval. But it does lower your taxes, and possibly the tax bracket that you would be in. I would much rather keep MY money today, than qualify for more from social security if it still exists when the government says I can get it.

 

That .14 a mile can not be used in calculating your child support, spousal support or anything else.

Mark

 

Not very bright is he?

You are entitled to 52.00 per day per diem. If the company only has a plan for 30.00 per day. You get the difference.

If the CPA disagrees, better get a new one.