Tax Deductions Truck Drivers Miss

Actually - it would be both! "Before & After" Ha ha ha!

 

Some caution on this list, if you have more than one Sirius/Xm unit, you can only claim the service for the unit that is in the truck, and it's serial number must match up to unit on the plan which you are claiming.

Bengay, Vaseline, any non-prescription item is not a deductable medical expense per IRS rules, BTDT, the first year after my wife and I filed bankruptcy, my taxes were set aside for review by the state of Colorado, they also notified the IRS of this action and they pulled my return as well. The area they scrutinized the hardest was my Form 2106 Employee Business Related Expenses. I had listed on there a first aid kit that I kept in the truck, and I listed it's contents. They rejected that entire line items because it was not a prescription medication.

GPS updates depend on the unit, if you list the specific make/model of GPS you are using, and it comes with lifetime map updates, you cannot claim a deduction for it. Also, as I found out recently. if you claim the GPS as a standard item deduction, you can only claim it one year. However, if you claim it as a long term item, you can pro-rate deduct it over a couple of years.

 

You got lucky.

The auditor I got, said the XM radio is personal and not allowed. No gloves, only special toed shoes. She did not allow cleaning supplies, air fresheners.

Coats, rain gear and others personal.

 

I usually list one line item: Cleaning Supplies (windex, papertowels, rags, rain-x) $100
Sat. radio $79.00 (which is actually a rough guess)

There was a discussion either '11 or '10 on the Lockridge Report about deducting Xm costs, IIRC, he said that if you pay $100/yr for the service, you could technically only deduct 25% as only 1/4 of the channels would be considered directly related to trucking.

 

Well, the agent backed away because of the fact of what is normal and usual in the industry. In addition, the fact is that many office buildings now have XM played in the background and is allowed.

The cleaning supplies were eventually allowed because how many office buildings contract for cleaning of the facilities.

The balance of the audit issues get real technical.

I have filed an appeal and expect to be dealing with this for another couple of months. The auditor did not find out till last Friday, that I was an enrolled Agent to Practice before the IRS.

 

Is there anyone that can tell me WHERE and HOW in TurboTax that I can claim these items? If I'm a company driver can I still use the personal business (schedule c) items and select the I'm subject to the Motor Carrier ... ?

 

Form 2106 from the Itemized Deductions, Miscellaneous section.