Quck question for my situation.

One more thing - the reason I like the Turbo Tax is that you can fool with it all day long. Put numbers in, take 'em out, and it gives you a running tally of how that affects your refund. There's a little box up the top that rolls around like a slot machine and adjusts as you go. You can claim the price of the software on the following years taxes too.

It'll teach you a bit - make up some numbers and throw them in, different scenarios, filing married and separate or joint, so on and so forth. I just can't trust someone else when I ask "Did you do it all correctly and get EVERYTHING you possibly could?"- especially not H&R Temporary Tax Preparers or someone with a CPA certificate on the wall. I've got a CDL and that doesn't make me a good driver (as my wife likes to remind me).

Drivers and taxes drive me nuts. It's an area you need to learn no matter WHAT your situation in life.

 

We made the mistake of taking the 80% off the $14,000 before entering it - and found later it had performed another 80% equation . . . lesson learned.

 

I use a book keeper that does taxes as well all year long. She plays by the big book, which I have seen her open while preparing our taxes. She charges a little more than turbo tax, but I think she does a god job and will continue to use her. I have had major issues with H&R and Jackson Hewitt

 

We used to use turbo tax, I wonder if it did that to us.

 

First thing pay a good accountant mine cost 200 last year for taxes, money well spent. Do not use H&R they are accountants in training. A good accountant can tell you the proper way to file and what your deductions are. As for reciepts your log books are your records and if your company uses electronic logs have them print you copies.

 

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch01.html#en_US_2013_publink100033797

Special rate for transportation workers.
You can use a special standard meal allowance if you work in the transportation industry. You are in the transportation industry if your work:

• Directly involves moving people or goods by airplane, barge, bus, ship, train, or truck, and
• Regularly requires you to travel away from home and, during any single trip, usually involves travel to areas eligible for different standard meal allowance rates.

If this applies to you, you can claim a standard meal allowance of $59 a day ($65 for travel outside the continental United States). Using the special rate for transportation workers eliminates the need for you to determine the standard meal allowance for every area where you stop for sleep or rest. If you choose to use the special rate for any trip, you must use the special rate (and not use the regular standard meal allowance rates) for all trips you take that year.
Travel for days you depart and return. For both the day you depart for and the day you return from a business trip, you must prorate the standard meal allowance (figure a reduced amount for each day). You can do so by one of two methods.

• Method 1: You can claim [SUP]3[/SUP]/[SUB]4[/SUB] of the standard meal allowance.
• Method 2: You can prorate using any method that you consistently apply and that is in accordance with reasonable business practice.

 

No need to itemize. You are already paid 10K in per diem. The difference won't come close to your 13k standard deduction for you and your wife.

 

You are probably right, I just knew it wasn't as easy as days worked x 59. Like I said earlier my wife does my book keeping for me, she is the smart one, I'm the pretty one LOL. When we go to the tax man(two weeks from today), my wife does all the talking, I just sit there with my head down and my mouth shut, I don't even get to write the check when they are done.