Banking

being an o/o, yes. but i don't think your typical survival counts along with your per diem.

 

Per diem is latin for each day, which translates to cost of living. Unless you have a lot of unreimbursed hotel stays, the standard of $54 for each day you are on the road outside of a 50 mi. radius of your home of record will the best way to go. Cost of doing business on the other hand is everything else you spend on the road that your company does not reimburse. That is separate and the best way to claim is to keep ALL receipts, and simply keep a tally sheet of what you spend. Just add that total to your per diem.

 

Im a recent grad and one of my instructors told you anything you buy for the truck you can claim on the taxes you just need to find the right tax guy who knows how to fill all of it. I'm not doubting him but Is that true.

 

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/trucker-tax-tips/

 

Here's a good question-
I can deduct clothes I wear to work in, boots, gloves, etc. According to the link above, I can't deduct clothes that carry over to normal everyday wear. What if my work clothes ARE my everyday clothes?
Everything I wear is Carhartt and comes from Tractor Supply, the CO-OP, or the hardware store. Point being, I buy clothes that I can work hard in, and still look good for the ladies. Same thing with boots. I have three pairs of shoes on this truck-crocs for showers, nikes for when I wear shorts, and Georgia boot company Wellington I wear the other 98% of the time. Is some IRS dude going to argue about deducting my snappy wardrobe?

 

Them must be some country ladies... heheheee

not that there is anything wrong with country ladies!



Mikeeee

 

If it is something you wear everyday it isnt deductable. If it has a company logo, or some additional safety protection, you can deduct it.

Gloves? deductable
Boots with metatarsal protection? deductable
Flame retardant clothing? deductable (some carhartt is)

standard blue jeans/coveralls/shirts/underwear/socks? nope

 

sorry but you're wrong. Like I said my girlfriends mother is a CPA and has been doing my taxes for 20 years. Every year I deduct work pants, work shirts, boots and everything else I buy for my job, trucking or not. The only logo on my pants are the brand. No company logo. Totally deductible.

 

Truth be told, I'd probably wear carhartt regardless if I was driving a truck or not. My point to some pencil-pushing IRS auditor is that carhartt is for work. I happen to be a commercial truck driver, which means everything I wear for the 4 to 6 weeks at a time I stay out is considered "work wear", isnt it? If I'm on or around this truck 24-7, so I'm technically at work, which means I'm wearing work clothes.

I know it's splitting hairs, but I think I have a valid argument here. Lord only knows we drivers need a break every now and then.

 

After I got divorced (married 10 years) I stopped caring what people thought about how I looked. The way I see it, once you've seen me nekkid, you can offer your opinion on how I should look. Otherwise, just consider me eye candy.

As for country ladies, I've had my fair share. Married to one for 10 years. I was driving a beer truck and she was the secretary in the office. I had been there 2 years and hadnt touched a drop of beer. After the second year of marriage, I was drinking a 12 pack of miller high life a day. That country gal took the energy right out of me.

If I keep wearing my carhartt, I'm hoping some rich sugar-momma from Memphis will be looking for some blue collar dude that looks as good in carhartt jeans as I do.