per diem not allowed since im home everyday ?

If your company deducts a portion of your pay, and returns it to you in the form of untaxed per diem it ( the company) is realizing a 7.5% reduction in their tax liability, the driver also sees a 7.5% reduction. It can bite you in the butt when you apply for a mortgage or car loan, it will also lower your Social security benefit amount.

 

And get your kitty a bag of treats.

 

If you are trucking the USA, you are eating right? Per Diem is a way of deduction for your food. In fact if you were a O/O you can deduct that 1.20 Keller Log Ruler if you choose to with the reciept for it. And everything consumed in the business.

Im not trying to be snarky, but I don't want people to get confused.

 

48 dollars a day for a full day away from home due to work. You can get partial days too. OTR drivers don't get the full 60 some odd dollars allowed by the IRS due to having a sleeper birth.

If the company pays you a per diem, it is non taxes dollars to you. No, you don't pay taxes on the per diem, nor does it count as income. However, you lose out on whatever the company charges as a fee for the program and you cannot deduct any per diem on your taxes if the company is paying it to you.

The per diem does not count towards your income for the year when paid by the company.

Should you pay more than the standard dedution as a fee you may be able to claim the fee by itemizing.

It's been several years since I was a certified tax preparer, bit this is the gist of it currently. Consult an active tax pro.

 

I need clarification of 60 dollars vs sleeper berth. If you are AWAY from your primary residence. a house and lands you own as of 2001, you got the full 45 dollars deduction daily rate in effect at that time. Sleeper berth did not matter in the rules. You should be able to collect 60 dollars out for each service day you spent trucking around the USA away from your primary home address.

 

Unless something changed since I was a tax preparer several years back, truckers only get 75% of max per diem and that's due to a sleeper birth.

 

Ok, looked it up on the IRS updates for 2017 and things have changed. My initial was way off.

It's 68 dollars a day for high cost areas and 57 for low cost areas. The list of areas for high cost can be found in the IRS code. Places suck as DC, NY etc are obvious higher areas.

That is just for meals. We get nothing for lodging if we have a sleeper birth.

 

So there is no problem claiming food in full with a berth.

I was thinking a while ago about this and am a little peeved that our esteemed Congress should see fit to write the tax code to essentially eradicate a entire lawful deduction for hard working truckers who want to have a meal now and then.

 

Not according to the new update I just read. It had been several years since I looked.

 

You are confusing standard employee per diem and meals and incidentals for transportation workers subject to HOS. Meals and incidentals is generally higher, as it is expected to cover shower fees, laundry costs, etc.

Lodging is separate, and actual cost only, regardless. Meals and incidentals (which we lovingly, wrongly, call "per diem") is uniform and we can deduct 80%. Partial days are 75% of the $68. Canada has a higher rate.

Either way, no per diem or meals and incidentals if you sleep at home every night.