per diem not allowed since im home everyday ?

Company not taking out M&IE, not called Per Diem.

You have to be away from your Domicile for 24 hours. They do not list a minimum Mileage.

M&IE is calculated from Jan 1 to Sept 31 and from Oct 1 to Dec 31st. Government starts new Budget on Oct 1. You can have two different rates for that year or the same rate depending on what they post.

For 2016 it is $63 a day, $68 if you go to Canada.

For 2017 the rate from Jan 1st to Sept 31st is $63 for US, $68 if you go to Canada.

To figure it out,

For full days you take (80% * 63 or 68) - what you are allowed.
For Partial days (going/leaving Domicile) (75%(80%* 63 or 68)

You keep track of either full or partial and that is what you are allowed to claim.

FOR Companies that do take M&IE out. The Company will never, never, never, take out what you are fully allowed. IF they go above what you are allowed, they can be dropped from the IRS program. The Company cannot determine your days out/partial days, so they basically take so much M&IE from each load you do. Your pay stubs should reflect this.

You figure as above then you subtract what the Company has taken out already. What the difference is, is what you are still allowed to claim.

You do not pay taxes on M&IE, you do need to claim on Schedule A or C.

Pub 463 for 2017 will not be published till 2018.

 

Not sure what you mean by your last line there. You can deduct your lodging costs, if you decide to get a room instead of using your sleeper. But you must itemize your tax return, so even a company driver can deduct expense that way, as well as any owner-operator. You can write off most any trucking expenses, toiletry supplies like toothpaste, paper towels, tissues, pens, paper, etc. Just keep receipts and itemize on return.

Of course some company drivers may not care to itemize tax return, those that rent a home, and don't own it etc. so they have no mortgage interest to write off. They may decide why bother if write off overall is not very big. But this per-diem question is a big reason to itemize as others pointed out, $10,000+/yr write off seems like a pretty big reason.

 

Wrong, this is food and lodging, there is no disconnect between the two if you have a sleeper. You can't really apply full costs of food and lodging as a write off, you have to take per diem or a percentage of the total actual costs.

 

WRONG, you can deduct ALL expenses related to business travel if you have receipts, if you receive per diem you must claim it, so if you have 200 dollars in expenses and 100 dollars in per diem you can deduct the extra 100 dollars provided you have receipts.