Tax tips, mileage tricks, and earnings analysis for self-employed professionals who drive for business. Prefer to watch? See TrakMiles Pro in action on video.
Guides for self-employed people who drive for work: how to track business mileage so it holds up, what the 2026 split rate means (72.5¢ a mile January through June, 76¢ from July 1), and where every deduction lands on the tax form. Start with the complete Schedule C guide if you want the whole form walked line by line, or the three things to track if you have just started working for yourself.
Your taxes come down to one form. Here's Schedule C line by line — where every deduction goes, and why Line 9 mileage is worth more than all the others combined.
The day you take money for work, you're a business. You don't need an accountant — you need to track three things from day one: your miles, your money in, and your money out. Here's how, and why it's the whole foundation.
The standard mileage rate covers gas and repairs — but four car costs stack right on top of it: parking, tolls, car loan interest, and value-based property tax. Most drivers claim none of them. Here's each one, with charts.
Your everyday working lunch usually isn't deductible — no matter how far from home you are. But two kinds of meals are. Here's the difference between them, and exactly what the IRS needs to see to prove it.
Your accounting app, mileage tracker, cloud storage, even a dash cam plan — the monthly tools that run your business are deductible. Here's the business-use rule, which Schedule C line to use, and the one thing people get wrong.
Gig drivers, notaries, mechanics, and contractors overpay by thousands every year — not by cheating, but by missing what they're legally owed. Here are the 15 most-missed deductions, what each is worth, and the exact Schedule C line it goes on: health insurance, home office, QBI, retirement, and more.
Gig drivers report grossing $18–22 an hour — but most net between $8 and $14 once the car takes its cut. Gross pay hides the biggest cost of the job. Here's how to find your real hourly rate, why a $6 order for 8 miles pays you to work, and the one number that tells you if a shift was actually worth it.
Everyone knows the drive from home to your first job is commuting — and not deductible. Almost nobody knows the three exceptions the IRS spells out in Revenue Ruling 99-7. One of them turns that drive into business miles, and it probably applies to you. Here's how the home office rule works, what disqualifies you, and what it's worth.
You drive to every signing — and those miles are money. At the new 76¢ rate, a full-time signing agent's driving is worth over $11,000 in deductions. Here's how the 2026 split-year rate works, exactly which notary trips you can write off, and how to log every mile the IRS way.
In a rare mid-year change, the IRS bumped the business standard mileage rate from 72.5¢ to 76¢ per mile effective July 1. That makes 2026 a split year — 72.5¢ for miles driven Jan–Jun, 76¢ for Jul–Dec. Here's what it means for your deduction, which rate to use, and why logging every mile now matters more than ever.
The drive between jobs is often a cleaner's biggest write-off — and most never log it. Every deduction self-employed cleaners can claim in 2026: mileage, supplies, uniforms, bonding, and paying other cleaners, all mapped to Schedule C. Residential or commercial, solo or a crew.
Hurdlr splits its features across a tier ladder, with accounting reserved for its priciest plan. TrakMiles Pro puts mileage, income, expenses, P&L, and Schedule C in one plan at $4.99/mo — and keeps your data on your device, not on a server. An honest side-by-side.
TripLog charges extra for time tracking, hardware, and add-ons. TrakMiles Pro gives you mileage, time clock, income, expenses, P&L, and Schedule C in one app at $4.99/mo — nothing held back. An honest side-by-side.
Everlance gates its best tax tools behind a $99.99/yr tier. TrakMiles Pro gives you mileage, income, expenses, P&L, and Schedule C in one app at $4.99/mo — no upsell. An honest side-by-side.
MileIQ tracks mileage; TrakMiles Pro adds income, expenses, P&L, and Schedule C in one app at $4.99/mo. An honest side-by-side of both — and who each is best for.
Dog walkers, sitters, and mobile groomers live in the car between clients. Those client-to-client miles are deductible (72.5¢ Jan–Jun 2026, 76¢ Jul–Dec) — here's which ones count and how to capture every one.
Summer is peak earning season — long days, surge pricing, more trips. It's also when deductible miles pile up fastest. Which summer miles count in 2026 (72.5¢ Jan–Jun, 76¢ Jul–Dec), and how to capture every one.
The miles between clients, the gear in your trunk, the certs that keep you sharp — the deductions self-employed trainers leave on the table every year, and how to claim them in 2026.
That surprise tax bill in your first year of self-employment? It has a name. The 15.3% self-employment tax explained in plain English — what it is, why you owe it, and how to plan so it never blindsides you again.
A spreadsheet feels free — until tax season shows you the bill. The hidden cost of forgotten trips, why reconstructed logs are exactly what the IRS warns against, and where manual tracking quietly leaks deductions all year.
Independent caregivers drive between every patient and buy their own scrubs, supplies, and equipment — but most never claim the deductions they're owed. The mileage math, the home office for visiting nurses, and what only 1099 workers can write off.
Lawn care is one of the most drive-heavy trades there is — and every trip between properties is a deduction most pros never capture. The per-lawn math, the mower-gas trap, Section 179 on equipment, and how to track it all.
The biggest TrakMiles Pro update yet recognizes which vehicle you're driving and logs every mile to the right car — no more picking it by hand. Plus: more accurate week, month and year comparisons, and a Company Reports sync fix.
High utilization doesn't guarantee more money. The real lever is what you earn per job — tips, repeat customers, referrals. Here's how to pull the dial almost everyone ignores, and track whether it's working.
More jobs, more miles, more hours — but did you actually earn more? Busy and profitable are two different scoreboards. Here's how to find the day you really make the most, and why the answer is rarely the day that wore you out.
Your truck is your shop. Here's how to claim mileage (72.5¢ Jan–Jun 2026, 76¢ Jul–Dec), write off tools the smart way, and keep records the IRS won't question — the two big deduction buckets and the write-offs most mechanics forget.
Monday, June 15 is the Q2 deadline. Quarterly tax math, the safe-harbor shortcut, and the underpayment penalty most gig drivers, contractors, and small business owners don't know about until April.
Drive multiple vehicles? Stop tagging trips manually. Bluetooth fingerprinting auto-assigns every trip to the right car — and intelligently asks when two are detected at the same time.
IRC §1402(c)(2) exempts notarial-act fees from self-employment tax. Most mobile notaries don't separate income and overpay. Full 2026 deduction guide plus a real-numbers example.
The commuting rule, the home office exception, and the gig driver gray zone — explained for anyone who drives for work. Misclassify 5,000 miles and it's a $3,625 swing on Schedule C.
Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Walmart Spark, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Expedite — the spreadsheet I built juggling them all. Two drivers, monthly P&L, Schedule C-ready. Free.
Open houses are uniquely brutal on mileage tracking. The trips fragment, the miles add up, and the deductions disappear. Here's how to stop losing them.
Halfway through 2026 — and a much better time to fix mistakes than next April. The five reviews that actually move the needle.
Independent contractors drive between jobs all day. Here's how to track every mile, claim every deduction, and stop losing money to bad mileage logs in 2026.
At $0.725 per mile in 2026, every forgotten trip is real money. Here's what missing mileage actually costs gig drivers — and how to stop losing it.
Most mileage apps were built for solo gig drivers. Here's how owners with 2-10 trucks track every vehicle, every route, and every dollar — without per-seat fees.
Total earnings lie. Hours worked lie. $/mile is the only number that tells you the truth — and the 2026 rate (72.5¢, then 76¢ from July) is the line in the sand.
Mileage is just the beginning. MLS fees, staging, photography, client gifts — the complete checklist with Schedule C line items.
Outside sales reps drive 20,000-30,000 miles a year. Here's how to track them, what the IRS requires, and how to claim your full deduction.
Your phone runs your gig business. Here's exactly how to calculate the business percentage, what else you can deduct, and where it goes on Schedule C.
Your apps show what they deposited. Your P&L shows what you actually earned. Here's how to read it and use it to compare platforms.
Tax day is behind you. Here's how to set up separate accounts, track every mile, build a weekly routine, and plan for quarterly taxes so next April is painless.
Watch the full walkthrough — GPS mileage tracking, revenue & expenses, receipt scanning, IRS reports, Company Mode, and more in under 4 minutes.
Whether you filed, extended, or panicked — today is the best day to set up your gig business so next April is painless.
April 15 is Tuesday. Here's exactly what to do today, tomorrow, and Monday — step by step — whether you're filing or extending.
DoorDash, Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Grubhub, Amazon Flex, and Walmart Spark all have different tax quirks. Here's what each platform's drivers need to know.
The gig workers earning $30/hour aren't driving faster — they're running a business. Here's the mindset shift that changes everything.
Not ready by April 15? IRS Form 4868 gives you an automatic 6-month extension — no reason needed. Here's exactly how to file it and what it doesn't extend.
Your car is your biggest business asset. Here's every deduction gig workers can claim — mileage, gas, insurance, repairs, depreciation, and more.
SE tax is 15.3% on every dollar of net profit — the #1 surprise for new gig workers. Here are 7 proven strategies to shrink that bill legally.
Two different forms, two different thresholds, two different issuers. The OBBBA changed both — here's what it means for your tax return.
You're already paying for your phone and internet every month. Here's how to turn those bills into tax savings — most gig workers miss hundreds in deductions.
Platforms report every dollar to the IRS. Here's the penalty stack that hits when your return doesn't match — and exactly how to fix it before it gets worse.
April 15 is three weeks away. These 9 moves can still save you hundreds — from claiming the new tip deduction to reconstructing a mileage log before you file.
15 minutes every Sunday. That's the difference between scrambling at tax time and walking in with clean books and maximum deductions.
Multi-app drivers have the highest earning potential — and the biggest mileage tracking blind spots. Here's how to capture every mile and know which platform actually pays the best.
These 7 mistakes cost the average gig driver $2,000–$5,000 every year. Most don't realize it until the IRS comes calling.
SE tax is 15.3% on top of regular income tax — and most gig workers don't know how it works until they get a surprise bill. Here's everything you need to know, including how to legally reduce it.
The IRS gives you two ways to deduct your vehicle costs. Most gig workers pick the wrong one — or don't know they have a choice. Here's how to decide.
Don't miss a single deduction. The complete checklist of income forms, mileage records, and expense documents you need to file your 2026 taxes correctly.
Every line item explained — Part I income, Part II deductions, and how to choose between Standard Mileage and Actual Expenses for the biggest tax savings.
Due dates, calculation methods, safe harbor rules, and how to avoid IRS underpayment penalties. Everything self-employed workers need to know.
MileIQ vs Everlance vs Stride vs Hurdlr vs TrakMiles Pro — features, pricing, and which is best for gig workers and small business owners.
Why every gig worker needs a P&L, how to build one, and the key metrics that tell you if your business is actually making money.
The math is brutal: a DoorDash driver doing 50 miles/day is losing over $2,000/year. Plus: the new "No Tax on Tips" deduction most drivers don't know about yet.
Filing your 2025 taxes? The IRS requires 5 specific elements for every business trip you deduct. Learn the rules, avoid audit triggers, and protect your deduction.
Compare automatic and manual mileage tracking methods. Discover the pros and cons of each approach and find out which one will maximize your tax deductions.
The IRS set a split 2026 rate — 72.5¢ per mile Jan–Jun, then a rare mid-year bump to 76¢ Jul–Dec. Learn which rate to use and how to maximize your deduction.
Tax season is here. Are you ready?
Every untracked mile is a tax deduction you'll never get back. TrakMiles automatically tracks mileage, tips, expenses, and generates IRS-ready reports — so you keep more of what you earn.
Start Your Free Trial2026 is a split-rate year. Miles driven January 1 through June 30 are deducted at 72.5 cents per mile, and miles driven July 1 through December 31 at 76 cents, after a rare mid-year increase. Use the rate matching the date you drove, not the date you file.
On Schedule C, Line 9, car and truck expenses. You multiply business miles by the rate for the period, add business parking and tolls, and enter the combined total there.
Yes, all of it. A 1099 is a reporting document, not the thing that makes money taxable. Whether a platform sent one or not, the income belongs on Schedule C, Line 1, and the thresholds only decide whether paperwork gets generated.
Four things per trip: date, destination, business purpose and miles, written down at or near the time you drove. Add odometer readings at the start and end of the year. Round numbers throughout are the classic red flag.
Only four things: business parking and business tolls, both entered on Line 9 with your mileage; the business-use share of car loan interest on Line 16b; and the value-based portion of vehicle property tax on Line 23. Fuel, maintenance and insurance are already inside the rate.