2012 standard mileage rates
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
The IRS has announced standard mileage rates for 2012. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2012, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:
- 55.5 cents per mile for business miles driven
- 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations
Good records are important to preserving your deduction. The IRS requires that you log your miles when you elect to use the standard mileage rate. The log must include the name, location, and reason for the trip. For business miles, your trips from home to your first work location and from your last work location to home are nondeductible commuting miles. The business portion of parking fees and tolls is deductible in addition to the standard mileage rate. Remember to record your odometer reading as the calendar rolls over to the new year.
Because of the specific record-keeping requirements, the IRS has been targeting the mileage deduction for audit. So it makes good sense to keep your mileage log up to date to preserve this often significant deduction.
For business, you may choose to deduct actual expenses instead. These may include gasoline, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, parking fees, tolls, licenses, and garage rent. If you also use the vehicle for personal purposes, you still must track your mileage to determine the business portion of these expenses.
Your log may take any form, as long as you can save it and make a copy in case the IRS asks for it. Formats range from sales call sheets on which you enter mileage, to the small booklets you keep in your vehicle’s glove box and fill in each day. There are even smartphone and tablet apps to help you track your mileage and document your standard mileage rate tax deduction.