如果您不跟踪上班的里程数,那么您就是在赔钱。期间(Period)。任何自雇人士都可以从他们的年度税中扣除高达 0.585 美元的合格里程,相信我们,这加起来。
可以这样想:每行驶 100 英里,您可以扣除 58.50 美元。如果你以前曾以自由职业者或个体经营者的身份报过税,你就会知道这些个体经营税是致命的。
诀窍是记住记录这些里程。记住在每天开始时写下您的里程可能很困难,然后在年底减去结束和开始里程并把这些数字相加就更加麻烦了。为了帮助您毫不费力地做到这一点,我们汇总了市场上一些最佳里程跟踪应用程序的列表。
步幅税(下载(Download))
Stride使跟踪里程真正成为一键式过程。打开应用程序并点击“跟踪我的里程”。旅行结束时再次点击按钮。它会自动计算行驶距离,提供地图,并根据现行税法(tax law)告诉您节省了多少。
您最多也可以包含两个不同的工作——一个是特定的,一个是“其他”。如果您忘记启动里程跟踪(mileage tracking),您可以稍后手动输入。您还可以输入其他费用,甚至扫描收据以跟踪您所有与业务相关的支出。
Stride可让您将银行帐户(bank account)连接到应用程序,以便自动记录业务费用。最好的部分?步幅(Stride)是完全免费的。该应用程序的里程数也非常准确,因此您不必担心误差范围。
在每周结束时,Stride将发送一封电子邮件,其中包含您在该周获得的总扣除额。在年底,只需按照步骤操作,让Stride为您生成 IRS 就绪表格。Stride可以自动导入各种税务软件(tax software),包括在线 H&R Block。
MileIQ (下载(Download))
MileIQ由Microsoft生产,但这并不意味着您只能在Microsoft平台上使用它。MileIQ在云中运行,因此您可以通过智能手机、平板电脑、网络和计算机访问您的帐户。
这使您可以打印报告,对任何驱动器进行分类,并自定义每英里行驶的每个细节。缺点是MileIQ不是免费的——每月 5.99 美元或每年 59.99 美元。有一个免费版本,但它每月只记录 40 个驱动器。另一方面,如果您订阅了Microsoft Office 365 商业(Business subscription)版,MileIQ是免费的。
与Stride不同,您不必使用MileIQ开始和停止记录里程。该应用程序记录驾驶的每一英里,您所要做的就是区分驾驶是个人驾驶还是商务驾驶。该应用程序每周发送一份行驶里程报告,并提供推送通知,提醒您对潜在的扣除额进行分类。
Everlance (下载(Download))
Everlance 的设计考虑了公司和个体经营者。与MileIQ一样,它是一款付费应用。您每月可获得 30 次免费旅行,之后您需要注册Everlance Premium以记录更多旅行——每月 8 美元或每年 60 美元的费用(year cost)。
好消息是,您可以免费试用 7 天,以了解高级功能(包括自动跟踪、高级报告和银行集成(bank integration))是否值得。而且,正如该公司指出的那样,在一次大旅行之后,成本就收回了。
Everlance允许您手动添加里程、列出非里程费用,甚至添加您可能无法收到 1099 的收入。一个有趣的功能是您可以选择两个位置并找出这两个点之间的值。
如果您将您的银行与您的Everlance 帐户相关联(Everlance account),您可以监控您的交易并通过向右滑动工作和向左滑动来对它们进行分类。在年底,Everlance将编制一份符合 IRS(IRS compliant)的报告,以便您轻松报告您的年度里程。
为什么是应用程序?
也许您更喜欢铅笔和纸来跟踪里程。当然, 这并没有什么(s nothing)问题——我们实际上使用了一个应用程序和一个记事本, 然后在一天结束时比较两者以检查准确性。
但是一个应用程序让整个过程变得更容易(process easier),并且让你比你的里程表告诉你的更精确。费用跟踪(expense tracking)和自动报告的额外好处也是一大优势。
如果您决定使用其中一个付费版本,请记住使用该应用程序的年度费用也是减税(tax deduction)。当您是个体经营者时,您可以找到的每一项扣除都很重要。
使用其中一款(Use one)应用程序确保您正确记录里程,并且您可以提供证明您确实驾驶了这些里程。你知道,以防国税局(IRS)需要验证。
The Best Mileage Tracking Apps
Іf you aren’t tracking the miles you drive for work, you’re losing money. Period. Any self-employed person can deduct up to $0.585 pеr mile from their annual taxеs for qualifіed miles, and believe us, that adds up.
Think about it like this: for every 100 miles you drive, you can deduct $58.50. And if you’ve ever filed taxes as a freelancer or self-employed person before, you know that those self-employment taxes are killer.
The trick is
remembering to log those miles. It can be tough to remember to write down your
mileage at the start of each day, and then it’s even more of a hassle to
subtract the ending and starting miles and add those numbers up at the end of
the year. To help you do exactly that without all the fuss, we’ve put together
a list of some of the best mileage-tracking apps on the market.
Stride makes tracking mileage literally a one-touch process. Open the app and tap “Track my Miles.” Tap the button again when your trip ends. It automatically calculates the distance traveled, provides a map, and tells you how much you saved based on current tax law.
You can include up to two different jobs, too—one specific one, and one “Other.” If you forget to start your mileage tracking, you can enter it manually later. You can also enter other expenses and even scan receipts to track all of your business-related spending.
Stride lets you connect a bank account to the app so you can automatically record business expenses. The best part? Stride is totally free. The app is incredibly accurate with mileages, too, so you don’t have to worry about a margin of error.
At the end of each week, Stride will send an email with a total of your earned deductions for that week. And at the end of the year, just follow the steps and let Stride produce an IRS-ready form for you. Stride can automatically import into various tax software, including H&R Block online.
MileIQ is produced by Microsoft, but that doesn’t mean you’re restricted to using it only on Microsoft platforms. MileIQ operates in the cloud, so you can access your account via smartphone, tablet, through the web, and from your computer.
This lets you print reports, classify any of your drives, and customize every detail of every mile driven. The downside is that MileIQ isn’t free—it’s $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. There is a free version, but it only records 40 drives per month. On the flip side, if you have a Microsoft Office 365 Business subscription, MileIQ is included free.
Unlike Stride, you don’t have to start and
stop recording your mileage with MileIQ. The app records every mile driven, and
all you have to do is classify whether the drive was personal or for business.
The app sends a weekly report of miles driven and gives push notifications that
remind you to classify potential deductions.
Everlance is designed with both companies and self-employed people in mind. Like MileIQ, it’s a paid app. You receive 30 free trips per month, after which you’ll need to sign up for Everlance Premium to record more trips—an $8 per month or $60 per year cost.
The good news is that you can give it a 7-day free trial to find out whether the premium features (which include auto-tracking, advanced reports, and bank integration) are worth it. And, as the company points out, the cost pays for itself after one big trip.
Everlance lets you add mileage manually, list non-mileage expenses, and even add in revenue that you might not receive a 1099 for. One interesting feature is that you can choose two locations and find out the value between those two points.
If you link your bank to your Everlance account, you can monitor your transactions and classify them by swiping right for work and left for personal. At the end of the year, Everlance will compile an IRS compliant report that makes it easy to report your yearly mileage.
Why an App?
Maybe you prefer pencil and paper for tracking miles. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with it—and we actually use an app and a notepad, then compare the two at the end of the day to check for accuracy.
But an app makes the entire process easier and allows you to get more precise than just what your odometer tells you. The added benefits of expense tracking and automated reports are also a major plus.
If you decide to go with one of the paid versions, remember that the yearly cost of using the app is also a tax deduction. When you’re self-employed, every deduction you can find counts.
Use one of these apps to make sure you’re logging your miles properly—and that you can provide proof you did, in fact, drive those miles. You know, just in case the IRS needs verification.