The deadhead mile problem
Between-gig miles are legitimately deductible and almost never logged. Here's what counts and what doesn't.
Every fare, every drop-off, every mile between them. Drivers who track it right keep thousands more than drivers who don't — and it has almost nothing to do with how hard you drove.
Get started — from $19/mo No credit card required · Cancel anytimePlatform earnings summaries report gross — fares plus fees the platform already took. Gas, depreciation, insurance, and self-employment tax come out after. Most drivers never see the real number until a CPA builds it, and by then the year is over.
There is no employer taking taxes out of your deposit. The full 15.3% self-employment tax plus your income-tax bracket lands on you, in four payments, on a schedule nobody texts you about.
Mileage is the big one, and it is the one most often undercounted. Miles between deliveries count. Miles driving to a hot zone count. Miles home from your last drop, in most cases, do not.
Every business mile, tracked contemporaneously. Deadhead miles between gigs are the most commonly missed.
The business-use percentage of the device you literally cannot work without.
Washes, detailing, maintenance, and a share of insurance if you use the actual-expense method.
Hot bags, coolers, phone mounts, dashcams, chargers, floor mats.
Not covered by the standard mileage rate — deduct them separately.
Self-employed health insurance premiums are deductible above the line.
The rules changed for 2026. The 1099-NEC threshold moved from $600 to $2,000, and the 1099-K threshold went back to $20,000 and more than 200 transactions.
Rideshare and delivery 1099-Ks report gross volume — including the platform's service fee that never touched your account. If you report only what hit your bank, the numbers won't match, and mismatches get letters.
The rule that didn't move: all income is reportable whether or not a platform sends you a form. If your books are the only record, your books had better be right.
Here's what the year looks like when someone else holds the calendar.
Prepared by licensed CPAs and EAs who handle rideshare & delivery constantly — not a seasonal preparer meeting your situation for the first time.
Your return comes out of reconciled monthly records, so nothing is reconstructed from memory in March.
On the Professional plan, a CPA reviews the return before it is filed.
Included on the Professional plan, so a notice is a phone call rather than a crisis.
Tax Hotline access on every plan. Ask before you sign the deal, buy the equipment, or take the write-off.
Keeps your records clean and current so you always know where you stand.
Builds the year-round strategy that shrinks the bill through planning, not scrambling.
Files accurately and on time, claiming every deduction you have earned.
Keeps everything on track and nudges you when we need something.
Between-gig miles are legitimately deductible and almost never logged. Here's what counts and what doesn't.
One is simpler. One is sometimes worth more. How to tell which is which before you lock in.
Gross volume includes fees you never saw. Reporting the smaller number is how you get a notice.