Ryan is self-employed. This year Ryan used his personal auto for several long bu
ID: 2492465 • Letter: R
Question
Ryan is self-employed. This year Ryan used his personal auto for several long business trips. Ryan paid $1,800 for gasoline on these trips. His depreciation on the car if he was using it fully for business purposes would be $3,000. During the year, he drove his car a total of 20,300 miles (a combination of business and personal travel). (Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your final answer to the nearest dollar amount.)
Ryan estimates that he drove approximately 1,725 miles on business trips, but he can only provide written documentation of the business purpose for trips totaling 1,140 miles. What business expense amount can Ryan deduct (if any) for these trips?
Ryan is self-employed. This year Ryan used his personal auto for several long business trips. Ryan paid $1,800 for gasoline on these trips. His depreciation on the car if he was using it fully for business purposes would be $3,000. During the year, he drove his car a total of 20,300 miles (a combination of business and personal travel). (Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your final answer to the nearest dollar amount.)
Explanation / Answer
The cost of using auto in business activities is allowed as deduction only if he can substantiate the business use. If valid records are available to support the business use of auto, Ryan can claim the cost of these trips including depreciation expenses.
[(1,140 / 20,300) × $3,000] + [(1,140 / 1,725) × $1,800] = $168.4730 + $1189.5652 = $1,358.0382.
Alternatively, Ryan can claim a standard mileage rate. Ryan can substantiate 1,140 miles, and based on the standard mileage rate of 54¢ per mile, he can deduct $615.6 (i.e., 1,140 × 0.54).
54 Cents has been considered based on the notified IRS standard rates applicable from Jan 1st 2016.
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