Do you use your personal vehicle to run errands for your business or to visit clients? If so, did you know that using your car for business could have some tax benefits?

In this article, we’ll answer the question “Is car interest tax deductible?” and provide tips to help you ensure you keep accurate records for the IRS. We’ll also look at the smartest ways to buy a car to use for personal and business activities, as well as when to refinance a car.

Related: How to pay tax on personal loans

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Why Might You Use a Personal Car for Business?

Maybe you’ve never considered driving your personal car for business use. Maybe you thought you had to buy a separate vehicle to use for your company. If you are using a car for such business purposes as buying supplies, visiting clients or attending trade shows, your personal car should suffice. On the other hand, if you need a specialized vehicle like a tow truck or a semi, your personal car probably won’t do the job!

Using your personal car for business can save you the cost of having to buy another vehicle. You don’t have to worry about where to store it since it lives at your house. And on top of all that, there are some tax benefits!

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Can You Deduct Car Expenses When Using a Car for Business?

If you’re using a car for business purposes, some of the expenses you incur are tax deductible. The trick is knowing which expenses are considered qualified expenses for your business.

Because you can only deduct expenses related to the operation of the vehicle for business use and not personal, it can get a little tricky. That’s why there are two ways you can deduct expenses. The first is by using the standard mileage rate set by the IRS. Keep track of the miles you drive for your business and multiply that times this year’s rate to get your tax deduction.

The other option is to keep track of all expenses you incur with the car and then use the number of miles driven for business versus total miles driven for the year to get the deductible portion.

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1. Deductible Expenses

So, what are the small business tax deductions you can write off if you’re using your own car for business use?

Things like car maintenance and repairs, oil changes, gas, tires, licenses, registration and depreciation are all deductible expenses. You can also deduct parking fees and tolls, even if you use the standard mileage rate.

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2. Nondeductible Expenses

Any expenses incurred while using the vehicle for personal errands or trips aren’t deductible. So, if you take a road trip for fun, you can’t write off the gas for the trip. Also, you can’t deduct your miles from home to work, as that’s considered a personal expense.

To summarize, you can only write off expenses for the time you’re using the car for business.

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Other Considerations

If you’re using your car for business, there are a few other things to consider.

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1. Depreciation

Over time, cars depreciate in value. You might have bought a car for $20,000 about 10 years ago but only be able to sell it for $5,000 today. The IRS allows you to depreciate a car used for business. However, note that you must be using your car for business at least 50% of the time to qualify for depreciation.

There are two methods for calculating depreciation: the straight-line method and the declining balance method. Talk to your accountant to determine which is a better option for your tax situation.

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2. Recordkeeping

The IRS can get pretty strict about checking financial records if there are any discrepancies or red flags. The best thing you can do to prevent an audit (or make one go smoothly) is to keep accurate records.

Make sure to record all miles you travel for business. There are apps that will track this on your phone. You’ll need to note the starting mileage at the beginning of a new year in case you need to compare business miles to total miles driven.

Also, keep receipts from car maintenance visits, tire purchases, gas and registration, and enter them into your accounting system under the appropriate category.

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3. Employees Driving Company Cars

Another consideration is if your employees use their own cars for company activities, such as driving from one client to another or running errands for the company. Keep in mind you may be liable for them and their cars during business hours, depending on laws in your state.

Employees may be able to claim deductions for the miles they drive their own cars for business, and many employers reimburse employees for those costs, often on a per-mile basis.

Just like when you use your personal car for business expenses, employees can only claim deductions for the portion of the miles driven that are for business, so they’ll need to record those miles.

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4. Qualifying for the Standard Mileage Deduction

If you’d rather use the standard mileage deduction (it may be simpler than keeping track of all your business-related vehicle expenses), you must meet certain criteria, according to the IRS.

You can’t operate five or more cars at the same time (like if you have a fleet of delivery vans). You can’t have claimed a depreciation deduction for the car using any method other than straight-line, and you can’t have claimed the special depreciation allowance on the car.

You can’t have claimed actual expenses after 1997 for a car you lease. And you can’t have claimed a Section 179 deduction on the car, which is an immediate deduction rather than depreciating expenses over time.

To employ the standard mileage rate deduction, you must use it in the first year you have the vehicle for your business. After that, you can use the standard mileage rate or actual expenses for deduction.

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Current Standard Mileage Deduction Rate

The IRS regularly updates its standard mileage deduction rate, so check to see what it is in the year you’re filing your taxes.

For 2022, the rate is $.585 per mile driven for business use. To calculate how much you can deduct for your personal car being driven for business purposes, multiply that amount times the number of miles you drive for your company.

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Where Do You Deduct Business Vehicle Expenses?

Now that you’re on top of recording business-related vehicle expenses, where do you actually get your deduction for using a car for business purposes? If you work with an accountant, she’ll handle it. You’ll just need to provide your receipts for vehicle expenses if you’re claiming actual expenses, as well as your total and business-related mileage.

If you file your own taxes, you’ll record this information on your Schedule C (Form 1040). Line 9 allows you to input expenses for cars and trucks. Section IV of the form will ask you questions about your business use of the car, including:

• When you first used the vehicle for business purposes
• How many of the total miles were business-related
• Whether the vehicle was available for personal use during off-duty hours
• Whether you or your spouse have another vehicle available for personal use
• Whether you have evidence to support your deduction

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What Expenses Can You Deduct if You Borrow a Vehicle for Your Business?

Think borrowing a car disqualifies you from deducting vehicle expenses? Think again. Driving any car for business entitles you to deduct expenses like maintenance and gas, though you cannot deduct depreciation because you don’t own the vehicle.

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Pros and Cons of Using Your Own Car for Business Use

If you’re considering using a personal car for business, it’s important to consider the benefits and drawbacks.

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Pros

Having one car for two purposes saves money. If you use a car for work and then after work for personal errands, and don’t need more than that, why pay for two separate vehicles?

We’ve covered the tax deductions you can take advantage of. They’re a huge perk of using a car for business and pleasure and can reduce what you pay in taxes.

Another benefit is that your company can cover some of the costs of maintaining and repairing your vehicle. This means less out-of-pocket expense for you personally.

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Cons

On the other hand, using any vehicle is an added expense for your business. If funds are tight, this may not be an expense you can afford, especially if you’re helping to cover large repair costs or registration fees.

You’ll also have the headache of tracking miles for business. It’s easy to forget to turn on your tracking app or check the odometer, and then you’ll miss out on those mileage deduction opportunities!

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Ways to Fund the Purchase of a Personal Car for Business

If you’re considering buying a car that you’ll use for business and wonder if you should purchase it through your company, the first question to ask yourself is: Will the vehicle be used only for business? If not, if you plan to use it for personal activities as well, it’s better to buy it yourself than through your business.

Even if you buy the car yourself, you can still deduct those business-related expenses or claim your standard mileage rate. If you don’t have the cash to pay for a car in your personal checking account, you may qualify for a car loan.

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A Word on Refinancing a Car Loan

If you already own a car and are considering the pros and cons of refinancing a car, consider your reasons for wanting to refinance it. Are you able to get a lower rate and/or save money by refinancing? Are you struggling to make large monthly payments and looking to extend your loan period so you can reduce those payments? Is your car still worth more than you owe?

These are all situations where refinancing a car loan—whether it’s for personal, business, or both—can be smart. Interest rates rise and fall, so you may be paying far more than you need to on an old loan. If your credit situation has improved since you first took out the loan, you may also qualify for a lower rate.

Before moving forward with car loan refinancing, consider the total cost to refinance a car. You may have to pay an early termination or transaction fee with the old lender, as well as registration or title transfer fees when the loan is approved. If the fees are less than what you’ll save, by all means, consider refinancing.

Learn More:

• Personal loan calculator
• What is the average personal loan interest rate?

This article
originally appeared on LanternCredit.com and was
syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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Personal Loan:

SoFi Lending Corp. (“SoFi”) operates this Personal Loan product in cooperation with Even Financial Corp. (“Even”). If you submit a loan inquiry, SoFi will deliver your information to Even, and Even will deliver to its network of lenders/partners to review to determine if you are eligible for pre-qualified or pre-approved offers. The lenders/partners receiving your information will also obtain your credit information from a credit reporting agency. If you meet one or more lender’s and/or partner’s conditions for eligibility, pre-qualified and pre-approved offers from one or more lenders/partners will be presented to you here on the Lantern website. More information about Even, the process, and its lenders/partners is described on the loan inquiry form you will reach by visiting our Personal Loans page as well as our Student Loan Refinance page. Click to learn more about Even’s Licenses and Disclosures, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy.

Personal loan offers provided to customers on Lantern do not exceed 35.99% APR. An example of total amount paid on a personal loan of $10,000 for a term of 36 months at a rate of 10% would be equivalent to $11,616.12 over the 36 month life of the loan.

Student Loan Refinance:

SoFi Lending Corp. (“SoFi”) operates this Student Loan Refinance product in cooperation with Even Financial Corp. (“Even”). If you submit a loan inquiry, SoFi will deliver your information to Even, and Even will deliver to its network of lenders/partners to review to determine if you are eligible for pre-qualified or pre-approved offers. The lender’s receiving your information will also obtain your credit information from a credit reporting agency. If you meet one or more lender’s and/or partner’s conditions for eligibility, pre-qualified and pre-approved offers from one or more lenders/partners will be presented to you here on the Lantern website. More information about Even, the process, and its lenders/partners is described on the loan inquiry form you will reach by visiting our Personal Loans page as well as our Student Loan Refinance page. Click to learn more about Even’s Licenses and Disclosures, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy.

Student loan refinance loans offered through Lantern are private loans and do not have the debt forgiveness or repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or that may become available, including Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or Pay as you Earn (PAYE).

Notice: Recent legislative changes have suspended all federal student loan payments and waived interest charges on federally held loans until 05/01/22. Please carefully consider these changes before refinancing federally held loans, as in doing so you will no longer qualify for these changes or other future benefits applicable to federally held loans.

Auto Loan Refinance:

Automobile refinancing loan information presented on this Lantern website is from Caribou. Auto loan refinance information presented on this Lantern site is indicative and subject to you fulfilling the lender’s requirements, including: you must meet the lender’s credit standards, the loan amount must be at least $10,000, and the vehicle is no more than 10 years old with odometer reading of no more than 125,000 miles. Loan rates and terms as presented on this Lantern site are subject to change when you reach the lender and may depend on your creditworthiness. Additional terms and conditions may apply and all terms may vary by your state of residence.

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