Tax deductions: Vehicle expenses

March 12, 2018
5 minutes read

Originally published on February 11, 2011.

Being a small business owner has a lot of advantages, but a company car or a large car allowance probably isn’t one of them. If you’re using a car for business purposes, you’ll be able to claim at least a portion of it on your taxes.

This article will help you understand how to calculate the different types of vehicle expenses and write off the proper small business deductions.

Business or personal…or both?

If your car is used exclusively for business, it’s rather straightforward. You simply take the total of the vehicle expenses and attribute them to the business when filing your taxes.

However, most small business owners split their vehicle time between business and personal uses. In this case, things get a little more complex. There are two ways to deduct vehicle expenses in this situation, and for both of them you need to track your mileage usage.

1. Deductions per distance

The first method is fairly straightforward. For every mile or kilometre that you drive you get a specific amount of a deduction. This rate changes regularly to account for inflation (and it different for the U.S. and Canada) so you should always check with your accountant to see what rules are in effect for you.

For illustration purposes, let’s say you drove your vehicle 1,000 miles for business and the rate is $0.55 per mile. You would be eligible for a deduction of $550 for the year.

2. Deductions per percentage of business use

The second method for handling your business/personal vehicle expenses is to add up your mileage for business and divide it by the total amount of mileage on the vehicle for the year. That gives you the percentage of the vehicle expenses that can be claimed.

For example, if you drove your car 10,000 miles in the year and 6,000 were for business, you can likely claim 60% of your vehicle costs for the year as business expenses.

Applying this percentage to every expense you incur over the course of the year can be a pain. So a better way to do it is this: For any type expense that is X% personal and Y% business, put the entire expense, all year long, into either the personal or the business expense category. Then, at the end of the year, take the total of that category and apply the appropriate percentages.

Vehicle expenses you can claim

Here’s a list of the expenses you can claim as deductions:

  • gas
  • maintenance
  • insurance
  • other regular operating costs
  • if you own your car you should also deduct interest payments on car loans and depreciation
  • if you lease your vehicle, you can deduct the lease payments

As always, different rules apply to each jurisdictions, and this is one area where rules change frequently. Make sure that you’re aware of the rules that apply to your situation and chat with your accountant to help you handle your vehicle expenses, and home office expenses, so you’re all prepared for your tax filing.

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By Ash Christopher

The information and tips shared on this blog are meant to be used as learning and personal development tools as you launch, run and grow your business. While a good place to start, these articles should not take the place of personalized advice from professionals. As our lawyers would say: “All content on Wave’s blog is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered legal or financial advice.” Additionally, Wave is the legal copyright holder of all materials on the blog, and others cannot re-use or publish it without our written consent.

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