Perdiem and Mileage

by Kathy
(Bluffton, In US)

My husband is in the plumbers and pipefitters union and usually works out of town. He has a lot of expenses he has to pay out of his own pocket. Nothing is reimbursed. He usually claims perdiem instead of keeping track of all the expenses as it usually is easier and makes more sense. I took our taxes in today to have them done by a tax accountant and she said he could claim perdiem but not mileage too. She said it's either one or the other, not both. My husband has talked to a couple of guys at work who say they can claim both. I need to know how it really is. Can he claim perdiem and mileage both together or only one of them? Thanks a lot. Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Great question.

The rules are that you can claim either actual auto expenses OR mileage, usually whichever is greater. If there are additional out of pocket expenses unrelated to the automobile, he can still claim those as well. He just can't claim a double benefit for auto deductions, it is one or the other.