Using Your Personal Vehicle for Business Purposes; Tax Deductions, Insurance and the Like!

Owning

and operating a vehicle is expensive at the best of times. If you are a small

business owner looking to save some money, using your personal vehicle for

business purposes may be an instant cost saving.

The

IRS classifies 'business use of a car' as travel between two destinations, one

of which may include your regular place of business.

Whether

you are an independent contractor using your car to get to client meetings or

you use your vehicle for deliveries, you will need to understand the regulatory

ramifications (and benefits) of using your personal vehicle for business

purposes.

Below

is an overview of some of the key considerations that you will need to bear in

mind as you drive around doing business in your personal car, truck or van.

1. Auto Insurance -

Does your Policy Cover Professional Business Use?

If,

as a small business owner, you use your vehicle for any purpose other than

driving to and from work or other personal use, you should check your existing

insurance policy documents to see if you need a commercial auto policy or

require your existing personal auto policy to be endorsed to cover your

specific business use. For example, if

you are involved in any kind of food delivery service, catering, landscaping

services, or operate a day-care or church van service, you are well advised to

do some simple research before you use your personal vehicle.

Talk

to an

insurance agent if you are unclear and consult these small

business insurance resources from the government to

help you make informed decisions when buying vehicle and other small business

insurance policies.

2. Understanding Tax

Deductions: Personal Vehicles Use vs.

Business Vehicle Use

There are basically two

fundamental tax breaks for business owners who use vehicles for business

purposes, but be sure you are aware of which one applies to using your personal

vehicle for business:

a) Actual Vehicle Expenses -

If a vehicle is used exclusively for business

purposes, you can typically deduct the full cost of operating the vehicle.

For more information on how you can claim the actual vehicle expenses

deduction, refer to this *Business

Use of Vehicles overview from Turbo Tax.

b) Standard Mileage Rate -

If you use a vehicle for business on a

part-time basis, i.e. your personal auto, then you must divide your

expenses (in the first year that you begin using it with your business) based

on actual mileage. The IRS 2009 optional standard

mileage rates is used to calculate the deductible costs

of operating an automobile for business or non-profit use and is currently set

at 55 cents per mile. Get more information from the IRS on mileage rate

deductions here.

In

addition to basic mileage, you can also deduct interest on an auto loan,

registration and property tax fees, and parking and tolls, as long as you can

prove that they are business expenses. As with all business tax preparation, be

sure to keep good records by keeping a detailed log of all your business miles,

receipts and other documents.

For more general

information about which business expenses qualify as tax deductions, refer to

this Small Business Expenses and Tax Deductions Guide from Business.gov,

which also provides links to resources that provide clear guidance on deducting

and capitalizing your expenses.

3. Personal Property

Tax and Part-time Business Vehicle Use

Many

states require vehicle owners to pay property tax on vehicles used for personal

use. Some states, such as Virginia,

also provide tax relief for vehicles that are used predominantly for

non-business purposes. If you are in doubt as to how part-time business use of

your personal vehicle affects your property taxes talk to your state's

revenue office - and remember, the IRS

does let you deduct property tax fees as a business expense.

Additional Resources

• Small Business Tax Guide (Business.gov) - Unique because it brings together

  small business resources from across many disparate government Web sites and

  presents it in an easy-to-digest manner. Includes advice on everything from

  deductions to employment taxes to collecting sales taxes.

• *Free Small Business Tax Advice from Uncle Sam (Allbusiness.com)

• *Tax Law Changes for 2009: What's New for Your Small

  Business (Allbusiness.com)

• *Tax Deduction 101 for Small Businesses (Allbusiness.com)

• *Who

  Should Own the Business Car?

  (Inc.com)

• *How to Advertise Your Business Using Your Car (eHow.com)

*Note - Hyperlink directs reader to non-government Web site.

About the Author

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesley