Tax Tips for Uber Driver-Partners: Understanding Your Taxes
As an Uber driver-partner, you’re an independent contractor, not an Uber employee. The difference is huge, especially at tax time. Follow these tips to report your income accurately and minimize your taxes.
Key Takeaways
- If you were paid more than $600 in non-driving income such as referral bonuses, you should receive Form 1099-NEC to document these payments.
- Even if you don’t receive a 1099, you're still required to report all of your Uber income to the IRS.
- Since your Uber ridesharing is a business, you will typically use Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business to deduct your business-related expenses and report your profits for the tax year.
Working for yourself
If you’re one of the thousands of people who started driving with Uber this year, it might be the first time you’ve been your own boss, setting your own hours and making countless decisions to improve the performance of your business. It also might be the first time you’ve had to report self-employment income on your tax returns. Follow these tips to report your Uber driver income accurately and minimize your taxes.
Understanding your Uber 1099s
As far as Uber is concerned, you’re an independent contractor who provides a service, not an employee. That’s why Uber doesn't withhold taxes from your payments. It’s also why the company reports your earnings on 1099 forms, rather than on a W-2.
Some Uber driver-partners receive two Uber 1099s:
- Form 1099-K reports the total amount your passengers paid for the rides you provided through the third-party payment processor. This includes all the money you collected from passengers, including the Uber commission and other fees. As a result, the amount shown on Box 1a of the form is typically greater than the amount you actually received. However, you can usually deduct the additional fees as business expenses, so you pay taxes only on what you actually earned.
- Form 1099-NEC (1099-MISC in prior years) provides an accounting for any other income you’re paid, including referrals and non-driving-related bonuses.
The IRS is gradually phasing in new 1099-K reporting requirements for payments from third-party processors like Venmo and Paypal. In 2021, Congress changed the reporting threshold from over $20,000 in payments and more than 200 transactions to over $600 in payments regardless of the number of transactions. But instead of using the new $600 threshold right away, the IRS applied the previous reporting threshold for the 2022 and 2023 tax years. For the 2024 tax year, the IRS plans to use a $5,000 threshold, regardless of the number of transactions. The tax agency hasn’t announced its plans for after 2024 yet. On the other hand, some states have already started using the $600 threshold for their own reporting requirements.
There is no threshold for payment card transactions such as credit card swipes.
Even if you don’t receive a 1099, you're still required to report your ridesharing income to the IRS.
TurboTax Tip:
The largest tax deduction for most Uber drivers is the business use of a car. You can deduct the actual expenses of operating the vehicle or you can typically use the standard IRS mileage deduction. For 2024 the rate is 67 cents per mile.
Using Schedule C
You will most likely report the income from your 1099s on Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business. Since Uber reports this income information directly to the IRS, you don't have to include the actual 1099 forms with your tax return. Schedule C can also be used to list your business-related expenses.
- When you subtract your business expenses from your income, you will enter the difference—known as the business income or loss—on Schedule 1 of Form 1040.
- This income amount is also used on Schedule SE, in calculating your self-employment taxes (for Medicare and Social Security).
To get you off to a good start with your business tax deductions, Uber provides you with a tax summary that breaks down the totals of the amounts on both your 1099-K and 1099-NEC. The tax summary shows the total amount your passengers paid for Uber booking fees as well as other fees, such as tolls and split fare fees. You can list these fees as business expense deductions on Schedule C so you don't pay taxes on them.
Deductions for mileage and the business use of your car
The Uber tax summary of total online miles includes all the miles you drove waiting for a trip, en-route to a rider, and on a trip.
You can claim any other business-related mileage, such as the mileage you drove to pick up riders, the mileage you drove after dropping off the passengers if you're waiting for another ride, and the mileage you drove before rides were canceled. However, you must keep careful records of your off-trip mileage.
There are two ways to calculate the business use of your car:
- You can deduct the actual expenses of operating the vehicle, including gasoline, oil, insurance, car registration, repairs, maintenance, and depreciation or lease payments.
- Or you can use the standard IRS mileage deduction. For 2024 the rate is 67 cents per mile.
The standard IRS mileage deduction usually produces the higher deduction, and it’s definitely the easiest option. You simply multiply your total business miles by the IRS rate. Example:
- You drove 10,000 miles in 2024.
- Your expense equals $6,700 (10,000 X $ 0.67 = $6,700).
If you use the same vehicle for both your ridesharing business and your personal transportation, you must keep accurate records to separate the two uses. You're allowed to deduct only the expenses that apply to the business use of your car. The IRS can disallow any business expenses you can't support with mileage logs, receipts, or other documentation.
Deductions for mobile phone expenses
Your smartphone is essential to your business, so naturally its expenses are deductible. This can include:
- the cost of the phone itself
- the billing charges of your carrier
- any accessories that are essential to your business, such as chargers, mounts, and cradles
As with your car, you're only allowed to deduct the portion of your smartphone expenses that are related to your business use. For that reason, many Uber driver-partners purchase a new phone and dedicate it solely to their business. That way, 100% of all costs associated with that phone are deductible from their taxes.
More tax deductions for Uber driver-partners
Almost anything you spend on your ridesharing business will qualify as a tax-deductible business expense. This includes the business use of your car and mobile phone, but it can also include:
- bottled water, snacks and amenities for customers
- business taxes and licenses
- city and airport fees
- freeway, highway, and bridge tolls
- electronic toll transponder
- floor mats
- car tool kit
- first aid kit
- tire inflator and pressure gauge
- portable battery jump pack
- flashlights and flares
- roadside assistance plans
- office supplies
Uber does not offer tax advice. Please refer to TurboTax for additional information. Uber is not responsible for the products or services offered by third parties.
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