Questions drivers actually ask

Education only. Updated October 19, 2026. Not tax, legal, or financial advice.

What is the $12 Tax & Mileage Kit?

It is a 7-page printable PDF of education and worksheets for Bay Area app drivers: the 2026 IRS mileage rates, a weekly mileage log, a receipt checklist, and a federal and California estimated-tax calendar. Buy it at bayareadasher.gumroad.com/l/tax-kit. It is not tax advice and it does not promise a deduction, a refund, or income.

Is this tax advice?

No. Pages on this site and the kit are general education. Tax rules depend on your facts. Confirm them with a CPA or enrolled agent, IRS Publication 463, IRS Notice 2026-10 and Announcement 2026-11, Form 1040-ES, and California FTB Form 540-ES.

What is the 2026 IRS business mileage rate?

For business use of a car, the optional standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile for transportation paid or incurred January 1 through June 30, 2026 (Notice 2026-10) and 76 cents per mile on or after July 1, 2026 (Announcement 2026-11). Keep the two periods in separate totals. The charitable rate stays 14 cents per mile. Check the IRS standard mileage rates page before you file, because rates can change.

What is the difference between the standard mileage rate and actual expenses?

IRS Publication 463 lets you substantiate car expenses with the standard mileage rate or with actual expenses, not both for the same miles. The standard rate is a cents-per-mile allowance instead of deducting gas, repairs, insurance, registration, and depreciation or lease payments for those miles. Parking fees and tolls can be deducted separately in addition to the standard rate. Actual expenses are the documented costs, multiplied by your business-use percentage.

For a car you own, choosing the standard rate in the first year you use it for business is what keeps that choice available later. For a leased car, choosing the standard rate means using it for the whole lease, including renewals. You also cannot use the standard rate in cases Pub 463 lists, including five or more cars used for business at the same time. A weekly gig-car rental is an actual cost; if you use the standard rate you generally do not also deduct that rental as a car expense. Ask a tax professional which method fits your records.

Do unpaid miles, including the drive to the first pickup, count as business miles?

Not automatically. IRS Publication 463 treats travel between your home and your regular work location as commuting, which is not a deductible business mile, even if the app does not pay you for it. Miles between business stops after you have started work are generally business transportation, including unpaid miles between deliveries. The drive from home to the first stop, and from the last stop back home, is commuting unless your home qualifies as your principal place of business. Log every trip (date, miles, from, to, and purpose), then classify it with a tax professional. Do not treat an app's unpaid or deadhead total as a deduction by itself.

Are Proposition 22 engaged miles the same as tax miles?

No. California Proposition 22 uses engaged time and engaged miles to calculate minimum pay for some app-based rideshare and delivery work. That is a pay rule, not the IRS definition of a deductible business mile in Publication 463. Keep your own mileage log. Do not copy the app's engaged-mile number onto a tax return without reviewing it.

Can I rent a car from Bay Area Dashers right now?

No. The fleet is currently full. There are no spare cars. The waitlist does not hold a car and does not promise a pickup date. When a car has been available, the posted rate was $475 per week for the car, insurance, and maintenance, and the driver paid for gas.

How do I unsubscribe from email?

The consent box on the checklist form starts unchecked. If you check it, you still get a confirmation email and you are not on the list until you confirm. Every email after that has an unsubscribe link. If the email service is not configured, the form says coming soon and does not store your address. Details are in the privacy policy.

Do you offer mentorship?

Mentorship is one-to-one education for drivers using the kit and the checklists. No price is listed on this site; the owner sets it. Email goldengclub@proton.me. It does not promise income, a deduction, or a car.