Dear Couch Traveler,
I have been traveling for a few years now and have always been under the impression that receiving a “car stipend” is the industry standard. Recently I have read otherwise… please explain.
Sincerely,
Interested party
Dear Interested party,
You bring up a very interesting question. In years past I was under the same impression, with a “car stipend” being something that was an acceptable write-off by IRS standards… however that is incorrect. The most logical explanation I can give is: When you work a local/full time position do you get to write off your mileage to and from work? Of course not. This same logic applies here… while housing, transportation to/from and daily per-diems are unavoidable extra costs that travelers incur; local mileage is not in the same boat.
Happy traveling,
The Couch Traveler