Barbershots Loc: Wilmington, NC

Fellow Hoggers

I am beginning to have more requests for jobs out of town what do you charge for mileage and is it one-way or round-trip......inquiring minds

cfhelz45 Loc: The Villages, Florida

I would say round trip. You are performing a service for your client and mileage both ways is an acceptable business practice.

Feldy

$.53 cent per mile round trip is standard

Toby

The IRS rate for 2017 is $ .535 per mile for businesses. I see no reason that you shouldn't charge for both ways. Many also charge an hourly rate for drive time although I doubt if you can get away with that for a photography business.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Not photography, but I recently had a wind mitigation inspection on my roof. The inspector was from about 35 miles away and he charged $20 for travel. It wasn't a per mile fee, just a flat $20.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Usually you have a free 'acceptable distance' to and from job as you mention. If that distance is over you need to charge only the difference, just to be fair.

The fed business rate is not an acceptable rate*. $.53 is the fed regulated deductible rate based on costs that concerns ONLY the vehicle (car depreciation can be influenced if you use that rate ~ I do not quite recall). The other cost such as travel time is not counted nor is the salary of any assistant(s) you are taking with you. The moment they place their butt in your car to go to work they start the clock. The clock stops when they remove their butt after you return from the job. 70 miles round trip is over an hour. You can apply a minimal wage vs an 'expert one' but time watching the cows on the side of the road still needs to be paid - if you are fair to your employee(s) -. Remember YOU ARE an employee too.

That is why nickels and dime accounting is important in business. So think seriously about your travel rate system before setting a 'number' out of the la-la land. Often it is best to just forget it as this is not where your profit will be. It does influence your margin but is it all that much? Just raise your overall prices to offset the difference.**

To be predictable you basically create a disk around your business, create distance circles and then set what is 'free' and where (and how much) you will charge depending on what 'crown' you are dealing with. Going this way that sometime you 'win' and other times you 'lose' overall you should break even.

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* Here I go again, against the common 'wisdom'.
** I do hope you keep odometer records, even for small distance, in order to deduct the car expense. It does add up to the cost even if we often do not pay enough attention.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

53.5 cents per mile for 2017
https://www.irs.gov/uac/2017-standard-mileage-rates-for-business-and-medical-and-moving-announced

Rongnongno Loc: FL

And once again, that is what you can claim you claim against your taxes, not what you should charge at all.

There is a big difference here so please you stop using this as anything but tax deductible.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

IF a mileage fee is a standard part of such an inspection then he was quite fair. Figures out to 35 cents per mile. My only question would be as to whether or not it is normal procedure to charge such a fee for an inspection and were you made aware of it when you scheduled it.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Most of the time it not itemized.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I don'i know if it is a standard part of the inspection or not, but I think it probably is. I needed the inspection because I was changing insurance companies and the new company required it. The insurance company and I agreed on the inspector and the agent advised me that he may charge for travel because of the distance. When I called the inspector he gave me the cost of the inspection and told me there would also be an additional $20 charge for travel before we even scheduled the inspection.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Seems to me that everything was on the up-and-up. If it were me, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Agreed.
I just put that up as a reference for the OP's question.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I don't do photography for money but as an Architect I charge the current IRS mileage rate both ways if driving. For time, hotel and food that depends on the situation and the contract.
Charge it both ways or just bury it into the fee if you want to.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

These are posted annually. Just google the IRS.gov website.