GPS Tracking Pays at Tax Time Too

(Updated 23 June 2019)

Even if you only use your own car for your business, here's some good reason you want to track using a no monthly cost GPS tracking system.

At the end of the year, you should know how many miles you have driven. But what if any are 'missing'?

And are you sure each deductible mile is properly categorized?

Lose track of even a few hundred miles over the course of a year and you'll be out way more than the cost of one of these simple systems. How much is at risk?


The 2019 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes are out. Beginning on January 1, 2019, the new standard mileage rates for the deductible use of a car (and vans, pickups or panel trucks) are:

• 58 cents per mile for business miles driven
• 20 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

While gasoline is a significant factor in the mileage rate, other fixed and variable costs, such as depreciation, enter the calculation. The standard mileage rates for business, medical and moving are based on the annual Runzheimer International study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.

For those nostalgic for the higher deductions of '08, the business mileage rate was 50.5 cents in the first half of 2008 and 58.5 cents in the second half. The medical and moving rate was 19 cents in the first half and 27 cents in the second half.

Keep track, keep legal and keep money in your pocket.

Will Tin Foil Defeat GPS Tracking?

I get this question a lot on several of my GPS-related blogs:

www.satviz.com
www.gpsbus.com
www.snoop411.com

The answer is, if you can find the antenna for the GPS tracking unit, most likely tin foil will stop your boss from seeing where you are ... or where you aren't.

Of course s/he will also know exactly where and when the tin foil was put in place and where and when it was taken off, so you might want to do alittle planning on that idea before you implement it.

Now if you are being tracked via a GPS-enabled phone, the tin foil will be a bit harder to keep in place .. and also you might consider this: It is likely if you are being tracked via a phone company provided service that the phone company is also tracking your phone's approximate posiiton via the cell sites you connect to. Some of these systems are very sophisticated, able tio locate the phone down to a few meters ... EVEN IF IT DOESN'T HAVE GPS

Yes, you read that correctly. All phone companies have to supply telephone posiitons to emergency services during 911 calls ... it's Federal Law. This means they have to be able to locate non-GPS as well as GPS phones. It's a done deal.

If the phone company elects to provide that service to othe parties ... such as your emplyer ... for a fee of course ... it is likely you have any chopice in the matter, So, before you raid the kitchen cabinet for tin foil, you might instead want to consider:

The best way to avoid being tracked is to turn the phone off. You might get fired, but at least they wont know where you've been.