If i have to drive a large distance to a dr. can i deduct the miles on my tax return?

Question

is it the standard mileage rate? or 18 cents a mile?

Answer 1

Yes and no.  IF you itemize, and IF you have enough out of pocket medical expenses to be over 7.5% of your income, you can deduct 20 cents a mile for going back and forth to medical appointments, along with your other medical expenses   Most people don't have the 7.5% in unreimbursed med expenses so aren't able to take a deduction for mileage.

Answer 2

If you drive from home to office and then back from office to home, then these miles are commuting miles and are not deductible.

If you go from your first office to other places, then those miles are deductible as employee business expenses on schedule A.

Read this: http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/05/item...

Answer 3

The standard mileage rate for medical expenses was 20 cents/mile in 2007 ( I don't know the 2008 rate ).

However, you only get to deduct medical expenses to the extent that they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.  And then once that threshold is overcome, that excess becomes an itemized deduction....and you only get tax benefit if your total itemized deductions exceed your standard deduction.

Some reading material:

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502.html