Anonymous wrote:The IRS rate is not the "federal standard"- it is the maximum an employer can reimburse you for gas without that reimbursement being considered additional income for tax purposes. Most employers do pay this amount, and it is what I would ask for, but keep in mind that you are asking for the maximum. Depending on your vehicle, the actual cost of wear and tear is probably less, so your employer may reasonably opt to pay for actual expenses instead.
Anonymous wrote:The federal standard mileage reimbursement rate for the 2013 calendar year is 56.5 cents per mile which is for business miles in personal cars, SUVs, minivans, trucks, etc. This is the category nannies using their own personal vehicles would fall under, as there are 2 others as well.
This would generally cover standard maintenance, repairs, taxes, gas, insurance, and registration fees. Essentially the standard mileage rate is intended to cover the expenses that one would report if he used the actual car expenses deduction, but the standard mileage reimbursement rate is simply an estimate and may end up being more or even less than your actual expenses.
You could also choose to keep track of all these items and ask to be reimbursed for them instead, maybe using a gas card for gas since it is the one that would be needing reimbursement most often, but the mileage rate is usually easier to use. You just keep track of all miles driven while ON THE JOB (not to and from work, your commute doesn't count).
Just tell them that this is what you prefer to do to keep it simple and so that there is no confusion over what gets covered and what doesn't etc.