Just to make sure I'm clear, do I count my mileage round trip for shops or just one way? Also, do I claim my mileage AND money spent on gas?

I'm trying to stay organized and in doing such have confused myself. I have one file for reimbursement receipts and POV's. I have another file for expense receipts. When I do a shop where I'm reimbursed for a portion of the gas purchase I don't know where to file the receipt.

Also, I'm curious about working in other states. I'm reasonably close to two other states. I haven't done any shops out of state yet but I'm considering it, I'm just wondering if the paperwork is a hassle.

Does anyone have any information about small business loans, or getting incorporated? Getting an Employee ID #?

Last thing- any suggestions to where I can get copies made fairly cheap? I picked up several jobs in the same area, and when I went to print the paperwork it was 26 pages long!! I have 18 of these jobs= 468 pages!! I don't want to use up that much of my ink or paper.

Thanks in advance!
Lynlee

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2009 08:24AM by lynleestar.

Print once. Fit multiple pages onto one when printing. Use a system of initials or different colored pens to note each different place of the 18.

lynleestar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just to make sure I'm clear, do I count my mileage
> round trip for shops or just one way? Also, do I
> claim my mileage AND money spent on gas?
>
Count round trip mileage. The mileage allowance, .55, is almost always more beneficial to take than actual expenses.

> I'm trying to stay organized and in doing such
> have confused myself. I have one file for
> reimbursement receipts and POV's. I have another
> file for expense receipts. When I do a shop where
> I'm reimbursed for a portion of the gas purchase I
> don't know where to file the receipt.
>
I would keep them also with your reimbursement receipts but your record-keeping needs to reflect the actual reimbursed amount, if the total of the receipt is greater.

> Also, I'm curious about working in other states.
> I'm reasonably close to two other states. I
> haven't done any shops out of state yet but I'm
> considering it, I'm just wondering if the
> paperwork is a hassle.

I routinely work in two states. It's no hassle and no different.
>
> Does anyone have any information about small
> business loans, or getting incorporated? Getting
> an Employee ID #?

I'll have to pass on this one. Are you considering starting a business in regard to your shopping?
>
> Last thing- any suggestions to where I can get
> copies made fairly cheap? I picked up several
> jobs in the same area, and when I went to print
> the paperwork it was 26 pages long!! I have 18 of
> these jobs= 468 pages!! I don't want to use up
> that much of my ink or paper.

Often, it isn't essential to print each sheet of the shop's guidelines, surveys, etc. I almost always print the coversheet or guidelines that provides name, address, phone no., details of the type of shop, scheduler's phone no., or other pertinent info. That's a good place to write notes in the car after I've completed the shop. I only print the questionnaire if it's a new-to-me shop. After I've done a shop a few times, I remember what points need hit. If a shopper does 10 gas shops a month, printing 20+ pages for each isn't necessary, and is costly.

Yes, the mileage is generally the better deduction to take. If you do that you don't claim gas, oil changes, tires, repairs etc. separately. You can still claim bridge tolls and parking.

If you choose NOT to us the mileage deduction, then you need to keep track of all vehicle expenses that are not reimbursed (so if you spend $5 for gas and are reimbursed for $1, the other $4 could be listed as a vehicle expense, if you pay for your own oil change it is deductible, but not if it was reimbursed by a shop, etc.) Overall you take your vehicle expenses, vehicle depreciation, insurance, licensing etc., lump it together and take only the % of the amount that is attributable to shopping. So if the lump total is $5000 and you drove your car 10,000 miles during the year but only 1,000 miles for shops, your deduction would be $500. Whichever method you choose in your first year of using the vehicle is the method you must continue as long as you use that vehicle.

As for small business loans, you are unlikely to obtain one because shopping is a very marginal business with little required in the way of start up costs and no guarantees of continuing job availability. Usually small business loans are more product based or state licensed and regulated services. They require a business plan submission and I don't quite see how you could pull one of those together since jobs tend to be individually contracted for and are generally of very short duration. "I plan to register with 200 companies" is not going to cut it as most of us over time find that there are only 20-40 companies a year doing shops in our areas.

As for an EIN, I wouldn't mess with it. I have gotten them for family estates I needed to settle with no problem, but when I got one for a small business we set up, it opened the floodgates of bureaucracy: business permits, occupancy permits, sales tax numbers and the whole nine yards.

As for incorporation, that is generally done to isolate business assets from personal assets, so in case you were sued in relation to your business, your personal assets would not be at risk. An S-Corporation would be possible but even there you are opening the floodgates of bureaucracy. And of course, most of us are not telling our insurance companies that we are using our vehicles for business purposes because our insurance rates would double. When I do shops I am "running errands" as far as the world is concerned.

It is definitely a rookie mistake to print out all paperwork for all jobs. With a new job I will print 1 copy. I am likely to use a different color pen or colored pencil to mark my copy for different locations. But after you have done a job a couple of times, quick notes on the back of the cover sheet of a job is all you will need. And there are jobs you will frequently do, like our dinner shop this evening, that require 3 timings--in, out and from order to service. My entire notes for this evening are half a page of a 3x5 memo pad--the times and the description of the cashier. Had anything been deficient there might have been another line or two of notes. My folder of paperwork for about 75 jobs for June is a little under 1" thick and by far the most paper is materials I was given in response to my inquiries.

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2009 03:51AM by surveygrrll.