By Neil Seidler, CPA, CMA
Dear Neil,
I use my RV for business. Can I deduct expenses related to using it for business income? Thank you for your information. —Craig K.
Dear Craig,
Expenses incurred for the purpose of gaining or producing income can generally be deducted from that income in calculating the net income or loss for income tax purposes. This would include certain expenses incurred to produce income if you live in your RV full-time.
For example, if you used your RV to travel to trade shows or other events to market or promote your product or services, then some or all of the expenses related to that trip would be an expense for tax purposes. For instance, these would include things like fuel, RV maintenance, license and insurance costs, depreciation, RV park fees, trade show registration fees, etc.
Keep detailed logs when you use your RV for business
You’ll want to keep detailed logs of both the expenses and the personal vs. business use of the RV. You can only deduct the business portion of the expenses. Importantly, this would include only the percentage of the RV used solely for business.
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We welcome your questions and inquiries. If you have tax-related questions, or any other questions that we may be able to address, please email us or comment below and we’ll try to answer them in a future article.
If you need assistance with your tax filings or other accounting matters please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to help. You can email me at Neil@profitprocpa.com. My business website is ProfitPro Accounting and Tax, or call my office at (702) 754-1338.
We present this material for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on, for tax, accounting or legal advice. Therefore, readers should consult their own tax, accounting and legal advisors to discuss their own personal matters.
Read Neil’s most recent post: Is interest on an RV loan tax deductible?
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I’m not sure you can deduct business expenses if you live full-time in your RV and do not own a sticks and bricks home. The IRS considers you an “Itinerant Worker” and the rules are different. In addition, if your RV is your primary residence, expenses associated with it are not tax-deductible.
The proportion of your “sticks and bricks” home used for business, i.e. a home office, is deductible, so the same should be true of your RV as a full timer.