Minister's Commute

[GIMoe]

I have a question concerning treatment of ministers. Can their mileage driving from home to their church office (commuting under normal circumstances) be treated as business miles. I am leaning towards counting it as commuting miles, but since they do fall into a different catagory, I just wanted to be certain. Thanks in advance.

[veritas]

We hashed this one over last year

Here's a link to the discussion

http://www.thetaxbook.com/forums/showthread.php?t=835&highlight=minister+mileage

[GIMoe]

Thanks

Here's a link to the discussion

http://www.thetaxbook.com/forums/sho...nister+mileage

Thanks for the link to the past discussion. It was very helpful.

[Black Bart]

Clash with your Hash

Here's a link to the discussion

http://www.thetaxbook.com/forums/sho...nister+mileage

Since I just did one the other day and gave the deduction to the minister (cite: he needed the money); I must object to the boarders' conclusions.

Still, since they're probably right that trips to church are commuting and trips to see parishioners are not, I'll have to go to Plan B (as follows): I'll advise him this year to drive first to see a congregation member at his house which is15 miles from the pastor's, and, after a five minute chat or so regarding sin/prayer/whatever (something appropriate to a "business" discussion), to then commute on down the road the additional hundred yards to the church.

[GIMoe]

Interesting workaround...

Still, since they're probably right that trips to church are commuting and trips to see parishioners are not, I'll have to go to Plan B (as follows): I'll advise him this year to drive first to see a congregation member at his house which is15 miles from the pastor's, and, after a five minute chat or so regarding sin/prayer/whatever (something appropriate to a "business" discussion), to then commute on down the road the additional hundred yards to the church.

Sounds like a great idea. If this ever came to audit, do you think the agent would be at all curious as to why the minister had to drive to the same parishioner's house first everyday, before he went to his church office? Not to sure, however, that a minister would be at all stoked about the appearance that image seems to portray.

Back on topic, I wasn't sure whether clergy, since they fall into their own catagory for taxable vs housing income, paying their own SE tax, etc, that maybe they may have an exception in considering commuting miles. It appears, however that do not, unless of course, I am missing something.

[Davc]

Sounds like a great idea. If this ever came to audit, do you think the agent would be at all curious as to why the minister had to drive to the same parishioner's house first everyday, before he went to his church office?

Not if the parishioner was a lawyer.