In the next few months, the IRS will announce the mileage rate for 2020. That means changes for many companies’ vehicle programs. But what should be changed? And what is this IRS mileage rate? We’ll explain everything you need to know about the IRS mileage rate and more in this post.
The IRS mileage rate is a guideline for mobile worker reimbursement. Employers can reimburse for business mileage at this rate. As long as their allowance or cents-per-mile reimbursements are not above this rate, the reimbursement is not taxable. Interested in learning more? Check out our in-depth post on the IRS mileage rate.
The IRS mileage rate is determined as a guideline for business mileage reimbursement. There are more expenses to driving than just fuel prices. Here’s a list of a few factors.
So, it isn’t the only expense, but it is still a major factor. And fuel trends have been far from predictable this year. Through conflict in the Middle East to falling demand, fuel production has been reliable. How these prices impact the IRS mileage rate remains to be seen.
Even if your car is new, it needs an oil change a few times a year. Depending on how much you drive for business, that could be more often than not. And vehicle maintenance is one of those costs that continues to rise. If your vehicle needs repairs, those prices are also trending high.
Insurance rates are also an expense that continually trends higher. Whether you want to blame the increasing number of accidents or the number of distracted drivers on the roads pumping those numbers higher, it’s still a cost you’re paying when you take to the roads. But hey, the IRS is probably taking that into account when determining the 2020 business mileage rate, so there’s that.
Vehicles are also getting more expensive. Partly because we don’t want the same vehicles we used to. Not when the new ones have back up cameras so you can leave your home without running over the bike in the driveway. Or Apple and Android auto, so you don’t have to hot glue your phone to the dashboard for the family road trip. Add lane departure warnings, assisted braking and pedestrian detection and it’s easy to see why the latest vehicles are so desirable. But these upgrades come with higher prices.
Will the 2020 IRS mileage rate be higher than the 2019 rate? Will it be lower? We don’t know. If gas prices maintained a consistently high price, along with insurance rates, maintenance and vehicle costs, there could be an argument for an increase in the rate. We saw a jump from 0.545 to 58 with the 2019 IRS mileage rate. But looking back at the previous rates should be an indicator that last year’s change is not a determining factor in the 2020 IRS rate.
If your company is currently reimbursing its mobile workforce at the current IRS mileage rate of 58 cents, we recommend looking at alternatives for these reasons:
There are other vehicle program options. Namely, the Fixed and Variable Rate (FAVR) reimbursement. It’s the only IRS recommended reimbursement methodology as it accounts for both the fixed and variable costs of vehicle use. Learn more about FAVR here.